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TinotopiaLog → Kids With Stupid Names, Part II (16 Dec 2002)
Monday 16 December 2002

Kids With Stupid Names, Part II

In March, I made a prediction about kids with stupid names:

When these kids start sending resumes around with names like “Cheddar Wilson” and “Cappuccino Goldberg” (though what’s the chances any of these kids are Jewish?), they’ll probably be thrown in the trash more often than not. Names like that are less a marker of individuality (which is what I believe the parents intend) as they are an indication of an idiotic upbringing.

It turns out that researchers at the University of Chicago and MIT have done a study that shows that people named things like Aisha, Keisha, Tamika, Kenya, Latonya, and Ebony are less likely to be called back for an interview when they send resumés around. The EEOC holds that even asking about a person’s race on a job application can be used as evidence of discrimination; wonderful for the segregationists, then, that so many parents are making it unnecessary to even ask.

The actual study in question, called “Are Emily and Brendan More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?”, is here. Warning: PDF

Posted by tino at 17:58 16.12.02
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Comments

I think the study would be more fair if the white people had names that marked them as being from a lower socio-economic class, which is a large part of what we are talking about here.

I did follow a link from Plastic, and I don’t think that any girl child growing up in an American context should have to go around with the name Yo-Yo or De-Lawn.

Posted by: Nicole at December 16, 2002 08:45 PM

your stupid

Posted by: alex at May 14, 2003 05:04 PM