Should children be judged on their names? Debate on This Morning

[MrsPear]

I think there are some very basic generalisations that can be applied to different names. That's not me being judgemental, but for example my name is Harriet, and that tends to be quite a middle class name. But a) it would be completely stupid to assume that all Harriets are going to be from the same social group and b) it's also completely stupid to think you need to 'protect' your children from 'lower' social groups, although if you have that attitude actually glad that some children are going to be protected from your judgemental bullshit.

If you introduced yourself as a Harriet I would assume you were middle class yes. I would presume your parents were well to-do, you would have a good level of academia and if you had children they would probably have equally middle class names.

It's strange because I went to quite a bog-standard comprehensive school and I thought Harriet was really unusual because I was the only one. Then I went to university and that's when I realised it's just quite middle class and there's actually loads of Harriets

My OH is a nurse and I am a student nurse so I suppose we would be considered something like the lower middle classes but I'm not really sure.

 

[MrsPear]

I think there are some very basic generalisations that can be applied to different names. That's not me being judgemental, but for example my name is Harriet, and that tends to be quite a middle class name. But a) it would be completely stupid to assume that all Harriets are going to be from the same social group and b) it's also completely stupid to think you need to 'protect' your children from 'lower' social groups, although if you have that attitude I would actually glad that some children are going to be protected from your judgemental bullshit.

This just made me laugh actually. On the subject of judging people by their name, when I first came on here I was pregnant and FOB was cheating on me with a lass named Harriet. There was a member on here who had a LO with the same name and I instantly hated her, decided she'd picked the worst name possible and that her baby would grow up to be absolutely awful. I think I even blocked her for a while
That was mostly pregnancy hormones though..

hahaha. That Harriet is giving us all a bad name!!!

 

[deafgal]

Going to be hung for saying this but many a time I have made an assumption on a person based purely on their name. One of my good friends mentioned someone and I asked who she was and my friend said "not sure if you know her, her name is Jorgia, spelt J.O.R.G.I.A" (instead of Georgia) and I INSTANTLY made a negative assumption! Assumption was correct but it is interesting how names are often indicative of a persons personality! My friends son is called 'Shane' and I always knew he would be a little aggressive idiot and yup, 7 years old and he is just bloody awful!!

See. This is what I mean when people are greeted with low expectation because of their names. Especially teachers. Kinda like when people tell a kid "you will end up in prison someday" *maybe they think that way because of names, color, or even family background * and his thoughts are "there's no hope" and ends up in prison anyway..

 

[bumpy_j]

Ergh no I can confidently say I do not judge the child on their name. Possibly the parents but not in a discriminatory way, more like whether we'd have the same tastes in other aspects. Why should the name that your parents bestowed upon you when you were a wrinkly little newborn have any sort of significance on the personality you'll eventually develop?

I was the 'poor kid' in a school full of wealthy children - my personal life affected my school work diabolically but I certainly didn't bring anyone down with me. My friends parents whilst well-off and highly educated, were supportive in every way, taking the time to find out what my situation was rather than making a snap judgement, giving me somewhere to stay when I got kicked out, even buying me clothes and shoes - I'll never forget their kind actions. It was an huge act of humility at a time where I felt like I had no adults to turn to. Even when I was eventually kicked out of school whilst my friends were aiming for Oxbridge, they never turned me away from their home.

Quite commonly when a primary school aged child is not doing their homework, wearing the wrong uniform, looking dirty, turning up late etc there is something going on in the background - surely that should be obvious? I have no time for somebody so clearly unemphatic as to not at least give said child a chance to see if anything more complex is happening, rather than dismissing it as a 'class thing'.

 

[LegoHouse]

I personally have just judged her children by their parent, their parent is a prat and I definitely don't want to risk my children having her pompous opinions anywhere near their ears. She is doing the Tyler's, Brooklyn's and Chardonnay's a favour, I wouldn't want my children near anything that birthed out of someone so horrid! And hypocritical! Her children's names are working class names LOL

 

[lindseymw]

I found the interview absolutely hilarious.

I will admit that I have raised an eyebrow or two at some names that I have heard. However, if my son came home with the child I wouldn't batter an eyelid. I would only intervene in a friendship is if the other child was a little shit, regardless of name or class.

