What's in a name?

[Coops]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...kelytobreaklaw

"Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites."

"The findings could help officials " identify individuals at high risk of committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted intervention programs," the authors conclude. "

I don't know how to take this. On one hand there is the study in this article, on the other, there are plenty of examples of highly successful people with unusual names.
For example. Charles Manson has a perfectly common name while Barack Obama (from a one parent family) has a very unusual one.

I do know that targeting/labeling a child because of his name just seems wrong.

[slicknick131]

The book Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt conducted a meta-analysis of names and income and found that those with socioeconomically "poor" names usually made less money and had less success in life. Those with "rich" names obviously found more success in life.

It's a great book that examines those phenomena that seemingly have nothing to do with one another, such as: Why do drug dealers still live with their mothers? and What do real estate agents and the KKK have in common?

http://freakonomicsbook.com/

[Robert Kayland]

The book Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt conducted a meta-analysis of names and income and found that those with socioeconomically "poor" names usually made less money and had less success in life. Those with "rich" names obviously found more success in life.

That would only be noteworthy if the sampling showed that "poor" named individuals came from upper-middle and rich backgrounds, yet somehow wound up not being as successful. But if lower-middle and poor folks are the ones giving their kids the "poor" names, well DUH, the apples never fall far from the tree.

It's a great book that examines those phenomena that seemingly have nothing to do with one another, such as: Why do drug dealers still live with their mothers? and What do real estate agents and the KKK have in common?

http://freakonomicsbook.com/

It is an interesting book... I found it especially cutting in how they linked the drop in crime rates over the past three decades in many areas (drops that no other agencies or studies could explain) to the fact of Roe v. Wade and increased amount of abortions amongst those socio-economic groups from whence individuals of traditionally high rates of criminal activity often came.

[slicknick131]

It is an interesting book... I found it especially cutting in how they linked the drop in crime rates over the past three decades in many areas (drops that no other agencies or studies could explain) to the fact of Roe v. Wade and increased amount of abortions amongst those socio-economic groups from whence individuals of traditionally high rates of criminal activity often came.

Out of all the studies from the book, I found that was the most shocking. I'd actually heard this years ago in Crim101, but the book elaborated on the details far better than my professor. And actually, that was the first and last Crim class I ever took- turned out it was soooo not my thing. I'd rather be a hippie.