‘There is everything in a name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but would not cost half as much during the winter months.’
~ George Ade
I called my friend the other day asking about her lawyer. She had raved about him in the past and I needed some help with a couple of documents so I thought I would give him a call. ‘Oh, you’ll just love him, he’s adorable. Call this number and ask for Jason,’ she said. ‘Jason? Ummm, you know what, never mind, it’s OK,’ I replied. ‘What, you don’t need him now, what’s wrong?‘ she asked. I hesitated at first, but then I realized everybody has the same prejudice, and those who don’t admit they have it are lying. I fessed up, ‘I have this thing with Jasons – I don’t like them,’ I blurted. Everyone knows someone with a certain designation, a particular title, maybe even a nickname they dislike simply for having that name. I told her that while her guy might be adorable and deserving of all my love I wouldn’t be using him – he had the wrong name.
Now all you Jasons out there reading this, don’t email me telling you how wonderful you are. You’re not. From the first Jason I can remember in the sixth grade that was ugly and pompous and had teeth that would have made a Brit shudder, I have not liked you. I have met my fair share of Jasons in my life, and I have never thought too highly of any of them. Early on I went through the customary introductions and small talk with an open mind, but over the years I have learned my lesson and now I just write you all off. I can’t say I’m too fond of Seans either. Consequently, they probably both detest Joannas.
I’ve asked around, and everybody has an aversion to a certain nameNo matter your level of education, your economic status or how honorable you think you are, everyone has been reduced to the shallowness of disliking somebody solely based on his or her name.
If you think this all sounds like a bunch of rubbish, there are books out about this stuff. The New York Time’s Bestseller, Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt, is a book that explores the correlation between income, education and one’s name. One may think a name is nothing more than a title, but the truth is, it has more to do with one’s life outcome then you may think. The power is not in the name itself, but in the type of people that give their children particular names. For example, parents who name their daughter Oona, a well-known Irish name, are on average, more educated than parents who name their son Biff. The data also shows there is a relationship between income and the names people give their child; plus, income and education are strongly correlated. Parents with more education traditionally go on to make more money, as do their children. As you can see, the name is more of a by-product than a predictor, but since it is all related it’s easy to confuse the two. Astrology claims one’s personality can be influenced by their name, but as far as I know, there is no data that supports that the power lies in the name itself.
I pride myself on being a fairly logical, realistic person. I have been called a dreamer and a wee bit odd at times, but for the most part I consider my head being screwed on pretty tight. I will forever be on a quest to know myself better and understand my perceptions, beliefs, and values as they relate to others. It’s not enough to simply know I believe something; I want to know why I believe it as well. Consequently, it bothers me that I can give someone the boot based solely on his or her name. What kind of an idiot am I?
The German author Hermann Hesse said, ‘If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t a part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.‘ I’ll buy that. It has been my experience that Jasons are arrogant and lack self-awareness. They are so self-consumed they don’t even know people don’t like them. They’re unafraid to put themselves out there, and figure if you’re not a fan they’ll move on to someone else. Could it be that I’m jealous? I’m painfully aware of the people who don’t like me. How wonderful would it be to be oblivious to others’ misconceptions about you? Isn’t that supposed to be one of the delectable things about growing old: you don’t care what everybody thinks anymore? I’m not sure if Jasons don’t know or don’t care, but either way they seem to be totally unshaken by others’ responses to them. In many ways shouldn’t we all aspire to be a Jason?
I don’t hate Jasons; I don’t hate anybody really. I more or less don’t care for some people. I’m pretty much the same as everyone else in this respect. Can I really judge somebody on what other people have done who coincidentally happen to have the same name? I would hate to be judged on, say, what my father does. I am unique. I am my own person. He may have raised me, but he no longer represents me, though we are very similar people. I would hate to be denied the luxury and privilege of being disliked for exactly who I am as opposed to who people think I am as a result of my name.
The name game works both ways though. How many people do you like more based on their name? I have an affinity for Davids. It seems like every other guy up here is named David, heck, I’m married to one, but I’ve never met one I didn’t like. They’re just good, salt of the earth people. Every woman I know married to a David seemed to have picked herself a winner. I like them so much, in fact, I’m sure if one of them came and smacked me across the face, I’d figure he was attempting to shoo off a fly.
In the end, the whole like/dislike thing probably evens out, but why take a chance by being small? Get to know someone before you really decide they’re a moron. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised while allowing them the opportunity to make a few adjustments to what they think about you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a certain lawyer I need to call.
