Ethnicity and the Cycling

PedalPedant

lost_in_thought wrote:

How do you expect a person to be taken seriously if they're called JaTavious, for goodness sake?

I think I'd take this bloke pretty seriously...

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Jatavious-Jackson-45021


PP

jonginge

PedalPedant wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

How do you expect a person to be taken seriously if they're called JaTavious, for goodness sake?

I think I'd take this bloke pretty seriously...

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Jatavious-Jackson-45021


PP

Oh, I don't know. He has offensive tackle, apparently

Agent57

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

You're all over south-east London

Hehehe. Next time I'm in London, I must get round to actually visiting one of these sights in person. There's one that's very close to Stepney Green tube station (can see it on Google Street View), so it's hardly a long way out of my way.

Chewy Cheeks

57 I joined this late but I was going to have a guess at Nimble, moments over now though and I ve had a beer to celebrate Tipps win in the Hurling yesterday.

MonkeyMonster

JonGinge wrote:

PedalPedant wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

How do you expect a person to be taken seriously if they're called JaTavious, for goodness sake?

I think I'd take this bloke pretty seriously...

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Jatavious-Jackson-45021


PP

Oh, I don't know. He has offensive tackle, apparently

Hee hee, funniest thing for a while - nice work ginge

EKE_38BPM

Not that I'm calling my mum a dog, but you can teach an old dog new tricks. She was a total non-swimmer until she was in her 50s when she was shamed by her 5 year old grand-daughter into taking lessons and learning how to swim.
She now goes to her local pool once a week and swims at least 1km, sometimes more. Not bad for someone in their mid 60s.

My brother lives in Florida and married a Septic (more fool him). He now has two daughters with 'ghetto names'. One of the names is so bad that even he refuses to use it.
I think 'ghetto names' are exactly that, names that mark you out as coming from the wrong side of the tracks. Why his wife wanted such stupid names (and why he allowed them to be named that) I will never know. Both my bro and his wife own their own homes and businesses and there is a swimming pool in the complex where they live. Not exactly the ghetto.

You have to be brilliant to live down (and overcome) a ghetto name. The diplomat, fluent Russian speaker , concert pianist, professor and author, Condolezza Rice, is brilliant (whether or not you agree with her politics) and is the only non-musician/sportsperson I can think of with a ghetto name. I can only hope that my American nieces can overcome their names, as she has. They've had a good start, they can swim at least.

I also know of a family over here that had a stupid (in my opinion) new tradition of naming the kids in the family with a mixture of the two previous kids' names. Nicole and Terisha lead to Nicisha. I always thought this was dumb, but when the youngest was born and I was told what his name was going to be, I cracked up laughing assuming it was a joke. Eventually it was calmed down a bit to something just stupid compared to absolutely ridiculous.

BTW, back OT: Black (Jamaican parentage) since you asked. ~200 years of selective breeding for physical labour could explain my awesome power and stamina (cutting sugar cane all day will give you both). I just wish I discovered how good I was at cycling 20+ years ago. EKE_38BPM could have been leading Team Sky instead of Bradley Wiggins.

Airmiles

At the risk of being late to the party...

What would the answer be if you re-phrased the question:

London/large conurbation born and bred versus country/small town born and bred?

I've lived (and cycled) in London for 20 years but that's off the back of a cycling-mad childhood in rural Leicestershire. If I'd grown up in London (traffic) to start with I doubt very much I'd have (been allowed to) got into cycling in the same way.

And maybe this has something to do with the age thing too - how many people under 35 walked or cycled to school?

I did a ride from my parents' house yesterday for the first time in probably 25 years. *&~$ the roads are quiet!! New road hazard though - spilled grain...
:shock:

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

I think people should be named whatever their parents want to name them.

Would you feel that way if your parents had called you Mary?

or LaWrence?

or even LaWr3nzze?

You'd probably be quite good at fighting though. I think Johnny Cash once did a song based on the first premise.

I'm afraid I'm rather conservative (small "c") on this. Names that look like they've been put together with the dregs of the Scrabble tiles bag don't do it for me. Soz.

MonkeyMonster

EKE_38BPM wrote:

EKE_38BPM could have been leading Team Sky instead of Bradley Wiggins.

Yeah, but the windbreak of your ego would have held you back

EKE_38BPM

I'm 36 and took the bus or walked to school as I refused to take the cycling proficiency test that my school insisted you took if you wanted to use the bike shed. Talk about cutting of my nose to spite my face.

But I agree that not being able to/forced to cycle to school due to traffic concerns limits a kid's chance to get into cycling other than a mile or two around the local park.

BSOs are no fun to ride either. If they are you're only experience of cycling, they will probably put you off for life. Economics, rather than race, is a major factor in cycling take-up in poorer comunities.

cee

i walked or cycled to school every day....

never got the bus, never got a lift.

I also love swimming...don't even remember learning....so I must have been young.

mroli

Half English, half Japanese. Got up at 6.45, cycled 5 miles to the bus stop, bust at 7.15 bus 20 miles to school - bus back, 16.45, back to bike at 17.30 home at 18.00. Come rain or shine. Tell that to the kids of today eh....
Swimming - love it. First memory was being at the top of a huge waterslide at a waterpark in Singapore. I'd just wondered off apparently and parents were going mental. I'd just gone to find the splashiest ride possible.

DonDaddyD

EKE wrote:

I think 'ghetto names' are exactly that, names that mark you out as coming from the wrong side of the tracks.

AND

Greg66 wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I think people should be named whatever their parents want to name them.

Would you feel that way if your parents had called you Mary?

or LaWrence?

or even LaWr3nzze?

You'd probably be quite good at fighting though. I think Johnny Cash once did a song based on the first premise.

I'm afraid I'm rather conservative (small "c") on this. Names that look like they've been put together with the dregs of the Scrabble tiles bag don't do it for me. