Who would have thought so much research would have gone into child naming trends? With economists and statisticians, if there is a subject to search for trends in, it probably has been done at least a hundred times before. Either way, the authors started to once again make me angry with the whole "if you have a black name you're doomed to failure" thing but they turned on it at the last minute and made some sense. It isn't that their names caused them trouble, it's the background the names come from that make life difficult. This is something I can't speak from experience on but I would think overcoming that kind of adversity is no simple feat.
Something I find disturbing that was mentioned in this chapter (and others) is the fact that many African-Americans feel that getting an education and trying to make a good life is "acting white" and apparently and very bad thing. Does this mean that they believe that "acting black" is the opposite? I guess I can sort of see where they are coming from, they are angry and resentful but why would they not want to better themselves? If being even moderately successful translates to being "white", this country is headed for some SERIOUS cultural problems. I'm a little familiar with the argument from the angry African-American standpoint: this is a white-donminated culture, black aren't given the same opportunities as whites and African-American cultural identity must be embraced and preserved. Why does the culture have to be divergent though? I mean we're all Americans. Isn't it all about the American dream? I think the people who ridicule the ones who are motivated to overcome that adversity are only jealous and don't want their peers to succeed because it would prove them wrong!!
I've noticed that the names people are giving their kids these days are getting quite weird. It does make sense that those who are on the top of society set the trends for the names. Why not they set the trends for everything else.
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2 comments:
I agree those that ridicule their peers are jealous. Black on black ridicule for acting white or being an "Uncle Tom" is ridiculous. They are just trying to better themselves. Alot has to do with ignorance and exposure. Whn you haven't been exosed to a better life it is hard to imagine it. It is hard to have self worth. I think sometimes this affect the disenfranchised. I don't feel the book is racist, because a majority of the impoverished are black and hispanic. I feel they eradicate issues that most people in leui of being politically correct avoid.
I also found it disturbing how the African-American community regarded its peers who were attempting to better themselves through education. Telling someone that they are acting white for trying to be a successful human being is totally ignorant. It is true that Blacks re still being discriminated against today but how do they ever expect to break the trends if they are chastising their own, I guess it's hard for me to gather a point of view on this issue.
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