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Cruel and Unusual Naming?
- Thread starter SweetErika
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Le Jacquelope
Loves Spam
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Here's my opinion, from an employer's perspective.
Kids tease the hell out of each other over the pettiest things as it is. Why set a kid up for even more problems over a crazy name? But a bigger problem is that some names even become a barrier for employment in the future. A resume sent up by "Lakeesha" or "Moxie Crimefighter"
will get ignored outright. "Susan", not so likely. In this economy, this is a major, major consideration.
Where I work, I directed HR (they're below me) to put up code that hides names right away on applications, before anyone gets to look at it. This of course forced us to use those blasted form based web applications where you fill out long and irritating questionnaires, but then I also got a few hard working "Lakeesha" types on the customer service floor now that would have been zapped by HR before her qualifications were even looked at.
Most other employers don't give a crap. Me, I hate seeing people get disadvantaged in this economy from the moment they come out of the womb.
There's plenty of opportunities in the world for people to fuck up their employment possibilities by their own doing.
Kids tease the hell out of each other over the pettiest things as it is. Why set a kid up for even more problems over a crazy name? But a bigger problem is that some names even become a barrier for employment in the future. A resume sent up by "Lakeesha" or "Moxie Crimefighter"
will get ignored outright. "Susan", not so likely. In this economy, this is a major, major consideration.Where I work, I directed HR (they're below me) to put up code that hides names right away on applications, before anyone gets to look at it. This of course forced us to use those blasted form based web applications where you fill out long and irritating questionnaires, but then I also got a few hard working "Lakeesha" types on the customer service floor now that would have been zapped by HR before her qualifications were even looked at.
Most other employers don't give a crap. Me, I hate seeing people get disadvantaged in this economy from the moment they come out of the womb.
There's plenty of opportunities in the world for people to fuck up their employment possibilities by their own doing.
Etaski
Red Sister Writer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2003
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- 600
Lots of fun with names! 
I met a bubbly, good-hearted and very positive young woman in college named Araya. (Ah-ray-ah) I commented that it sounded lovely; a nice name. I didn't ask anything more but she volunteered, "Yes, my middle name is Sunshine." Then she looks down; "Yes, my parents were hippies."
Think I blinked, then smiled and said, "Well, at least it suits your personality."
Hell, the worst any kids in school could get me on were my initials; ASS. I just turned it around and intimidated the hell out of them. Made it a non-issue once I stood up to them (it was usually for a different reason than my initials). And I like my name.
Although if there was ever a Texan father you just had to wonder about....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ima_Hogg
I met a bubbly, good-hearted and very positive young woman in college named Araya. (Ah-ray-ah) I commented that it sounded lovely; a nice name. I didn't ask anything more but she volunteered, "Yes, my middle name is Sunshine." Then she looks down; "Yes, my parents were hippies."
Think I blinked, then smiled and said, "Well, at least it suits your personality."
Hell, the worst any kids in school could get me on were my initials; ASS. I just turned it around and intimidated the hell out of them. Made it a non-issue once I stood up to them (it was usually for a different reason than my initials). And I like my name.
Although if there was ever a Texan father you just had to wonder about....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ima_Hogg
My real first name is unusual, and I still hear every oddball pronunciation people can possibly come up with, going to the extent of adding syllables and even throwing in other letters. Now, as an adult, it's just annoying, but as a kid, it was misery.
On the other hand, it's kind of cool to have a name you don't hear very often. Granted, it was pretty hard to use my name as a means of ridicule (although it did happen,) but I would work really hard to give my child a unique name that wouldn't send them into therapy.
On the other hand, it's kind of cool to have a name you don't hear very often. Granted, it was pretty hard to use my name as a means of ridicule (although it did happen,) but I would work really hard to give my child a unique name that wouldn't send them into therapy.
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