Stupid "black" names...why?

[KnitShoni]

Except, the people you're talking about generally want an African SOUNDING name for their child. They don't necessarily want a true African name, due to the reason I listed. They want something that's THEIRS. From what we've been told for centuries, Africa is not ours. We get shit for adopting the culture of an African country because we're not "really African." (I'm not even going to get into the clash between American Blacks and Black immigrants from Africa.) So we have names that aren't white and aren't fully African. Who are you or anyone else to call that ridiculous?

And, based on what you just said, my interpretation was not that far off. You're telling people to find "real" names for their children because a "made up" name is not acceptable to you.

[daleduke17]

Who are we to call it ridiculous? We're people with opinions. You have your opinion, we have ours. Some of the portmanteau names are actually kind of neat. The names with the multiple apostrophes, several "Q's" or sound like something out of the Klingon dictionary are the ones that are annoying.

Oops: EDIT TO ADD: Monique. That is a nice, simple name that stands out. Mo'nique just looks stupid in my opinion.

[KnitShoni]

Problem is, the "people with opinions" will still hire the Madysyns and Kaytlyns. They don't hire the Lushonnas and Tanikas, no matter how much education or experience. Madysyn is not dissected to the extent Tanika is (nor is the person who would be named Madysyn versus the person who would be named Tanika). All Madysyn would get is, "Oh, her parents named her funny." Whereas Tanika would get, "Oh, she's Black, she must be low class." My opinion, and that of people like me, has no real effect on you. However, your opinion, and that of people like you, affects my life no matter how much I fight it.

[Sarah Valentine]

I'm happily child free for right now but if I have kids a couple years down the line I already have names picked out. 1 boys name and 1 girls name, Finnegan for the boy and Shellinda for the girl. I really don't care if any one says anything about those names, I think they're nice and don't look like or sound like a bunch of random letters thrown together.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oops: EDIT TO ADD: Monique. That is a nice, simple name that stands out. Mo'nique just looks stupid in my opinion.

Thank you.

And I'm sorry, but "Madysyn"? Seriously? Somebody needs to be slapped.

I actually changed the spelling of my kid's name to make it more phonetic and less likely to be mispronounced, misspelled, or used to make rude nicknames out of. Her name is actually her dad's middle name and her grandmother's last name, and I know from personal experience that your name being constantly fucked up your whole life gets really old before you're even out of the first grade.

Cramming apostrophes into words that don't need them and removing letters from words that do is not condusive to ligtening your kid's load. I've seen two apostrophes crammed into a kid's name. For frig's sake.

[daleduke17]

Thank you.

And I'm sorry, but "Madysyn"? Seriously? Somebody needs to be slapped.

That one (and similar) were discussed enough already so I didn't mention it again.

Also, some "white" names can have negative connotations with them as well. Madysyn looks like it belongs to a ditz and Billy Bob (and similar names) is (are) a hick name. So, it isn't just black people with names that are looked down on.

And also, Knitshoni, opinions of you and people like you have a lot of effect on me and people like me.

[KnitShoni]

And also, Knitshoni, opinions of you and people like you have a lot of effect on me and people like me.

How?
Am I part of a majority that is considered mainstream, thus you, being outside it, are considered abnormal or fringe due to skin color?
Is every action taken by people who look like you automatically assumed to be yours by the mainstream?
Are there articles every 3-6 months talking about how you're unattractive because of the color of your skin, you're not marriage material due to the fact that a female with your skin color has a college degree, or talking about what you name your children, separate from the mainstream articles about what people in general name theirs?
Are you dealing with the knowledge that, right now today, there are many people who would make your marriage illegal just because the person you married is not the same color as you?
Have you ever had to deal with people thinking you're not really American or "normal" simply because of skin color?
Are the names chosen by people who look like you (which would include your own name) the topic of a discussion thread entitled "Stupid White People names" in which only one person even took the time to mention that might be offensive?
Do people see your name and automatically throw your resume in the circular file?
Have you ever had to explain to someone that just because you're pointing out the ways they're privileged due to their brown skin does not mean you think they're racist?

See, with few exceptions, people who look like me don't have the power to make laws. If they do, there are many MORE people who look like you to override them. So, no, my opinion and the opinions of people who look like me DON'T have the same effect on you.

As far as "white names having negative connotations"...that's true, but a white person named Madysyn will not have the same issues a black person named Madysyn would. Thing is, this thread wasn't titled "Stupid Names." It was titled "Stupid Black People Names." There are a lot of black people who do have issue with some of the names other blacks come up with. Very rarely are any of the names mentioned in the OP on that list.

[daleduke17]

How? Affirmative Action.

Now, please let's move back to the discussion at hand that going above and beyond to make a name stand out (be it black or white) is ignorant and makes the names look stupid.

[Greenday]

As far as "white names having negative connotations"...that's true, but a white person named Madysyn will not have the same issues a black person named Madysyn would. Thing is, this thread wasn't titled "Stupid Names." It was titled "Stupid Black People Names." There are a lot of black people who do have issue with some of the names other blacks come up with. Very rarely are any of the names mentioned in the OP on that list.

I had a nice post written about how this thread, instead of being expanded to stupid names by multiple groups (which other people have pointed out that there are multiple groups with stupid names) it's being called "racist" even though I have yet to hear an inkling of racist tones coming from people who are posting names that sound weird to them.

Instead of posting about how terrible people we are because we find some names weird, why not post why you don't think they are weird and what names you do find weird? Contribute instead of going on a witch hunt/crusade.

And just report topics if you think they are actually racist.

[KnitShoni]

How? Affirmative Action.

Now, please let's move back to the discussion at hand that going above and beyond to make a name stand out (be it black or white) is ignorant and makes the names look stupid.

When affirmative action benefits Black people as a whole more than it benefits White women, I'll agree with you.

The "discussion at hand" is about the names black people tend to pick for their children.

And Greenday: Did you not see the name of the thread you're posting in? Did you miss the fact that I haven't called anyone racist? I don't think people are racist because they find names some black people give their children stupid. I do think that, if the OP wanted to keep race out of the thread, they wouldn't have chosen the title they did, nor the names.

[fireheart17]

The names described in the original post=plain stupid.

We don't have nearly as much of the stupid "Scrabble names" down here. More commonly, people will just come up with bogan spellings (bogan=trailer trash/chav depending on your country)

Stupid spellings I've seen/heard:

Jharque (Jacque/Jack)=the name of the baby one of my high school alumni fathered.
Kesia=one of the 5-year-olds I helped teach for work experience. (it was pronounced Ke-si-ah) I think it was Polish or something, but at the time I considered it to be unusual.
Aleara=The name of a baby girl one of my high school alumni gave birth to. (Alira?)

Funnily enough, the girls I knew from school who acted and somewhat resembled trailer trash, have given their kids reasonable sounding names=Riley (girl in my year), Madison (another girl I knew who dropped out to have her kid), Emily (a girl I used to work with who smoked and drank throughout her pregnancy) and we're still awaiting the last one.

Boyfriend and I decided that if/when we have children, we're going to incorporate some aspect of Viking culture into their names, whether it be first name or otherwise.

[Hyena Dandy]

I think, in general, that you have to accept that if you choose a particularly peculiar name, it will factor into your kid's life. That said, if you think the benefits of having a more unique/beautiful name outweigh the benefits of having a more 'conventional' (and by that I mean Anglo-Saxon) name.

Personally, I'd use the fact that we have two name slots to work with to my advantage. Give them a unique first name and a conventional middle name, or the other way around. That way the kid can choose when they get old enough to which they want. They can be Tanika or Madison as they choose.

Still, its their kid. Its their choice how to raise them.

And an important point about names like Tanika (or whatever other name you chose an example) is that 'black people' names are generally given in black communities, around a lot of other black people, who also have black people names. So probably a Tanika growing up around Lushonnas and Bershawns would have a different experience than a Tanika growing up around Madisons and Kellys.

Actually, that's a really pretty name. Tanika. So is Lushonna actually. And Bershawn. I really don't see the problem with them.

Anyway, I won't object to whatever people name their kids. Unless its the kid whose parents named him Adolph Hitler.

I mean, I like my name. Matt Steele. I sound like a superhero or something.

Anyway, if you're worried about the kid being teased growing up about their name, the thing is that kids are cruel. If they don't like your kid, they'll tease them about their name whatever you give them. If you can steer away from outright naming them after famous people/fictional characters then that's your job. If Tanika Washington can't get a job because she's named Tanika Washington, then that's on the people not giving her a job, not on you or her.

I'd also add that I suggest not using an English word that's not a name.

Also, does anyone really believe that there are people named "Female" out there because their parents didn't realize how hospitals worked? I mean, consider the monumental amount of ignorance it would take to think that hospitals name your kid for you. Not even plain stupidity would account for it, because you'd have had to go through your entire pregnancy without ever being asked what you're going to name your kid. And also have never known any parents who talk about naming their children.

[KnitShoni]

Heh. The Tanika I'm talking about is actually named Tanika Washington. And she grew up around people with "black" names. Whereas my name is Shonika, and I grew up around the Madisons and Kellys.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"Shonika" is not the sort of name we're talking about here.

So, going back to the post where you wondered what some of us would think about your name...I think you have a perfectly normal name. This is not the sort of name I'd see and go over. It's ethnic, and pronounceable, and pretty, and probably would not burden you with extra baggage in the job market (which you would know more about than I would, seeing as how it's your name in your city).

I don't know if it IS or not, but to me, it sounds like a feminine variant of "Sean".

[Hyena Dandy]

The Tanika I'm talking about is actually named Tanika Washington.s.

I'm that damn good.