Names + Gender division

[drain.you]

To what extent do the division of names by gender (ie: naming a male child elizabeth is seen as wrong) affect gender roles and society as a whole?

[redstar2000]

"Quite a bit" according to some folks.

There's been some interesting research carried out by bourgeois sociologists on the effects of personal names.

For example, identical resumes are submitted to a corporation seeking new employees. The only difference is the "name" of the "applicant".

Certain kinds of names get markedly more positive responses from the corporations than others.

Names that "sound African-American" do worst of all. (!)

I don't know if they've tested names that are considered "female"...but I'd expect similar findings.

http://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/123.gif

[Red Leader]

This is what happens......

"A boy named Sue"
Johnny Cash


My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."

He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-***** that named you "Sue.'"

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!

[drain.you]

Thats quite a cool poem, though probably not based on truth and can say little about the actual affects on society that the division of names causes.

[Red Leader]

Yeah, I know, I just thought it was a funny song. But anyway, I think, as bad as it is, names mean a lot in society. They give people an immediate impression of the person. And we all know first impressions are lasting, even if you cant control them.

[WUOrevolt]

To some people now, the name Kelly for a boy is not as bad as some see it. Radical Feminists, like my sister, are going to name their children based not on gender roles, or raise them as one gender or another, just name them as a person and raise them as a person, not as a member of a certain gender.

[poster_child]

Wow. I never gave names much thought.. but now that you brought this to my attention, it makes a lot of sence. Men made it so that women have their speicfic name and title, while men have theirs. If a man has a womans name, he is seen as weak and "sissy" like a girl. Good post. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.