3 questions about "AA" names...

[Fredrick Thuglas]

Ok brehs first of all no offense but I have three quick questions about those "African-American" names (I know that's a bad way of calling them, but just so we know what we're talking about)

1. Where do they originate from? I mean, how does someone think of "LaMarcus", "Javale", "Lebron", "DeAndre"...? Are they just totally made up or...I once read that some have roots in Swahili but that always sounded like some faux-afrocentric crap to me.

2. You noted that I brought names of NBA players, so coming from an outsider, are these kind of names really widespread among AA, or do I just have a skewed sample?

3. When did these names "blow up"? I remember that before it was all Micheal, Eddie, Nick, Tim, Denzel, Robert...sure there was Shaquille, Anfernee, Latrell, but they weren't that many... and then all of a sudden there's "Jrue" ()

Again no offense brehs, just trying to understand this stuff right here

If you're are white or not an African American...try to remember when Africans were stolen from Africa and stripped of their culture, language, and customs. Remember how after hundreds of years they had to pick up the pieces and rebuild after not only loosing their culture but being forced to assimulate to a white made culture rooted in violence, false ideals of inferiority and in-equality.

Its not like you can go generation to generation with a slave name and then after hundreds of years of answering to a certain name you find out that slavery is illegal now where do you get your cultural name from? Your connection to Africa was removed and for the most part destroyed. not only was your connection to Africa broken, your confidence in Africa was also broken because whites used those hundreds of years to brainwash blacks into thinking every black (or African) was bad.

If you're white and you want to be respectful I would advise that you not ask thi question period. If you are black (non american) I would say you show some empathy because Africans suffered through colonialism and many antagonizing traditions were forced on us as well.

To summarize...let black people and stop hating.

 

[MidniteJay]

I will give my kid the whitest name on the block....I don't want his resume to get tossed in the bushes before they get a chance to talk to him.

Go ahead and call me uncle tom but perception is fucking reality....

I can't get mad at that. That's what my mother did when she came to the states, she decided to give all us generic names. Except our sister who has a Swedish based first name

If you're from a Haitian fam, you're name is either french based (almost always the case with the last name), from the Bible, generic American name, or straight up from a different culture that doesn't sound weird (i.e. I have a cousin named Vladimir)

 

[mbewane]

If you're are white or not an African American...try to remember when Africans were stolen from Africa and stripped of their culture, language, and customs. Remember how after hundreds of years they had to pick up the pieces and rebuild after not only loosing their culture but being forced to assimulate to a white made culture rooted in violence, false ideals of inferiority and in-equality.

Its not like you can go generation to generation with a slave name and then after hundreds of years of answering to a certain name you find out that slavery is illegal now where do you get your cultural name from? Your connection to Africa was removed and for the most part destroyed. not only was your connection to Africa broken, your confidence in Africa was also broken because whites used those hundreds of years to brainwash blacks into thinking every black (or African) was bad.

If you're white and you want to be respectful I would advise that you not ask thi question period. If you are black (non american) I would say you show some empathy because Africans suffered through colonialism and many antagonizing traditions were forced on us as well.

To summarize...let black people and stop hating.

Why is hating it though, can't people inform themselves? Dudes are quick to pull the "hater" card when people DON'T know, but when people try to know more they're like "You shouldn't ask breh"? Did you even read the thread, where do you see that I'm "hating"? For real though, y'all see "haters" everywhere breh.

Oh since you're asking, I'm mixed, Belgian and Centralafrican. I fail to see how that's even relevant to the discussion, but I guess everything is about race around here.

Anyway you actually give the kind of answer I was hoping for, explaining it from historical perspective. I do know the story of slavery, thanks, as well of colonialism, but one of my questions was precisely based on the fact that TO ME (AN OUTSIDER TRYING TO KNOW MORE) it seemed that it was a recent trend, some have confirmed this image that I have, that's all I'm asking.

 

[CrimsonTider]

You at least get a chance to make an impression when you come in...

like a racist is going to hire you for the job because you "speak well"

 

[Chris.B]

like a racist is going to hire you for the job because you "speak well"

I speak from experience bruh...I work in corporate America...

I have had a lot of white chicks who work in HR spill the beans to me. the boss is not going to say I'm not going to bring him in because of his name but the pattern in which he dismisses certain resumes gives it away...

I can only base things on my experience. Name your kid Tyrone and see for yourself....

Got my boy to use his middle name(which sound cacish) on his resume...got a call in a week and got turned down but the responses from Hiring managers was somewhat good.

Again I have no data on it...I only speak from experience. I look around me and I see only 2 black folks in this department....in the DC AREA

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Gonna name my kid Akhenaten ( A-Ken-A-Ten )

Strong african name.

 

[Jahmal]

SMH @ AA giving their kids anglosaxon names just so they can get a job in a white man's company. disgrace!

 

[newworldafro]

SMH @ AA giving their kids anglosaxon names just so they can get a job in a white man's company. disgrace!

@ culture in general....

 

[Fredrick Thuglas]

Why is hating it though, can't people inform themselves? Dudes are quick to pull the "hater" card when people DON'T know, but when people try to know more they're like "You shouldn't ask breh"? Did you even read the thread, where do you see that I'm "hating"? For real though, y'all see "haters" everywhere breh.

Oh since you're asking, I'm mixed, Belgian and Centralafrican. I fail to see how that's even relevant to the discussion, but I guess everything is about race around here.

