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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think you can't judge a child by their name??

412 replies

SaveWaterDrinkMalibu · 04/07/2013 21:45

Would you judge a child by their first name?

Katie Hopkins on this morning was saying how she judged the children her children play with by their names.

There's a YouTube video but can't link it

OP posts:
ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 05/07/2013 22:33

Zyn It seems so. My son has an Irish name so he is obviously going to a bad lad. I have an Irish first name but I dont think I am that bad Grin

NorksAreMessy · 05/07/2013 22:36

katy :o

YoniSingWhenYoureWinning · 05/07/2013 22:36

There may well be hordes of little Casinos somewhere with the most unimpeachable manners and standards of behaviour. That is not the case, however with this Casino. And I'll tell you why. It's because she is being raised by the kind of people who would name a child Casino.

needaholidaynow · 05/07/2013 22:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheMagicKeyCanFuckOff · 05/07/2013 22:38

Am slightly worried about Connor and Callum being 'bad' boy names. My poor DS Sad

katydid02 · 05/07/2013 22:40

Thanks Norks

ThisReallyIsNotSPNopeNotAtAll · 05/07/2013 22:41

MagicKey my sons name is similar. Fancy starting a club? 'mothers of obvious bad lads'

HaveIGotPoosForYou · 05/07/2013 23:35

I think we all unconsciously have an opinion on certain names and may think, 'That sounds a little odd' or 'That looks like it's spelt wrong' but honestly, that's all that we usually tend to think.

Once we meet the person in question we judge them on their personality and how they behave. Even if I wasn't to meet a Chardonnay in person I may think her name was a little different or not what I'd've chosen for my DD but I wouldn't jump to 'chav' and 'I don't want my child to play with her' that's just vile.

Anyone who doesn't want to play with my daughter or any future children I have in the future because of their name is someone I don't particularly want my daughter/FC to come into contact with, because they are petty.

Thinking and acting on it are completely different things.

I also don't see what the big fuss is about class. Who cares? IF someone is nice, polite, works hard and is genuinely a nice person does it matter if their Mum lives in a council flat or a mansion? I mean, seriously?

I have friends who earn anywhere from £100 a week or being on benefits to £12,000 a month and the behaviour of their children isn't different.

darksideofthemooncup · 05/07/2013 23:48

I'm sorry if I am re-iterating something that has already been said but 'A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet'
And Katy Hopkins will always be a heinous self serving twat.

Lweji · 05/07/2013 23:48

Katy, at least children named Gravity are always very attractive.

amazingmumof6 · 06/07/2013 01:50

just to clarify - I don't judge the children fo whatever names they have!
I try not to judge the parents either - but sometimes I can't help myself.

I'm sorry, but calling a child Fox is not right.

and when a little boy in the supermarket got told off the day :
"Stop that! Stop being naughty Hero!" I almost snorted and had to look at my kids very sternly to stop them from laughing. it was comical.

and I couldn't't help but associate Felix with the cat food - but since 2 of our kids' friends are called Felix ( both lovely boys!) that has changed.

another interesting thing - one mum at school has a very unusual name. I kept on forgetting it, and asked her several times to remind me.
it got very embarrassing and also hilarious as her name is Memory!Grin

amazingmumof6 · 06/07/2013 02:00

couldn't't?

Couldn't!

oh and our children have Biblical first and middle names. because of the meanings, our religion and because we liked the names.
our eldest is Joshua btw. No problems at school, behavioural or otherwise!

our surname could not be worse though, if judged on that alone our kids ( and DH and his family) would possibly be unemployable!Grin

morfamawddach · 06/07/2013 07:26

When Katie Hopkins was on The Apprentice, shrewd Nick dismissed her as a 'gameplayer'. He was right. She's invited onto This Morning to cause a shitstorm and boost their ratings. As she has undoubtedly delivered this time, the next time she approaches them with a 'discussion' idea, they'll book her like a shot. Who wins? This Morning. And Katie. The rest of us are suckers. Wink

Xenia · 06/07/2013 07:31

First of all people would be very silly and nasty to forbid their child to play with a child with a strange name.

However the bottom line point is that in life in general certain things about people do have an impact on their ability to get jobs - plenty of Asians have submitted job applications as John Smith to discover racism at play when before they had used their real name and not got an interview. That is very sad and very wrong and illegal but it does happen.

