Your Ghetto Name Can Hold You Back In Life

[Stacyzee]

Unlike Raven Symone, I'd never admit I'm discriminatory out loud (even if that were the truth). I don't discriminate against people because it causes a division. But as a human being, what I do is formulate thoughts about people based on their appearance, behavior, and their name. Sometimes these judgments hold little accuracy, other times they hold extreme value.

Creating judgments about people in our minds can get us out of sticky situations If we were to ever encounter one. Making judgments about your environment, safety, surroundings, or other people can better equip you in survival. It is natural mechanism that you can either choose to ignore or listen to.

Imagine that there is a group of men standing in this alley way conversing with each other.

My judgment to self:

Do not walk down the dark alleyway because danger could arise.

Even if I were to walk through that alleyway untouched, why would I want to put my life in jeopardy? I'd never know what could have happened, but what gives me a peace of mind is knowing that I could have possibly just saved myself from a situation that could have very well turned ugly.

A person's judgments aren't always accurate but they are helpful.

I don't use my judgments to set people a part. You see, there's a fine line between discriminating and judging. A judgment is usually based off of a first impression. When I judge, I leave an opening for the possibility that the person in question could be completely opposite of the image they portray. A person that discriminates leaves no room for any opening. They create a thought about someone in their mind, and they follow strictly that (no matter what behavior they are shown).

Usually, people make judgments based off of appearance because that is the first thing that is seen. But lets just take away that factor for a moment.

Pretend a supervisor is looking through job applications.

Job application one : The person's name is Shay'naynay Brishauwna Brown.

Job application two : The person's name is Sarah Michelle Thompson.

Which application do you think would be overlooked?

Mrs. Brown could very well be more than qualified for the job. But the reality of it is, a lot of places that hire take into account a person's name.

Parents that name their kids these names are setting them up for disaster.

They are giving them a unfair disadvantage at life!

Raven Symone is not alone in her thoughts. She is speaking the ugly truth!

The names like Dontarrious, Dekekisha, Markeithisia, Crayshaun are not "Black" or "African" names like some people announce. They have nothing to do with ones heritage. A majority of these are names simply made up off of the top of a person's head. Some of these names started off relatively normal, until they were twisted into something else.

I bolded parts of the names that had potential to be normal.

From my observation, a great majority of people with those names tend to be lower class.

What Raven Symone said earned great backlash (especially from her own people).

But I must agree with the truth of what she is saying. Whether it's "right" or "wrong" is a different story. The fact is, a lot of jobs will turn you down if you have a name like that. So people, put some thought into the names you give. It could effect a person's life forever!

Sadly, the only people that can get away with names like that are those who are already well set up in life:

Example: Blue Ivy, or North West.

You'll never hear any one say anything about their names.

Why? because according to some they shit platinum.

[front2back]

They've already proven in studies, whether the name is "ghetto" or not, that giving your child a weird, abstract, or abnormal name sets them up to be disadvantaged in life.

As human beings, we care for quality and assimilation of our people. That's why cultures and traditions exist. I'm sure that a Japanese kid named "Jeffery" in Japan would receive the same negative judgement among his peers in Japan as someone named "Latisha'vish" (I made that up) would in the US. Why? It goes against the norm, and not in a positive way.

Employers are very selective with who they employ, and they'll quickly toss you for anything they perceive as unwanted. Graduating from the bottom of the class, getting fired from a simple job (like serving), having things in your resume that don't quite connect, etc. The first thing they read is your name. Names carry hidden meanings and sometimes stereotypes. So whether or not you really are "ghetto" or not, if you have a name that gives off that vibe, they're no longer interested.

Also, this is not a "black" problem entirely. I've seen many white couples name their children ridiculous things, like "Guru" or "Acidrain". Those kids will also be disadvantaged heavily and picked on.

So, if you want to give your child a unique and special name, give them a real one. I've already found some myself if I were to have a daughter. "Enid" and "Kayleena", Enid is a very old, but still real name. Kayleena is a variation of the name "Kayleen", an "a" is added on the end to make it more feminine. Both these names are unique, but both don't carry negative connotations.

[GirlsLie]

Ignorance can hold you back in life also. It's stupid to completely ignore someone's qualifications for a job, just because of a name that was given to them.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest and if it bothers someone enough to not hire a person based on a name, then maybe they shouldn't be in the position of hiring people in the first place.

