ALEXA, GET ME A NEW NAME: Bullied Six-Year-Old Alexa Goes To Court To Change Name
A court has allowed a six-year-old girl called Alexa to change her name by deed poll after she was mocked mercilessly by her classmates.
Alexa from Goettingen, Lower Saxony, Germany, was baptised just as Amazon’s Alexa devices were entering the local tech market.
And as the devices’ popularity grew, she suffered throughout kindergarten and in the playground as her peers made cruel gags at her expense.
But the bullying got too much for little Alexa, and her parents finally applied to city officials in Goettingen to officially change her name.
And when their first attempt was turned down, they took the case to the city’s Administrative Court.
They told the court how children would give their daughter ‘Alexa’ commands in the playground.
And even when they went swimming, youngsters made fun of her in the pool.
They recalled how one unknown man – after overhearing their daughter’s name – cruelly jeered: “Alexa, dance for me!”
Court officials agreed that the girl had been “emotionally burdened” by her name and gave her parents permission to choose a new one.
The court found: “The name is not only apt to form a pun, but rather invites the issuing of insulting and demeaning orders.”
Local media did not report what Alexa’s new name will be.
Amazon reported in January 2019 that more than 100 million Alexa devices had been sold.
The voice AI assistant can answer commands like “Alexa, what’s the weather today?” or “Alexa, how many ounces in a pound?”