If your last name is Hitler and you go to the Civil Registry office to change it, surely no one will ask you the reasons. However, a person in the United States not only wanted to stay with him, but also learned to appreciate the advantages of sharing a name with the famous Nazi dictator.
John Hitler is a business consultant who lives with his family in San Jose, California. This week, someone noticed his last name and it started a viral phenomenon with the question they asked him.
A journalist from 404 Media noticed and contacted him to learn more about what it means to be called “Hittler” in a country that lost almost 300,000 people fighting him.
“The same thing always happens to me. When I have to introduce myself I do it as ‘John’, and when they ask me my last name, I tell them to guess, because it’s the worst in the entire history of mankind. Many did not understand the game so when I told them, they were surprised and replied, “It can’t be!” he said.
“The funny thing is that my family is Irish. Our grandparents are Sullivan, Lynch, Hunter and Hitler; And because God has a sense of humor, of course, I got the last one. “My parents are one of those stubborn Irish types and they said there’s no way we’re going to change our last name, so here I am,” he added.
Asked if he had ever considered changing his surname now, as an adult, Hitler replied that although it caused him problems when he was young, it gradually turned into advantages.
“The problems have gotten worse over time since the Holocaust. I grew up a generation, or maybe a generation and a half after the Holocaust, with children who had ancestors, grandparents, uncles, or someone who died in time. He definitely caused me problems, and I always fought. But then I realized that it had its advantages: no one forgot my last name. I didn’t need business cards. It was a kind of curiosity. And because I learned not to be taken by those who challenge me, I no longer consider it a problem,” he detailed in the publication.
However, John gave his children the freedom to make their own decisions.
“I have 7 children, five of me and my wife have other children. Two of my five children changed their last name. One got married and his wife didn’t want to take his last name, so he didn’t keep it either. They preferred to stick with Hunter, my maternal grandfather’s last name, which they both thought was a good name. By the way, out of my 5 children, three were adopted as orphans in Russia, so… Surprise! They have a new family in America that loves them and, oh, the last name comes as a gift…” he joked.
Impressed by John’s positive attitude, 404 Media asked him for some professional business advice.
“Imagine a year from now and we’re at the French Laundry (a very expensive restaurant) in Napa, California. This is the best restaurant in the country. If we fly there to spend $1,500 (1.3 million Chilean pesos) per person – and it’s worth every penny, I’ve been four times – to celebrate what we’ve both achieved together, what will we celebrate? …
“People first told me ‘Well, the business grew by 20%.’ So I tell them ‘Don’t kid me. That’s why we go to McDonald’s. Then they think about it and say ‘We made a million dollars this year.’ So I told him, you know, it’s worth going to the French Laundry. The idea is to make people think outside their comfort zone so that they question what they can do if they give it their best. good,” he concluded.