[Stacyzee]

Its equally as ignorant to slaughter someones birth name though. I've seen people named "Infinite", "Mercedes", "Cereal", "Alize" etc. Sure, it may sound cool. But when giving a name, a parent has to be knowledgeable to the fact that society will judge them off of that name. Whether it seems stupid or illogical, it's the truth in this reality. Ignoring that fact... contributes to ignorance in general.

[GirlsLie]

Some names are kind of bad but I don't think it's that serious. It's just a name, that someone else gave you, you had no control over it and if someone doesn't have the logic to figure that out then like I said they shouldn't be in the position of hiring anyone in the first place because there's no telling what else they discriminate about.

Besides some of those names are kind of unique and not everyone thinks they're bad.

Also how hypocritical is it for someone named "raven" with that hair and makeup to say they wouldn't hire someone based on a name.

[Stacyzee]

I agree that she is being hypocritical. She's named after a bird.
The fact that she is a millionaire probably makes her feel better than the average person with that name.

**I'll give you a thumbs up on this subject for your honesty.

[NatashaJ]

I agree with @GirlsLie just a name shouldn't define someone because that Sarah you hire could be a worst choice then that Shanyay or whatever. Judging people base on names shows your judgmental ways and how intelligent you are (not calling you stupid but kinda calling you stupid).

[Stacyzee]

@NatashaJ You can "kinda call me stupid" but I'm a woman with a 3.9 average and a degree. I feel that you are ignorant because you're completely oblivious to the fact that (personal feelings aside) your child will be judged. Why not just name my kid Bofquinfia or Condom with the middle name Wrapper and say that no repercussions will ever happen? You don't have to agree with it but truth is truth. You can't ignore what happens in society .
Naming your child anything shows a lack of intelligence (depending on the extent of what you name them)

[Stacyzee]

So go ahead and give your child a ridiculous name in the future and be completely oblivious. That's stupid if you ask me. You're the names that you throw out

[Stacyzee]

Also, the fact that you can't express yourself without throwing blows shows your level of stupidity.

[NatashaJ]

I know my child will be judge and I'm not the type that will name my kid something stupid of course a stupid name is going to be judge but it shouldn't and besides its like the person who has that stupid name likes it or not you don't know that. Of course parent will name their kid condom shouldn't even be kids but you shouldn't judge names that are not that bad like River, Ryker, Ryner, Fawn etc those names are not that bad they pretty cool but of course I'm saying judging everyone weird name like that is stupid because not every out there name is bad. Only judge the names like condom, socks Abedc etc.

[NatashaJ]

Oh god I just found out people are now naming their kids after fishes. Salmon is getting popular see there that name should never be use ever.

[GirlsLie]

Thank you and I understand what you're saying and even agree with you to an extent. But I wouldn't consider the levels of ignorance equal because while a parent naming their child something odd is ignorant, it was a decision made for the child, not by the child. When you choose to be ignorant towards someone else based on a decision that was made for them at birth, to me that's a lot worse.

lol oh god, fish, i've seen it all. I saw one where they were naming their children after spices/flavors lol

[Stacyzee]

I spent several paragraphs in t he be ginning speaking about how "judging" is a natural mechanism humans do for survival. Whether you want to admit it or not , we all judge. That is how we make decisions , keep out of danger and evaluate someone. Telling someone not to judge is pretty much saying , don't be human. Also, I went on to say I leave an opening for people to prove my judgment wrong. There's a reason why "First impressions" exist we all have them

[Stacyzee]

I am acknowledging the fact that certain opportunities will be missed if one has a ghetto name. It's the truth.
Saying a name sounds cool is a personal opinion that does little to help you in the real world.
There's a difference between a unique name or one that is ethnic vs a name like Watermelondra that I made up off the top of my head. Don't get them confused.

[Stacyzee]

@GirlsLie We both can agree that the child should not suffer. However as someone who was exposed to people with names like what I have shown many of them tend to be on welfare , or in places of poverty where they don't have much opportunity. A great majority of them tend to have no education , so by recreating they are already giving their child an unfair disadvantage. I've seen many examples where the child doesn't do much better than their parents. The cycle becomes repetitive. Very rarely have I seen someone highly educated string together random letters from the alphabet and make these types of names.

[Stacyzee]

"Stereotypes" come from previous observations.
So when people make assumptions someone is a certain way , they are basing that information off of what they have seen.
When someone leaves no room for someone to be different than this formulated thought , or say "all" people with that name are a certain way , then that's wrong. However , in the world of professions a lot of things are looked at closely including your appearance , way you speak , social media. This is just one of them.