Anyway you actually give the kind of answer I was hoping for, explaining it from historical perspective. I do know the story of slavery, thanks, as well of colonialism, but one of my questions was precisely based on the fact that TO ME (AN OUTSIDER TRYING TO KNOW MORE) it seemed that it was a recent trend, some have confirmed this image that I have, that's all I'm asking.

My nikka...I didn't say anything about "hating". Did you even read what you quoted? I gave a serious answer and I was joking at the end when I said "stop hating"...What are you talking about?

Secondly, You complaining about everything on this board being about race...dog...YOU MADE THE THREAD!!! Do you now know that this thread is about race, so if its a thread loosely based around race then race will become a factor...otherwise this question could have been asked to a chinese(you know what I mean) kid, a white kid, ect.

Back to the topic, I believe it is also a trend (for the lack of a better word). I think there was a period in the 90's where black people in America were becoming more Afro-centric so I think they were moving away from white sounding names but because of the lost cultural and historical connection they probably made up names in an attempt to create their own culture. But I can't that for certain, if I were you I would look it up to see if there is any literature written on this.

 

[mbewane]

My nikka...I didn't say anything about "hating". Did you even read what you quoted? I gave a serious answer and I was joking at the end when I said "stop hating"...What are you talking about?

Secondly, You complaining about everything on this board being about race...dog...YOU MADE THE THREAD!!! Do you now know that this thread is about race, so if its a thread loosely based around race then race will become a factor...otherwise this question could have been asked to a chinese(you know what I mean) kid, a white kid, ect.

Back to the topic, I believe it is also a trend (for the lack of a better word). I think there was a period in the 90's where black people in America were becoming more Afro-centric so I think they were moving away from white sounding names but because of the lost cultural and historical connection they probably made up names in an attempt to create their own culture. But I can't that for certain, if I were you I would look it up to see if there is any literature written on this.

My bad then, but breh, that's the thing about making jokes on the internet, if you say "stop hating", how can I know you're serious or not? You read the thread, you saw taht some dudes are extremely sensitive about this question, hell look at the very first answer I got (http://www.the-coli.com/3216688-post2.html), about 15 daps. Half this thread is about people answering the questions/giving info, the other half acting hurt and assuming I'm hating or shyt.

Second I said "everything is about race" because in your other post you were saying "if you're white, then...", "if you're black, then..." like the answers differ depending on who you're talking to. When you actually give interesting answers to the questions I was asking.

 

[intruder]

If you're are white or not an African American...try to remember when Africans were stolen from Africa and stripped of their culture, language, and customs. Remember how after hundreds of years they had to pick up the pieces and rebuild after not only loosing their culture but being forced to assimulate to a white made culture rooted in violence, false ideals of inferiority and in-equality.

Its not like you can go generation to generation with a slave name and then after hundreds of years of answering to a certain name you find out that slavery is illegal now where do you get your cultural name from? Your connection to Africa was removed and for the most part destroyed. not only was your connection to Africa broken, your confidence in Africa was also broken because whites used those hundreds of years to brainwash blacks into thinking every black (or African) was bad.

If you're white and you want to be respectful I would advise that you not ask thi question period. If you are black (non american) I would say you show some empathy because Africans suffered through colonialism and many antagonizing traditions were forced on us as well.

To summarize...let black people and stop hating.

I dont know if the thread starter is white or just not able to sympathize but as a non-american black male im somewhat of a outsider looking in on the topic and I have wondered about question number 1 too as far as the origins of the names and how/when the trend started. If you read my initial posts you'll see the point i was trying to make

BTW

Jamaicans, Haitians, South American blacks and all other black from the Caribbean went through the same brainwashing too. Heck according to history the atrocities that caribbean black went through were far worse than those in North America because of the income level and social status of the typical slave owners in the caribbean compared to that of North America. I guess you could say we adopted our captors names and moved on rather than trying to recreate separate identities.

 

[Yung Yogurt]

I will give my kid the whitest name on the block....I don't want his resume to get tossed in the bushes before they get a chance to talk to him.

Go ahead and call me uncle tom but perception is fucking reality....

cosign, I'm naming my son Drake Drakerton

 

[Fredrick Thuglas]

My bad then, but breh, that's the thing about making jokes on the internet, if you say "stop hating", how can I know you're serious or not? You read the thread, you saw taht some dudes are extremely sensitive about this question, hell look at the very first answer I got (http://www.the-coli.com/3216688-post2.html), about 15 daps. Half this thread is about people answering the questions/giving info, the other half acting hurt and assuming I'm hating or shyt.

Second I said "everything is about race" because in your other post you were saying "if you're white, then...", "if you're black, then..." like the answers differ depending on who you're talking to. When you actually give interesting answers to the questions I was asking.

I agree with the joke thing.

About the race thing...I personally feel that white people have interfered with us enough so I don't really have patience when a question like this is asked. It just brings up the fact that our past has been hidden thus creating the opportunity to for a false distorted record of our history to take its place and that really angers me.

 

[frush11]

I guess you could say we adopted our captors names and moved on rather than trying to recreate separate identities.

Somewhat, names like Tamika, Jamelia, Omari, Tanisha all came from Jamaica, which your got from the Indians.

 

[mbewane]

I agree with the joke thing.

About the race thing...I personally feel that white people have interfered with us enough so I don't really have patience when a question like this is asked. It just brings up the fact that our past has been hidden thus creating the opportunity to for a false distorted record of our history to take its place and that really angers me.

Ok, cool that you cleared that out, that's why I tried to put the "no offense" in my first post, maybe that wasn't enough, but I'm just genuinely interested by this question. Again as an outsider there are things that I can't fully grasp, hence the questions. Thanks for the answers tho. :shake: