I'm not going to mention where I work, but suffice to say that it is a large building with an associated retail outlet that is prominently situated on Route 1.

During the tourist season, there are hordes of visitors wandering about our lobby, taking photos and doing other touristy things. Inevitably, a lot of these folks consist of young families with small children. As I enter and exit the building, I can't help but overhear these parents addressing their children by their given names, and I've noticed that there is a preponderance of little boys between the ages of 5 and 12 named Damien.

Ummm … Is it just me, or didn't any of these parents see the movie "The Omen"? For me, the name Damien is always going to be associated with this film. For those of you who missed it, the theme of this movie could be summed up by the phrase "Spawn of Satan". Whenever I encounter a kid named Damien, I experience an involuntary moment of shock. To me, these people might as well have named their little bundle of joy "Dracula" or "Beelzebub".

I'm not suggesting that these children will carry this burden around for the rest of their lives. What makes the movie so creepy is the fact that the devil isn't a big, powerful, ugly, lecherous, dissolute adult; instead, HE'S AN ANGELIC LOOKING LITTLE TOT WHO BREAKS HIS MOTHER'S NECK JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT! Once these kids reach adulthood, the stigma of the "D-name" will be dissipated (mostly).

I'm curious whether there are other people with this peculiar cultural reaction to the name Damien?

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