Cruel Parents - Bad Names

Cloud · 05-07-2008, 12:37 PM

so, I guess if you name your kid "Barack" he'll never get anywhere in life, huh? Like, say, becoming a Senator?

lookout123 · 05-07-2008, 12:46 PM

The name issue is a valid discussion if everyone drops the knee jerk sensitivity for a minute. I've long held the belief that names DO matter. They aren't the end all be all ingredient in a person's fate, but they do matter, with boys especially. I have always said that some names will either lead the boy to be a super stud that everyone flocks around or a nerd that is left out and picked on. Evidence is only anecdotal but it is interesting.

I went to school with two guys named Doyle. Physically they were built about the same, dad's worked in the same factory so same money, pretty much everything about them was at least similar. Except Doyle S was made fun of for his girlie dork name from the time we were in first grade. People would pick on him and he'd shuffle his feet and had no way to respond. Funny thing is that the other Doyle didn't get picked on for his name very often. He became a stereotypical badass. The girls swooned for him, the guys surrounded him, the football team caught his passes.

The name matters only to the degree that the kid is able to define his personality. Unfortunately, it can cause a kid some disadvantage early on that can carry into adult life.

I think the real problem in this thread is that Radar, as usual, takes a valid point, takes an extreme stance on it, and uses his usual tactics from How to Win Friends and Influence People to convince everyone of his superior viewpoint.

xoxoxoBruce · 05-08-2008, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lookout123

The name issue is a valid discussion if everyone drops the knee jerk sensitivity for a minute. I've long held the belief that names DO matter.

This from a guy that named his son Li'l Lookout.

lookout123 · 05-07-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloud

so, I guess if you name your kid "Barack" he'll never get anywhere in life, huh? Like, say, becoming a Senator?

Barack? huh? OOOh, you mean Barry? Barry that guy from school? yeah I remember him.

Seems like Barack wasn't a such convenient name for a kid.

glatt · 05-07-2008, 01:12 PM

Monster has already said this but we can't use our childhood experiences to guide us here on this one. Times have changed, and kids today are much more tolerant of "different" names than when we were younger. Since Columbine, the schools have gone to great lengths to teach kids not to bully each other and it appears to be working, based on what I've seen in my town.

lookout123 · 05-07-2008, 01:17 PM

Fair enough. I'm not overly concerned about either way. I named both my boys John so they're safe.

OK, not really. One of my boys has an older out of favor name, the other has a name that is ambiguous.

kerosene · 05-07-2008, 01:22 PM

I grew up with a somewhat unusual name...I think what caused people to pick on my name was its existence in so many stories and commercial avenues..."Casey at the Bat", "Casey Jones", "KC and the Sunshine Band", "Kacey Fine Furniture", and "Casey the talking Robot" were all terms I was expected to answer to. I won't even begin to relay the slaughterings my 13 letter German last name got. I go by "Case" now, because it is more unique than "Casey" which seems to have grown in popularity since I was a kid. Also, my family always called me "Case." I find it odd when people call me Casey, now. What is even worse, though, is my brother's name is Justin.

lookout123 · 05-07-2008, 01:24 PM

I went to school with two casey's. They were both HAAAWWWT! They only got picked on until boys figured out how to get their attention in more appropriate ways.

Pie · 05-07-2008, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by case

What is even worse, though, is my brother's name is Justin.

Oddly enough, I knew a guy named Justin Case. And to make it even worse, he was the food-service manager at... wait for it... Case Western Reserve University.

But, back to the topic at hand: Radar, couldn't you have made your daughter's life considerably easier by giving her a WHITE mamma? Can you imagine how badly she'll be picked on for being a half-breed?

No? That's racist, huh? Then lay off the name game. I've been picked on for my name at the grade school playground. I also have a gender-ambiguous name (as far as many Americans are concerned) -- and it hasn't harmed me worth a damn.

I'm proud of my name, and proud of my parent's determination to give me at least one thing from my heritage that will stay with me throughout my life. I appreciated it so much that I did not change my name when I got married. I am successful, well-educated, well-respected by my colleagues, and most importantly, I am happy with who I am.

Why would I pander to an idiot such as yourself?

Buffalo Bill · 05-07-2008, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloud

so, I guess if you name your kid "Barack" he'll never get anywhere in life, huh? Like, say, becoming a Senator?

Do you know what a Barack is in french?
A shack, a decrepit old house. Still I think that he will be your next president.

Has for me, you would'nt believe my name. I'm a Mohawk and I go by my indian name and nobody ever laught at me and I do quite good moneywise. I got hired because I'm really good at what I do and they did'nt care about my name.

To bad that everybody can't have the same chance I had.

As usual, sorry for the bad spelling and bad English

05-07-2008, 12:37 PM	#1
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	so, I guess if you name your kid "Barack" he'll never get anywhere in life, huh? Like, say, becoming a Senator? __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

05-07-2008, 12:46 PM	#2
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	The name issue is a valid discussion if everyone drops the knee jerk sensitivity for a minute. I've long held the belief that names DO matter. They aren't the end all be all ingredient in a person's fate, but they do matter, with boys especially. I have always said that some names will either lead the boy to be a super stud that everyone flocks around or a nerd that is left out and picked on. Evidence is only anecdotal but it is interesting. I went to school with two guys named Doyle. Physically they were built about the same, dad's worked in the same factory so same money, pretty much everything about them was at least similar. Except Doyle S was made fun of for his girlie dork name from the time we were in first grade. People would pick on him and he'd shuffle his feet and had no way to respond. Funny thing is that the other Doyle didn't get picked on for his name very often. He became a stereotypical badass. The girls swooned for him, the guys surrounded him, the football team caught his passes. The name matters only to the degree that the kid is able to define his personality. Unfortunately, it can cause a kid some disadvantage early on that can carry into adult life. I think the real problem in this thread is that Radar, as usual, takes a valid point, takes an extreme stance on it, and uses his usual tactics from How to Win Friends and Influence People to convince everyone of his superior viewpoint. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

05-07-2008, 01:17 PM	#6
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	Fair enough. I'm not overly concerned about either way. I named both my boys John so they're safe. OK, not really. One of my boys has an older out of favor name, the other has a name that is ambiguous. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

05-07-2008, 01:24 PM	#8
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	I went to school with two casey's. They were both HAAAWWWT! They only got picked on until boys figured out how to get their attention in more appropriate ways. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

05-07-2008, 01:12 PM	#5
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Monster has already said this but we can't use our childhood experiences to guide us here on this one. Times have changed, and kids today are much more tolerant of "different" names than when we were younger. Since Columbine, the schools have gone to great lengths to teach kids not to bully each other and it appears to be working, based on what I've seen in my town.

05-07-2008, 01:22 PM	#7
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	I grew up with a somewhat unusual name...I think what caused people to pick on my name was its existence in so many stories and commercial avenues..."Casey at the Bat", "Casey Jones", "KC and the Sunshine Band", "Kacey Fine Furniture", and "Casey the talking Robot" were all terms I was expected to answer to. I won't even begin to relay the slaughterings my 13 letter German last name got. I go by "Case" now, because it is more unique than "Casey" which seems to have grown in popularity since I was a kid. Also, my family always called me "Case." I find it odd when people call me Casey, now. What is even worse, though, is my brother's name is Justin.

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