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Admittedly there is a difference between individual and absurd. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect equal treatment before a person has even seen you. At that stage all they know about you can be written on their hand. That is, they know your name. From that they are making a massive assumption about your character and background.
There's no reason anyone should have to put up with that.

There is no reason, but it is happening.

Just like Brony hate, why won't parents stop bronies!

Um what? Hw does that have anything to do with names?

To be honest the idea expressed is not new, or uncommon. Being the idiot that lets everyone know that they ascribe to it kind of is.

There is a whole chapter in Freakonomics about names and their impacts on ones future prospects in life. If I remember it goes something like this. People will say that it is wrong to judge based on a name,however everyone knows it happens. Parents who want their children to succeed will give them socially acceptable names and then guide them to be socially acceptable and productive members of society. Parents who don't really care about their own success rarely care about their children's success and will name them whatever they feel like, no matter how outlandish and most likely raise them in an environment where success is not a major priority. Therefore the name of a native (not foreign born, or 1st generation) is predictive of their success in the standard working establishment. Oddly enough this bias did not seam to effect foreigners as much, people actually expect them to have sounding foreign names.

And it isn't secondarily conscious is what im saying. It can be unconscious aswell. We humans tend to go with the familiar even if it is at a subconscious level. We like to surround ourselves with things that are like us.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Um what? Hw does that have anything to do with names?

People judging you for a name your mother gave you.
People judging you for a show your parents let you watch.

Who is wrong here: people judging people for stupid reasons, or people giving others something to judge them for.

The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.
And My parents cant tell me what to watch at 21.
What im getting at is giving you kids a weird name is irresponsible because it affects their job aspects later in life. Like my name, It is unique and rarily seen, but it isnt odd

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.
And My parents cant tell me what to watch at 21.
What im getting at is giving you kids a weird name is irresponsible because it affects their job aspects later in life. Like my name, It is unique and rarily seen, but it isnt odd

Lots of judging going on by you here...

And I sense some hostility towards getting judged yourself...

I got judged alot, but nt for being a brony, but for wearing a cowboy hat to school.
It was my choice to wear hat hat, I liked it alot. So i endured.
Now If my mom stitched that hat to me when I was born, to where I would be mocked constantly and unable to get a job, that would be irresponsible.
Catch my drift?

Its perception. Its not judging. Everyone perception on what they see or how they are view is influence by what they say and do. Example will be the word "Hero". Being called a "Hero" means your known to do something real risky. In the military getting called a "Hero" is another way of calling someone "Stupid"

Firstly, the manager in the OP is a moron. I like a little variety in the names. My last crew of a dozen guys had four Mikes and two Kevins. That was annoying. I would have welcomed a !Xobile.

I do get annoyed when parents give their kids names that they clearly chose because they wanted everyone to know how cool and edgy they are. Like my acquaintance who named her children Mercy Danger Smith and Scarlett Fever Smith. I wanted to punch her in the mouth.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
And it isn't secondarily conscious is what im saying. It can be unconscious aswell. We humans tend to go with the familiar even if it is at a subconscious level. We like to surround ourselves with things that are like us.

The point surely being that the proper course of action is to encourage people to recognise when they're falling into those kinds of mental traps and work to overcome that obvious deficiency in rational thinking, not to shame parents for giving their children names which appeal to them or reflect a non-normative cultural heritage as you suggest.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I do ask a question. Why do people give thier kids names like "Tamisha" or "Lashonda" and other names like that? They are not realistic and people, subconsciously and consciously tend to skip over those names on applications and such

Because the parents are fething idiots.

And yeah, there was a fairly famous study that showed that names like that do get missed over in job applications. But what its interesting is that while the original study in to that assumed it was a racial bias causing those typically black names to be ignored, subsequent studies did the same with typically working class white names like Jayden and Mykynzy... and found the same result. What people were rejecting wasn't race, but class.

Point being, don't give your child a made up name, whether you're white or black. Not just because your kid will find it harder to get a job, but also because made up names are almost always lame.


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 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is there are people who put those names into a negative context. Like in the OP. PArents should realize this and not give them non-names

There's that, but there's also the point that names should sound pleasing to the ear. Most people can't make up a word with a lyrical quality, and so they think up stuff like Shaquanda, or play around with the spelling until you get Mykynzy.

At the end of the day very few of us can just make up words like Tolkien. So if you aren't a professor of linguistics, just use a normal name, please.


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 d-usa wrote:
There are people that will put people who watch shows about ponies in a negative context.

Parents should realize this and not let their children watch MLP.

No, but people probably shouldn't put it under the hobbies section of their resume.


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 azazel the cat wrote:
YEAH! feth all those people who aren't willing to name their children traditional English names, even when their heritage is a culture that is not English.

There's a difference between a non-traditional name, and something that was just made up. Mykynzy is just as bad as Shaquanda.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Andrew1975 wrote:
There is a whole chapter in Freakonomics about names and their impacts on ones future prospects in life. If I remember it goes something like this. People will say that it is wrong to judge based on a name,however everyone knows it happens. Parents who want their children to succeed will give them socially acceptable names and then guide them to be socially acceptable and productive members of society. Parents who don't really care about their own success rarely care about their children's success and will name them whatever they feel like, no matter how outlandish and most likely raise them in an environment where success is not a major priority. Therefore the name of a native (not foreign born, or 1st generation) is predictive of their success in the standard working establishment. Oddly enough this bias did not seam to effect foreigners as much, people actually expect them to have sounding foreign names.

I can't remember if Freakonomics over-reached on that point (as it did on plenty of others) or if you're reading too much in to that chapter. I remember them pointing out that lots of names, including all the made up names, have come to be associated with people in lower socio-economic groups, and noting that resumes with these names on them tended to be over-looked. Which, in combination with a tendency for the parents to come from lower socio-economic groups, would explain why these people tend to be in lower socio-economic groups themselves.

I don't recall anything about them being in environments where success is less important. That sounds very speculative.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.

You better rethink that statement: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1041514

 sebster wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I do ask a question. Why do people give thier kids names like "Tamisha" or "Lashonda" and other names like that? They are not realistic and people, subconsciously and consciously tend to skip over those names on applications and such

Because the parents are fething idiots.

And yeah, there was a fairly famous study that showed that names like that do get missed over in job applications. But what its interesting is that while the original study in to that assumed it was a racial bias causing those typically black names to be ignored, subsequent studies did the same with typically working class white names like Jayden and Mykynzy... and found the same result. What people were rejecting wasn't race, but class.

Seb, how do you feel about using a "traditional name" but using a more ethnic spelling of it? An example I can think of is, here in the States, many people who have this name spell it Ian, however there more spellings in Ireland, such as Iain. In similar vein, there's Shawn and Sean, with the occasional (and often viewed as lower class) Shon.

I agree that if you are going to give your kids a name like Mackenzie, don't spell it Mykynzy, as that is just idiotic.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Seb, how do you feel about using a "traditional name" but using a more ethnic spelling of it? An example I can think of is, here in the States, many people who have this name spell it Ian, however there more spellings in Ireland, such as Iain. In similar vein, there's Shawn and Sean, with the occasional (and often viewed as lower class) Shon.

We called our daughter is Amelia*. There's an Italian version, Emelia, which is really pretty, but we weren't going to use it because we're not really Italian and ultimately we'd just be playing around with spelling.

Now, to clarify, my wife's grandparent migrated from Italy, their first language was Italian. My wife's Mum speaks Italian as a second language, and my wife knows a few verbs but that's about it. So we're not Italian enough to use a traditional spelling. If my wife spoke fluent Italian and it was a name common in her family, that'd be different.




*Then there's the other thing, where you give your kid a flavour of the month name. There were three other Amelias born in the hospital the same week as ours. In our defence we had no idea

You're saying if I go with my plan to name my kid Salamaxter, there's the possibility that people might not take that name seriously?

 Seaward wrote:
You're saying if I go with my plan to name my kid Salamaxter, there's the possibility that people might not take that name seriously?

Well, less serious than Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All.

 sebster wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Seb, how do you feel about using a "traditional name" but using a more ethnic spelling of it? An example I can think of is, here in the States, many people who have this name spell it Ian, however there more spellings in Ireland, such as Iain. In similar vein, there's Shawn and Sean, with the occasional (and often viewed as lower class) Shon.

We called our daughter is Amelia*. There's an Italian version, Emelia, which is really pretty, but we weren't going to use it because we're not really Italian and ultimately we'd just be playing around with spelling.

Now, to clarify, my wife's grandparent migrated from Italy, their first language was Italian. My wife's Mum speaks Italian as a second language, and my wife knows a few verbs but that's about it. So we're not Italian enough to use a traditional spelling. If my wife spoke fluent Italian and it was a name common in her family, that'd be different.




*Then there's the other thing, where you give your kid a flavour of the month name. There were three other Amelias born in the hospital the same week as ours. In our defence we had no idea

I knew a couple who did the exact opposite. Somehow they turned "Isabella" into "Yzzabella" I feel bad for that poor girl in the future.

He doesn't like "African" names? I guess he wouldn't like Pretorious or Kruger then - those have been on the continent for at least a couple hundred years.