The only thing that Katie proves is that 'class' does not equal brains....muppet.

 

[lozzy21]

I have to admit if Niamh said she wanted "Kenzee" to come play I would cringe. However I would say "ok if his mummy said yes".

The only reason I would stop her from playing with some one if I felt their behaviour would have a negative affect on Niamh.

 

[LegoHouse]

Haha I wonder what my daughters best friends think of "Caitlyn" seeing as their names are "Abigail" and "Eleanor" :/

 

[Tor]

Certain names would make me think certain things but I would never stop my children playing with others based on name/class/race etc.

This has made me so paranoid though, I wanted to call the boys oliver and harry but OH hated them so they have much more modern names and now im thinking maybe they are chavvy!!

 

[Dani_Ldn]

She is a vile hypocrite!

Personally I think it was more lower class that she was caught by paps f*****g a married man in a bush.

Disgusting vile woman.

 

[Rachel_C]

I thought it was interesting how she said she would never judge anybody by surname, I assume this is because it then brings in race, religion, family's country of origin etc? But first names do that too! My daughters have Islamic names that are also Western/Westernised. There seem to be two kinds of people who have kids with the same names - either they're Western Muslims themselves, usually with one white and one Asian parent, or they're chavvy! So this idiotic woman would presumably avoid the chavvy kids but that also includes Western Muslims? Or there are certain names which I'd say are largely regarded as chavvy that (around here at least) are mostly used by Black families, so again she'd judge chavvy and it would only really apply to Black people. I don't think you can say it's not ok to judge by surname but it is ok to judge by first name. Stupid woman. And I bet she wouldn't dare say Ibraheem, Atif or Irfaan were chavvy names because she wouldn't dare be 'racist', yet she would have no idea whether they were chavvy or not (I have no idea either btw).

 

[LegoHouse]

My son is part Indian and called Oliver, way to confuse an idiot!

 

[IrelandsOwn]

Katie Hopkins is still trolling the world over on Twitter. Yesterday she said "ginger babies. Like a baby, but so much harder to love." She is a cruel, attention seeking snob. I pity her kids growing up with that kind of influence. She is depriving them of so much

 

[Tasha]

Katie Hopkins is still trolling the world over on Twitter. Yesterday she said "ginger babies. Like a baby, but so much harder to love." She is a cruel, attention seeking snob. I pity her kids growing up with that kind of influence. She is depriving them of so much

I pity her actually, to write such controversial things over and over purely for attention means her life is lacking in something.

 

[deafgal]

I want ginger babies*my husband is a ginger*

 

[deafgal]

Katie Hopkins is still trolling the world over on Twitter. Yesterday she said "ginger babies. Like a baby, but so much harder to love." She is a cruel, attention seeking snob. I pity her kids growing up with that kind of influence. She is depriving them of so much

I pity her actually, to write such controversial things over and over purely for attention means her life is lacking in something.

She is the same as

 

[Dragonfly]

Katie Hopkins is still trolling the world over on Twitter. Yesterday she said "ginger babies. Like a baby, but so much harder to love." She is a cruel, attention seeking snob. I pity her kids growing up with that kind of influence. She is depriving them of so much

I didnt think my opinion of her could sink any lower till I seen that what a nasty cow. There isnt even a debate on names here its one nasty womans opinion. She is an attention seeker and will do clearly anything to get it.

 

[SerenityNow]

My DD is at a private school for "high achievers" that kids need to test into, etc. and there are many kids there with names that I wouldn't have chosen because I think they are tacky, but there is just no accounting for taste. Names are mainly chosen on aesthetics. I wouldn't judge a person for having toile drapes or a metallic purple car even though I think those things are ugly.

That said, I admit I would want to really get to know Chardonnay's parents before my kids went over to her house. Naming your kid after an alcoholic drink could indicate poor judgement lol.

 

[sequeena]

I thought she was quite sad until I saw her twitter. What a vile woman she is clearly loving all this attention. Her poor children.

 

[chrislo4]

Omg, did she really say that about ginger babies?!! What a nasty piece of sh*t!!!!