Am I getting old?!?

[kittensaver]

We have two new hires in our office - both young women (and they are both lovely people, BTW).

BUT - - their names are - respectively - Hersheys and Sparkle.

I wish I were kidding! And no they are NOT nicknames.

Am I just getting old?  Have you run into someone whose name just floors you?

[Deleted]

Like kittensaver is so dignified

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 17:22:01 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Like kittensaver is so dignified

LOL.

Hey - it's my handle, it's not my given name!

These two lovely young women come with these names on their birth certificates . . . .

[flamingo]

So far, no. And I hate to admit it, but I'd have a hard time getting past those names on the resume to get to the part about their skills! I know, I know, very judgmental of me. But really, what were their parents thinking??!

[Deleted]

it's my handle, it's not my given name!

You say that like it makes it better

I find with names like that they throw me off at first but before long I don't think about it. Unless they are air heads. Then somehow the names can't be said in a normal voice and pick up a derogatory prefix or suffix or two.

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 17:26:20 GMT -5 flamingo said:

So far, no. And I hate to admit it, but I'd have a hard time getting past those names on the resume to get to the part about their skills! I know, I know, very judgmental of me. But really, what were their parents thinking??!

[milee]

Do you happen to work at a strip club?

(One of my good friends in college was named Carla.  When she started topless dancing, she jokingly blamed it on her name.  She claimed that since her mom gave her a "stripper name" she might as well go with it.)

[Deleted]

Our Secretary of State or some office like that is named Twinkle. I don't know if that is her given name or her first name, but she was on the ballot as Twinkle Cavanaugh.

I found it hard to take her seriously, but my good Republican daughter started quoting, "What's in a name?  That which we call a rose . . . " 

I was her high school English teacher, by the way . 

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 17:29:46 GMT -5 milee said:

Do you happen to work at a strip club?

No, that's the weird part . I work for the local chapter of a nationally recognized non-profit that deals with a very serious socio-economic problem (severely and persistently mentally ill persons, many/most of whom are homeless and/or with substance abuse issues or medical frailties). We're about the farthest thing from a strip club you could get . . . but good guess, given the names, lol

 

[andi9899]

Feb 12, 2016 17:18:53 GMT -5 kittensaver said:

We have two new hires in our office - both young women (and they are both lovely people, BTW).

BUT - - their names are - respectively - Hersheys and Sparkle.

I wish I were kidding! And no they are NOT nicknames.

Am I just getting old?  Have you run into someone whose name just floors you?

Yes. I grew up in the hood. I went to HS with a girl named Sparkle. Another one named Kamara (pronounced camera). Another one was named Dahomey. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[andi9899]

My sister had a set of twins (girls) that were her friends named Colby and Brie.

[milee]

Oh, and I know I'm old so I'm not a good judge of stuff like this.

The first time I knew I was too old was a few years ago. My sister and I had always liked to go to the Aerosmith concerts in Phoenix. We were at a concert and there was a woman wearing almost nothing except a really large snake. I was horrified and told my sister that someone should make her leave; my sister agreed and said it was gross to see the woman in that tiny bikini and the snake was scary. I disagreed - neither of those things bothered me. I was worried that it was a loud, smoky environment that was very inappropriate for the poor snake, who must be terrified - she should leave so she could take better care of her snake. Sis told me if my biggest worry was that the snake was scared, that I was officially too old to go to any more concerts.

[milee]

Feb 12, 2016 17:45:23 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Feb 12, 2016 17:18:53 GMT -5 kittensaver said:

We have two new hires in our office - both young women (and they are both lovely people, BTW).

BUT - - their names are - respectively - Hersheys and Sparkle.

I wish I were kidding! And no they are NOT nicknames.

Am I just getting old?  Have you run into someone whose name just floors you?

Yes. I grew up in the hood. I went to HS with a girl named Sparkle. Another one named Kamara (pronounced camera). Another one was named Dahomey. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

Fair enough. But there is a difference between young/modern and ghetto.  There's a long standing tradition of ghetto parents naming their kids socially inappropriate names.  The only differences happen regionally; in your ghetto area was "Dahomey" and "Kamara", in a rural Southern setting it's names like "Misty" and "Bobbi Jo". 

[kittensaver]

The closest we get to ghetto around here is hipster. Girls names like India, Asia, August, Brooklyn, Madison, Kimber, Indira, Sunday, Lakshmi . . .