 Gitkikka wrote:
He doesn't like "African" names? I guess he wouldn't like Pretorious or Kruger then - those have been on the continent for at least a couple hundred years.

Anyone else find it impossible to hear those names and not think, barrel chest, big moustache with curled tips, safari hat, maybe a monocle?

 daedalus wrote:
Who is this guy? Why do we care?

Yeah, where is or who is the 'American Hero'?

PhantomViper wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.

You better rethink that statement: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1041514

I have said it before. It was on reddit and CNN said it was unverified.
I dont believe it happened. OR if it did that guy did something else and didnt know what it was

 SickSix wrote:

 daedalus wrote:
Who is this guy? Why do we care?

Yeah, where is or who is the 'American Hero'?

It's me.

Being Canadian is just part of the charm.

hotsauceman1 wrote:Like my name, It is unique and rarily seen, but it isnt odd

I don't think "odd" has the colloquial definition that you think it does, then.

Seaward wrote:You're saying if I go with my plan to name my kid Salamaxter, there's the possibility that people might not take that name seriously?

I calculate that s/he'd just go by "Sam" and nobody would think twice of it.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.
And My parents cant tell me what to watch at 21.
What im getting at is giving you kids a weird name is irresponsible because it affects their job aspects later in life. Like my name, It is unique and rarily seen, but it isnt odd

almost anything could affect a job application process.

Like pulling up to the interview blasting punk rock, or if the interviewer found out I had a gun collection, or if I watched a show that would be considered odd for a man my age to watch (such as "kids'" shows)

Everything from the way you talk, to the way you sit in the chair affects your interview, whether the person hosting the interview realizes it or does it subconsciously. I had a job interview recently where the manager showed great concern when I stretched. It was stupid to do and instantly there was a dozen questions as the interviewer wanted to know if I got sore easy, or hurt easily, since this would be a very physical position.

I don't have a problem with bronies, but thinking that it wouldn't have an affect on you finding a job if the employer found out beforehand is a bit naive. Its the same reason I don't walk into a job interview with a Black Sabbath T Shirt on, or a 40K book in hand, or quote a South Park episode. Because it CAN affect the interview. In my case, it could imply I have issues with authority (them kids and their rock n roll music), imply I could be "unstable" (guns) or that I lack maturity (south park). To us, this is irrational profiling, but everyone does it on some level. If youve ever crossed the street when some "thugs" walked by, or locked your doors driving through certain neighborhoods, or made generalizations against any group of people, youve done it too. In your case, do you really think a person conducting a job interview won't find it odd that a grown man is watching a show targeted at 10 year old girls to push a line of toys? If I'm conducting an interview, I know it would trip a red flag. I'm not saying its fair, or even reasonable, just that this is life and it will happen.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.
And My parents cant tell me what to watch at 21.
What im getting at is giving you kids a weird name is irresponsible because it affects their job aspects later in life. Like my name, It is unique and rarily seen, but it isnt odd

Don't you have a Pony keychain? That could be enough.

One of the managers I work with wouldn't hire a guy because he was reading a romance novel in the lobby while waiting for him to come down to get the guy for the interview.

Illegal? Prove it happened.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 azazel the cat wrote:

hotsauceman1 wrote:The point is there are people who put those names into a negative context. Like in the OP. PArents should realize this and not give them non-names

YEAH! feth all those people who aren't willing to name their children traditional English names, even when their heritage is a culture that is not English.


...seriously hotsaiceman1, consider your statement for a minute, and then decide if you want to delete it or not.

Im not saying please don't try and bypass the language filter like this. reds8n hem. Im saying dont be surprised when your kid cannot get a job. This goes for all people who try to be unique with names. you try to make something individual for your child. but you end up making it harder for them later in life. Like the WHITE ANGLO SAXION girl I met named Dorcus.

Um... I think Dorcus might just be a bit too traditional of a name. Not sure, I honestly think it's a type of flower or something. Whatever, off to make a bookshelf out of Duct Tape and cardboard.

 daedalus wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
The point is they are both stupid but both happen. And being a brony isnt going to affect my job prospects.
And My parents cant tell me what to watch at 21.
What im getting at is giving you kids a weird name is irresponsible because it affects their job aspects later in life. Like my name, It is unique and rarily seen, but it isnt odd

Don't you have a Pony keychain? That could be enough.

One of the managers I work with wouldn't hire a guy because he was reading a romance novel in the lobby while waiting for him to come down to get the guy for the interview.

Illegal? Prove it happened.

Nope, All my pony/nerd paraphernalia are kept in my room. People tend to think is odd so I dont take my nerd out much. why? because I know people dont like it so I keep it away, Same reason I dont watch anime on campus or in a cafe.