Talk:Ghetto names
 |
This article links to one or more target anchors that no longer exist.
Please help fix the broken anchors. You can remove this template after fixing the problems. | Reporting errors |
Keep?
I realize this page/redirect may find controversy. The reason I included it is because I know it is a common search term and I thought that anyone who feels the need to google "ghetto names" would probably benefit from reading the origins of the term and what experts say about it. The paragraph below is what it links so. However, if consensus exists that it should be removed, I fully back that decision. This is what it links so:
Many Black Americans use their own or their children's names as a symbol of solidarity within their culture. Prior to the 1950's and 1960's, most African American names closely resembled those used within European American culture. With the rise of the mid-century civil rights movement, there was a dramatic rise in names of various origins. One very notable influence on African American names is the Muslim religion. Islamic names entered the popular culture with the rise of The Nation of Islam among Black Americans with its focus on civil rights. The popular name "Aisha" has origins in the Koran. Such names are now commonly used by African Americans regardless of religion. Many names of French and African origin entered the picture at this time as well. The name LaKeisha is typically considered American in origin, but has elements of it pulled from both sources. By the 1970's and 1980's, it had become common within the culture to invent new names. Prefixes such as La/Le, Da/De, or Ja/Je are common as well as inventive spellings for common names. Even with the rise of creative names, it is also still common for African Americans to use biblical, historic, or European names.[7][8]
African American names are subject to the same prejudice that African Americans face. A 2004 study by Roland Fryer and Steven Levitt found that job applicants with Black-sounding names were 50% less likely to get a call back after submitting resumes than applicants with white sounding names submitting similar resumes.[9][10] African American naming trends are often misunderstood, maligned and sometimes referred to as the pejorative term "ghetto names". Many experts assert that this criticism is solely a manifestation of racism as many other American cultures have used inventive names extensively without the same condemnation.[11][12] For example, the Puritans had a deep tradition of expressing their values through creative names, many in the form of virtue names like Grace, Felicity, Chastity or Hope. These names have entered the standard American usage without issue. Vanessa, Wendy, and Scarlett are also names invented in the past century that do not have stigma attached to them.[13][14][15]