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2016 17:55:09 GMT -5 milee said:

Feb 12, 2016 17:45:23 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Yes. I grew up in the hood. I went to HS with a girl named Sparkle. Another one named Kamara (pronounced camera). Another one was named Dahomey. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

Fair enough. But there is a difference between young/modern and ghetto.  There's a long standing tradition of ghetto parents naming their kids socially inappropriate names.  The only differences happen regionally; in your ghetto area was "Dahomey" and "Kamara", in a rural Southern setting it's names like "Misty" and "Bobbi Jo". 

That is about the snobbiest comment I have read in a loooooooooooooooooong time! 

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 17:59:22 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Feb 12, 2016 17:55:09 GMT -5 milee said:

Fair enough. But there is a difference between young/modern and ghetto.  There's a long standing tradition of ghetto parents naming their kids socially inappropriate names.  The only differences happen regionally; in your ghetto area was "Dahomey" and "Kamara", in a rural Southern setting it's names like "Misty" and "Bobbi Jo". 

That is about the snobbiest comment I have read in a loooooooooooooooooong time! 

[[But in many places . . . sooooooooooo true ]]

[NoNamePerson]

Hey, look on the bright side. At least you can spell, pronounce and have a smile on your face when you have to call them by name.  

[Deleted]

I like different names. I'm tired of all the bible named minions, James, John, Peter, Mary, Ruth... The only thing that makes a name socially acceptable is that it's what your friends name their kids. It bugs me that different cultures are pressured to anglicize their names. Bring on the diversity!

[milee]

Feb 12, 2016 17:59:22 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Feb 12, 2016 17:55:09 GMT -5 milee said:

Fair enough. But there is a difference between young/modern and ghetto.  There's a long standing tradition of ghetto parents naming their kids socially inappropriate names.  The only differences happen regionally; in your ghetto area was "Dahomey" and "Kamara", in a rural Southern setting it's names like "Misty" and "Bobbi Jo". 

That is about the snobbiest comment I have read in a loooooooooooooooooong time! 

I've lived both sides of it. And trust me, the people with the money who are making hiring decisions definitely have preconceived ideas of what a "Dahomey" or "Misty" looks and acts like... and they hire accordingly. Giving your kid a ghetto name is a really awful way to handicap them. SouthernSusana's story about the politician with the ghetto name is an outlier. Most of the time, those resumes land in the circular file for jobs and it's hard for people with those names to get their foot in the door to allow them the experience and opportunity to climb the ladder.

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 17:51:26 GMT -5 milee said:

Oh, and I know I'm old so I'm not a good judge of stuff like this.

The first time I knew I was too old was a few years ago. My sister and I had always liked to go to the Aerosmith concerts in Phoenix. We were at a concert and there was a woman wearing almost nothing except a really large snake. I was horrified and told my sister that someone should make her leave; my sister agreed and said it was gross to see the woman in that tiny bikini and the snake was scary. I disagreed - neither of those things bothered me. I was worried that it was a loud, smoky environment that was very inappropriate for the poor snake, who must be terrified - she should leave so she could take better care of her snake. Sis told me if my biggest worry was that the snake was scared, that I was officially too old to go to any more concerts.

Well FWIW, the welfare of the snake would have been first in my mind, too . . . .

[weltschmerz]

You don't know from weird names unless you work with Filipinos. I've worked with a....

Pepsi

Lolita

Titti

America

Comfort

Sunshine

Pimento

Cocoa

Bambi

....and it just gets weirder from there.

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 18:12:06 GMT -5 milee said:

Feb 12, 2016 17:59:22 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

That is about the snobbiest comment I have read in a loooooooooooooooooong time! 

I've lived both sides of it. And trust me, the people with the money who are making hiring decisions definitely have preconceived ideas of what a "Dahomey" or "Misty" looks and acts like... and they hire accordingly. Giving your kid a ghetto name is a really awful way to handicap them. SouthernSusana's name about the politician with the ghetto name is an outlier. Most of the time, those resumes land in the circular file for jobs and it's hard for people with those names to get their foot in the door to allow them the experience and opportunity to climb the ladder.

I'm proud of my office and my HR department because they choose to look past names . . . if they hadn't, neither of these lovely young (and qualified!) women would have ended up with us - and that would have been a shame.

But Milee speaks a sad but harsh truth about what goes on out there in the world . . .

[NoNamePerson]

Feb 12, 2016 18:08:15 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

I like different names. I'm tired of all the bible named minions, James, John, Peter, Mary, Ruth... The only thing that makes a name socially acceptable is that it's what your friends name their kids. It bugs me that different cultures are pressured to anglicize their names. Bring on the diversity!

