Skepticism

Skepchick Quickies 7.9

This is a pre-recorded quickie as I am currently winging my way to TAM. Squee!

Amanda

Amanda works in healthcare, is a loudmouthed feminist, and proud supporter of the Oxford comma.

Related Articles

46 Comments

  1. Walter is an odd name? I mean, I guess it’s a bit old-fashioned, but…certainly not odd.

    My younger sister almost named her son Wyatt, which I really liked, but she settled for Nathaniel Wyatt, because she didn’t want people to think she was naming him after Wyatt Earp (the house I grew up on is in Earp, CA, which is right on the AZ border; she actually named her kid from some TV show character lol).

    Maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t? Would he have become an outlaw?

  2. The American College of Pediatricians and the Laundering of Junk Science link is being blocked from work. Maybe this is a good thing. I don’t need to be ragey at 8:30 in the morning.

  3. @marilove: “because she didn’t want people to think she was naming him after Wyatt Earp ”

    I would just suppose he was named after Piper and Leo’s son.

  4. I have a cousin who named his child Stockton. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that is a city in the armpit of California.

  5. @davew: Hahaha, you got it! I was wondering if anyone would have picked that up.

    The fact that Wyatt, CA was right where we grew up, that’s why she changed her mind, I guess, ‘cuz people there tend to think of the cowyboy myths first. :)

  6. Boys growing up with popular names such as Michael, Joshua and Christopher have a good chance of leading law-abiding lives.

    That’s me. Law-abiding. Completely trustworthy. Nothing to fear from me.

    Say, that wallet looks awfully heavy. Let me hold that for you…

  7. Perhaps the ACP is concerned that Father #1, when presented with a difficult decision by lil Susie will slip up and say ‘Go ask your mother.” in an attempt to punt responsibility to Father #2.

    The confusion in the child would be staggering and civilization’s collapse would be nigh soon after.

  8. @marilove: My mother dated William Robert (Billy Bob) Earp back in the 1970’s. He was a direct descendent of Wyatt apparently. I recall he was a rather normal grocery store owner, nothing bad except I think he was married while dating me mum.

  9. @marilove: Actually Wyatt Earp was a pioneering lawman. He and his brothers instituted modern policing techniques. Some of which are still standard operating procedure to this day. They weren’t outlaws and those movies were stupid.

  10. @Gabrielbrawley: Oh, I know that, I was being kind of silly because people tend to think all old-time cowboys were outlaws, and the myths of Wyatt Earp tend to be grandiose. It’s typical desert-cowboy legend talk. :)

  11. The blog (Pam’s House Blend) with the American Academy of Pediatrics info has the most amazing quotes and “awards” down the left side of the blog page. Worth having a read.

  12. I have a weird name (Zebulon) and I never ran afoul of the law. They didn’t catch me doing any of the bad things I’ve done.

  13. @PrimevilKneivel: I might not be Zebulon but Gabriel was very rare in my age group. Most people still think I’m a girl until they meet me. Had a professor get in an argument with me once. He insisted that my name was Gabrielle.

  14. @PrimevilKneivel: “I have a weird name (Zebulon) and I never ran afoul of the law. ”

    As in Zebulon Pike? He’s quite a hero around these parts.


    My name is David and, true to the stereotype above, I’m as mild and milquetoast. I’ve never been arrested nor have I slept with my general’s wife and arrange to have him killed on the battlefield.

  15. That American College of Pediatrics reminds me of the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), which is heavily biased towards animal rights. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se (and they seem to do quite a bit of proper science research), except that it’s not made plain by their name or stated objectives.

  16. Did anyone notice the byline for the add names story? “Walter Pacheco” wrote the piece which – to my mind – explains the addition of Walter to the weird name list. I’ll bet he sent a copy of the article to his mother.

  17. @davew: Actually that is my name. My dad thought it was cool and my mom didn’t speak English and figured it’s just what they call kids over here.