[GirlsLie]

Definitely agree but if Laquisha comes to you with more or the same qualifications as everyone else, it's ridiculous to not give them a fair chance or at least an interview.

I work with a lot of people with odd names, I went to school with people who have odd names, I went to college with them as well. Once you meet/see someones personality and not on paper, it becomes a different story.

I grew up in low income apartments/poor as hell, me and my grandmother were the only white people for miles and where I live currently there are far more black people than white so maybe i'm immune to noticing or caring about the names as much lol.

[GirlsLie]

The thing that annoys me with people like Raven, who grew up with money and opportunity, judging someone who didn't by a name, is that those people may have ghetto names but they grew up in an ignorant environment, not by their own making. People like her grew up with opportunity and a chance to become "highly" educated/successful very easily, yet still choose to be ignorant about something as simple as a name. That just screams stupidity to me.

You have to take into consideration that going from the ghetto, to "highly" educated is pretty impossible as well. Because people who grew up poor have to over come so many things as it is.

And they sometimes have a different definition of "education" and "success" than a person who didn't because obtaining simple/normal things becomes success for us because they grew up with nothing.

[zagor]

Actually, Mercedes, the car, was named after the 10 year old daughter of an early customer of Daimler-Benz! So that name was a name (Spanish in origin) before it was a brand.

[Stacyzee]

@GirlsLie Yes, if I were in the hiring position I wouldn't turn someone down over a name if they had all of the qualifications. However , there's plenty of people that do. I know if someone seems as if they have a lot to offer... why fuss over a name? However , in a world of professions a lot of things that seem small are pretty big in determining who will get the job. These agencies hold no loss especially with the fact they have stacks of applications to choose from. The parents that give these kids these names , really need to think about exactly how this can effect their child long term.

Raven is very privileged. And fortunately , will never have to go through the struggles of job searching that she's mentioning. You would expect more compassion because of her race and name , however she lacks such. She received major backlash over what she said , part of the reason is because she too has a "ghetto name".

[Stacyzee]

@zagar Thanks for enlightening me ! I had no idea. However , the people that usually give those names also don't know that. They do that because it's a hot car. I have also heard the name "Porsche" turned into Porsha.

[Stacyzee]

@zagor

[Stacyzee]

@GirlsLie Yes, it's hard to go from rags to riches. However I can't tell you how many potential people we have out there that could be anything they want to be. However these kids have parents that aren't big on education or will set them up in a environment that will help then learn. It's sad really. I give props to the parents who are uneducated who do everything in their power to give their kids the education they need so they can excel in life.

[Stacyzee]

*set them up in a environment that will not help them learn

[Amanda75]

It's unfortunate that people with "ghetto" names are looked down upon. Your name should not matter. If my name was "watermelondrea" and I was more than qualified for a job then I should get that job as opposed to someone whose name is Sarah and not qualified. But I also think that parents who know that society judges you based on your name should consider naming their kids names that aren't as ethnic as watermelondrea (I'm sure that name isn't even real.. I don't think? But just using this as an example) because like I said, society will judge you based on your name and I really don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

[PippiL]

Yeah, it's cruel. Made up names are for pets only in my book. Do your kid a favor and give them a normal name.

[Marshmellowking]

My best friend has aa "ghetto" name so I really have never been bothered by them maybe it's because I've alwaysed lived in the ghetto. lol

[BigJake]

Lots of things can hold you back in life, being short, being fat, being ugly, being stupid, etc. A name is the least of anyone's worries because it can be easily changed, so just turn that Shaniqua into a Shana and you're good to go.

[GreatnessPersonified]

"Example: Blue Ivy, or North West."

Those are celebrity babies, they don't have to worry about SHIT!!!

[Anonymous]

"A majority of these are names simply made up off of the top of a person's head. Some of these names started off relatively normal, until they were twisted into something else."

Hey, could be worse. Krogan name their young by picking out sounds produced in a belching contest.

"WREEEEX!!!"

[NerdInDenial]

The thing is you can change your name or be called something else similar to how actors and actresses have a stage name.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Thank goodness I wasn't given a ghetto name. Mg name is pretty normal actually.