Are you saying people with these names are minions? Holy shit my mother must have been the minion of all minions ~ Mary Ruth Joseph  

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2016 18:12:06 GMT -5 milee said:

Feb 12, 2016 17:59:22 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

That is about the snobbiest comment I have read in a loooooooooooooooooong time! 

I've lived both sides of it. And trust me, the people with the money who are making hiring decisions definitely have preconceived ideas of what a "Dahomey" or "Misty" looks and acts like... and they hire accordingly. Giving your kid a ghetto name is a really awful way to handicap them. SouthernSusana's name about the politician with the ghetto name is an outlier. Most of the time, those resumes land in the circular file for jobs and it's hard for people with those names to get their foot in the door to allow them the experience and opportunity to climb the ladder.

Dahomey's or Misty's are going to be challenged with those hiring folks anyway. It's not the name anyone would object to, it's the colour of the skin they think that name comes from. And the financial situation of the parents.

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2016 18:16:18 GMT -5 kittensaver said:

Feb 12, 2016 18:12:06 GMT -5 milee said:

I've lived both sides of it. And trust me, the people with the money who are making hiring decisions definitely have preconceived ideas of what a "Dahomey" or "Misty" looks and acts like... and they hire accordingly. Giving your kid a ghetto name is a really awful way to handicap them. SouthernSusana's name about the politician with the ghetto name is an outlier. Most of the time, those resumes land in the circular file for jobs and it's hard for people with those names to get their foot in the door to allow them the experience and opportunity to climb the ladder.

I'm proud of my office and my HR department because they choose to look past names . . . if they hadn't, neither of these lovely young (and qualified!) women would have ended up with us - and that would have been a shame.

But Milee speaks a sad but harsh truth about what goes on out there in the world . . .

I'm proud of your HR department too! Milee's sad but harsh truth will stay that way as long as folks justify it and counsel people to only use the "approved" list of names. The problem isn't the names, it's the attitudes about them.

[Opti]

Feb 12, 2016 18:15:21 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You don't know from weird names unless you work with Filipinos. I've worked with a....

Pepsi

Lolita

Titti

America

Comfort

Sunshine

Pimento

Cocoa

Bambi

....and it just gets weirder from there.

I've worked with Filipinos. None of them have weird names. Must be a Canada thing.

[kittensaver]

Feb 12, 2016 18:29:37 GMT -5 Opti said:

Feb 12, 2016 18:15:21 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You don't know from weird names unless you work with Filipinos. I've worked with a....

Pepsi

Lolita

Titti

America

Comfort

Sunshine

Pimento

Cocoa

Bambi

....and it just gets weirder from there.

I've worked with Filipinos. None of them have weird names. Must be a Canada thing.

Same here. My accounting department is almost entirely immigrant or first-generation Filipinos.

And none of their names are even remotely close to these . . .

[Ava]

It's a shame but it happens. Parents should think really hard before giving their children a name.

Where I come from, people used to be very traditional about first names. Then a crop of parents started choosing really inappropriate names, someone wanted to call their son Hitler, to give you an example. They would want to use brand names, words that meant insults in the local dialect, etc.

So it was decided certain names constituted child abuse. Nowadays the government has the right to deny parents certain names if they are deemed inappropriate.

My name is perfectly respectable in Spanish. For English speaking people is a nightmare. I don't think anyone has pronounced it correctly yet. I sometimes wonder if it would hinder a job application at some point in my life because it's easy to tell I'm Hispanic.

I had the chance to change it when I became a citizen but it's my identity, and I'm not giving that up.

[milee]

Feb 12, 2016 18:21:13 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Feb 12, 2016 18:12:06 GMT -5 milee said:

I've lived both sides of it. And trust me, the people with the money who are making hiring decisions definitely have preconceived ideas of what a "Dahomey" or "Misty" looks and acts like... and they hire accordingly. Giving your kid a ghetto name is a really awful way to handicap them. SouthernSusana's name about the politician with the ghetto name is an outlier. Most of the time, those resumes land in the circular file for jobs and it's hard for people with those names to get their foot in the door to allow them the experience and opportunity to climb the ladder.

Dahomey's or Misty's are going to be challenged with those hiring folks anyway. It's not the name anyone would object to, it's the colour of the skin they think that name comes from. And the financial situation of the parents.

It's less of a racial thing than a socioeconomic one. 

[Deleted]

someone wanted to call their son Hitler, to give you an example. They would want to use brand names, words that meant insults in the local dialect, etc.



So it was decided certain names constituted child abuse. Nowadays the government has the right to deny parents certain names if they are deemed inappropriate.

I get that. But I don't think Dahomey and Misty fit that category.