    Ironically he’s not a hero around these parts. I’m from Toronto, where he died leading the attack on Fort York during the war of 1812. I think it’s cool though. The fort had a dramatic reading from his diary this year. I missed it but I’m going to try to do the reading next year.

    A dramatic reading from the diary of Zebulon Pike, by Zebulon Pike. I think it has a ring to it.

  18. @Gabrielbrawley: Oh I love Eddie, but no one has made me laugh like Gabriel. I’ve seen both twice. Almost went to see Gabriel a third time with my dad and twin sis, but sadly the show we had planned on seeing was canceled, so we’re seeing Josh Blue instead.

    Also the first time I saw Gabriel, he gave me a big fluffy hug. :)

  19. @Steve: Look, Steve, we all know that you are sensitive about having a…different name, but I don’t think that you need to lash out at your parents.

  20. Reminds me of one of the chapters in Freakonomics, the tale of Winner and Loser Lane. One became a cop, the other a criminal. However, the outcome was the opposite of what you might expect.

  21. @ Bad Names

    Ok, what are the criteria of this study? Is it people in prison, or people with rap sheets and their names? Does it count misdemeanors and felonies equally? What about speeding/parking tickets? Does it take into account the scholastic record of offenses? Additionally, is it just as simple as “there are a lot of people named Luke in the jail system”? Is the percentage of people in correction system weighted against the popularity of that name? Does it take into account people who go by middle names? There are also other problems, such as, per the article, Luke and Ezekiel are given as examples. These are biblical names, and, as stated in the article, often come from lower socioeconomical backgrounds. Poorer people often are more religious. Could you not conclude that since they are from a poorer family, and they have an “unsual” name, that they get picked on, can’t find solice at home, due to the intense religiosity, and therefore, are more prone to “deviant” behavior.

    Or, am I just overthinking things….AGAIN?

  22. Since when are Kareem, Walter, or Ivan unusual names? I know of boys named Sterling and Ocean; those are actually unusual names.

  23. Another thing that I noticed in the article is-I got an advertisement for the Smooth Operator program in DC/MD/VA, but its a FL newspaper. Did anyone else get ads local to you?

  24. @catgirl: It looks like they determined the popularity of the name based on how frequently it showed up in birth records from 1987 – 1991.

    Not sure how they dealt with alternate spellings.

  25. @Steve: I’m going to go ahead and second that.
    @Bevans: That section of Freakonomics I found fascinating. Though I think they concluded that a child’s name says more about a parent then it does about the kid. Which is kind of a big duh.

  26. @marilove: Thanks, that’s a nice change from the usual “Are your parents hippies?”. Hippies are apparently known for naming their kids after generals.

  27. @James Fox: So that no one is confused: American College of Pediatricians = Religious right front organization; American Academy of Pediatrics = Reputable medical medical organization.

    Oh, and Pryce is my real name. Make of that what you will.

  28. Not exactly Skeptical related, but thinking about the Skepchicks at TAM7 evoked a picture. (Due credit to my wife who came up with the title which became the theme.)

    The television’s rot
    Oprah book club? So not.
    Way too stressed to be online
    Gonna gripe with bitches and wine

    Don’t offer us a drink
    Just pour it in the sink
    Mind the keep out signs
    Around the bitches and wines

    I’ve had enough being nice
    All day long sugar and spice
    Gonna drop the Sweet Adeline
    And get down with the bitches and wine

    Coffee, tea or me
    Gets you nowhere, see?
    Night is for the less refined
    Watch while some bitches get wined

    Tired of old boy tricks
    Office full of suits with pricks
    Here’s something to remove your itches
    Hoist some wine with the bitches

    Nothing could be fina
    If you’ve got a vagina
    Find a way to make the time
    And spend it with bitches and wine

  29. In the FWIW Department, my wife is distantly related to Nelson Eddy.

    Remember the song that made the Martian’s heads explode in “Mars Attacks?”

    THAT Nelson Eddy.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button