[RainbowFanGirl]

my***

[mutedaisy]

Thank god I have a Spanish first name. I was blessed with parents that would never name me apple, blue or north. 😂

[Anonymous]

I agree I'm black and while I try not to I do tend to discriminate against ghetto names. It's something I have to work on as they didn't choose their names. :)

[Noxifer626]

That's irrelevant. Employers should not discriminate against naming. I think you're failing to see who is to blame here.

[Stacyzee]

Employers have every right to base someones application off of the way they dress , speak , name etc. In the world of professionalism whether you like it or not you will be judged.
The people that are to blame are the parents who have knowledge of this yet still continue to put together very hard to pronounce , unintelligible names. People with names like Alize , Hennessy , Shaqundria, Boquifia etc are named that have no meaning will unfortunately have to suffer the consequences.

[Stacyzee]

*names.

[Noxifer626]

Then I hereby brand all employers criminals against human rights, as it is illegal to refuse to give a job based on anything other than lack of required skills.

[Aeon_Flux_21]

Stacey my dear you are right. I have a powerful yet snobby full name combined with my last name. People always expect me to be some rich guy.

[Stacyzee]

This observation isn't according to something I made up. So, nice sarcastic remark but its irrelevant and useless. I hope that allowed you to get your kicks off.
In the professional environment people are judged by their appearance , way they dress , speak and their names if it's ghetto. This isn't anything new or according to my rules.
Look this up if you want.
People with ghetto names have it harder while finding a job.

[Aeon_Flux_21]

Nah, I believe you as I've done this research already. Me being an ass doesn't translate well online lol.

[Anonymous]

You mean not having a Euro Anglo-Saxon or American of European descent sounding name can hold you back in life. It just shows that the society that we live in is still extremely racist. So as long as you don't have a name that "sounds black" or a name that's despised (Hitler, Lucifer, etc) You 'll have a better chance a getting a job.

[Stacyzee]

Like I stated to a user below , there's a huge difference with having a ethnic or a unique name vs. something I created off the top of my head. The names like Daiquan , Quinntrinna , Bonifa are not Black or African names , they have nothing to do with ones heritage. Throwing together random letters from the alphabet and alternating normal names is relatively new , and gained popularity within the last 15 years or so

[Stacyzee]

What a way to totally miss the point.

[Opinion Owner]

So what. If I found someone who got a perfect score on the SAT, ACT and graduated college 1st in their class with a 4.5 GPA I'm going to not hire you because of your freaking name? That would be stupid of me. And You're the one missing the point. Even if you have a "black" name that isn't made up, you still due to racist American employers, are passed up. Racists want to keep blacks out the workforce because they want to maintain their iron clad grip on the power of being the group with the majority of jobs and disposable income.

[Stacyzee]

When I say " I agree" I am referring to the fact that I have the ability to see why jobs pass people up with ghetto names. You can acknowledge that something exists without saying you'd do so yourself. No where in this article did i state that if I were in the position to hire someone would I decline them because of their name. I am only acknowledging what exists , so you can calm your nerve and stop trying to attack me.
However , people need to understand the ghetto names are becoming far too ridiculous sounding. If someone cares enough about their child they should not want to hinder their development in the future by giving them a name like that.

[Stacyzee]

I am purely discussing ghetto made up names. Ethnic names are not the topic of discussion for this trend although I do understand what you are saying.

[Opinion Owner]

mI never said that YOU yourself would do that. I'm just pointing out how despite America "proclaiming" they're a melting pot, you still have to adopt Anglo Saxon European culture, mannerisms, and names. It just shows you that the USA claiming to be a "free country" and a "open minded" society is nothing but hypocrisy. And I'm not attacking you, I'm just telling you that the idea of labeling someone's name as "ghetto" spawns from racism and discrimination. Every law that's created is almost never created without having a loophole. When civil rights/affirmative action laws were created, it was "supposed" to stop non whites from being discriminated in housing, jobs etc. based on the color of skin. But the racists in employment, housing authority , etc were able to find a new way of discriminating without breaking the law and getting sued and that's where this "ghetto name" thing came from.

[Anonymous]

It is an unfortunate but true fact of our society. Optimistically this will not be a problem in the future, one way is to have the person's name and race censored to give a fair opportunity. It will not fix the problem, but it may help a little.

[koko124]

What is a ghetto name? This smacks of linguistic prescriptivism.

[Anonymous]

Lol I would never hire someone called aha nay nay

[Bards]

Raven is a fucking moron.

[VampireEmpress]

she was really brave to do that.