Interesting article

Empireceo

This made me stop and think a bit...what say you, BNB?

https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/13/are-blacks-names-weird-or-are-you-just-racist.html

Helenahhandbasket

Wow-- great article!

Really interesting-- and totally reminds me of Freakonomics (actually according to the names chapter, I have a top ten whitest white girl name).

I grew up in a very racially and culturally diverse neighborhood of Brooklyn.  My middle school was probably 85-90% black (I went to a public middle school-- most of my white friend's parents sent them to Catholic school) and although there were a lot of "black" names, the most popular girl in my grade had the same white girl name as me and she was black.

I give stupid sounding made up names on any race equal side eye.  It doesn't serve your child well.

firsttimeauntie

I just can't get over the fact that people get judged on their names on things like job applications and school applications etc. Doesn't anyone understand that a child doesn't choose their own name? A name should be the last thing considered when picking someone for a job.

Helenahhandbasket

firsttimeauntie said:

I just can't get over the fact that people get judged on their names on things like job applications and school applications etc. Doesn't anyone understand that a child doesn't choose their own name? A name should be the last thing considered when picking someone for a job.

 

I mean, they do though.  It's something that's been proven time and time again.  Hopefully one day it will change, but right now that is how it is-- so it's our job as parents and future parents to equip our children with all of the tools they will need to get by.  It's not out job to make a statement with our children's names, which the authour of the article suggests may have sparked the trend that started with black families.  White people are just starting to really do this recently, because, well white people have continually borrowed from black culture (hai Elvis).

Obvioulsy, equipping our children with survival tools goes much deeper than just not naming your kid La'shawntwerkis or Mcshayleigh, but that is where you start.

firsttimeauntie

Yes, I know. It just makes me sad. I don't condone made up names, I really don't like them. I just can't believe it.

Scarlett&Gatsby

Helenahhandbasket said:

firsttimeauntie said:

I just can't get over the fact that people get judged on their names on things like job applications and school applications etc. Doesn't anyone understand that a child doesn't choose their own name? A name should be the last thing considered when picking someone for a job.

 

I mean, they do though.  It's something that's been proven time and time again.  Hopefully one day it will change, but right now that is how it is-- so it's our job as parents and future parents to equip our children with all of the tools they will need to get by.  It's not out job to make a statement with our children's names, which the authour of the article suggests may have sparked the trend that started with black families.  White people are just starting to really do this recently, because, well white people have continually borrowed from black culture (hai Elvis).

Obvioulsy, equipping our children with survival tools goes much deeper than just not naming your kid La'shawntwerkis or Mcshayleigh, but that is where you start.

While I think this is true, you have to call a spade a spade, also. Not hiring or interviewing someone because they have a "black" name isn't about a person's name---it's about their perceived race. And there are lots of legitimate names that are still perceived as "black" (some Classical names like Jerome, Marcus, Darius, Octavius, etc. as well as Muslim names like Kareem, Jamil, Omar) that would warrant the same reaction as some of the inventive choices mentioned in the article.

Empireceo

Yeah, I have equal hate for made up names of any race.  It's not necessarily black names I side-eye.  La'Shondrasia and McKynslyn are going to make me eye-roll equally, no matter who they are assigned to.

ETA:  It's true that it's not the child's fault what her parents name her.  But let's also not pretend that job interviews don't sometimes come down to the most minute details.  Maybe one person dresses more presentably than the other equally qualified candidate.  Maybe one is more attractive, which is beneficial to that particular job.  Maybe "Hi this is Elizabeth" will sound clearer on a phone call than "Hi this is Damariconia."

neverblushed

I just love that the author called out Sen. Saxby Chambliss as having an incredibly doofy name.  I live in DC, and his name comes up quite often on the news here -- possibly as much as it does in his home state of Georgia.

Every time I hear that name on the radio I can't decide whether I want to snicker... or vomit.

Dr.Loretta

neverblushed said:

I just love that the author called out Sen. Saxby Chambliss as having an incredibly doofy name.  I live in DC, and his name comes up quite often on the news here -- possibly as much as it does in his home state of Georgia.

Every time I hear that name on the radio I can't decide whether I want to snicker... or vomit.

I will bet $50 that his FN is a family name, which is so common in the south his parents probably didn't even think twice about it.