It is worth teenagers being shown that for some jobs you need to wear particular clothes which may be more middle class than the child is and perhaps best not to drop your Ts and say Haitch and you was. It is not that hard to adapt yourself to whatever type of job you want with a few accent and clothes changes really and you think that is dreadful then don't do it and seek jobs where those things may not matter. However to pretend they don't matter is silly as they do,.

We picked old testament names deliberately for all 5 children as they tend not to date (we're not Jewish). My parents picked the names of ex monarchs of England for us which again tends never to be held against you.

CSIJanner · 06/07/2013 08:09

Hero was one of the main female characters in Midsummers Night Dream. FWIW Hero/Hiro is Japanese. Don't be so quick to deride or dismiss names just because they don't seem familiar to you.

katydid02 · 06/07/2013 08:27

Lweji there is that, and they would also be very sociable and pull in a large crowd of friends.

aloiseb · 06/07/2013 08:30

I just feel sorry for Katie's children, having such a horrid mother.
(and for the record, the nastiest child so far from all my son's mates was a Monty.....)

Alisvolatpropiis · 06/07/2013 08:35

She has a point insofar as certain names or indeed any misspelt name gives a certain impression.

I do judge parents who give their children wildly outlandish names or misspelt names. I don't judge the children because - it's not their fault is it. It's not a "class" thing, some names are just plain bad/ridiculous and it really doesn't matter what "class" the parents are in,it doesn't excuse the name.

Katie Hopkins is outrageously unpleasant and I thought bar the first 30 seconds of the clip I saw she was wrong.

Ok so you've ascertained that Chardonnay is from a working class background - so you won't let your daughters play with her?! Erm...WHAT?!How utterly vile.

FatherSpodoKomodo · 06/07/2013 08:39

Amazing to see the amount of mumsnetters so up in arms about KH's comments considering the amount of judginess there is about my son's name - Jayden!

ExcuseTypos · 06/07/2013 08:49

My DDs boyfriend would be judged as 'chavy' on MN. I must admit when she first told me his name I thought 'wtf were his parents thinking?' I didn't prejudge him though.

However thankfully it hadnt affected him in the work place. He's 25 and has been headhunter twice in the past 2 years in a pretty MC environment. He's on an absolute fortuneGrin

I hope we are moving more towards America where there are lawyers, Drs, politicians etc etc with very unusual names. The more that happens the less our society will judge. I hope we have a Pm one day called Wayne. That would be fab!

ExcuseTypos · 06/07/2013 08:49

Or I should add, a PM called Chardonnay.

beckyholder41 · 06/07/2013 09:52

I watched the clip on "this morning" (whilst I was entering one of their competitions) and I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. I wouldn't be surprised if this narrow minded, selfish, mean, up her own posh backside, call yourself a lady???? gets totally snubbed by parents that know her. Apart from obviously the minority of spiteful, snobby parents that feel the same way!!!!!

In today's society, whatever the race, class or postcode, there is GOOD and BAD little people & adults everywhere! Now for whatever reason, these 'bad/spiteful/human beings are NOT THAT WAY INCLINED BECAUSE OF THEIR NAME OR LOWER CLASS WORKING/NOT WORKING BACKGROUND!!! Talk about stereo typing people!!!
I just hope if I ever meet a lawyer (or another professional highflyer), he or she isn't of the same opinion of that mean lady, who some poor child has the misfortune to call her their mother!!
There ends my rant!! Now for all those lovely, nice, kind parents out there (whatever your income), enjoy the sunshine & have a fab weekend! xx

Ilovemyself · 06/07/2013 10:01

amazingmumof6. It's fine to snigger at the fact that a child is called Hero is it. I think that is very unfair

Especially as Hero is a name of middle eastern origin, or it could be Hiro from the Far East.

What do people teach their children if they are judging others by their name ( or the car they drive, what they look like or any one of 100 socio economic factors)

Judge people by their deeds or actions if you have to judge on anything.

lljkk · 06/07/2013 10:21

I feel sure I've seen MNers slag off Katie as a chav name...

I judge KH for encouraging other people to be small-minded twats like herself. I never heard of her until this furore, hopefully she'll sink quickly back into obscurity where her idiotic opinions belong.

ExcuseTypos · 06/07/2013 10:30

Unfortunately I don't think that will happen lljkk, she's always spouting snobby rubbish. The media seem to hire her as someone who will start an argument.

The producers of This Morning will be thrilled at all this publicity and Miss Hopkins will be back on that programme before you know it. It's all a game.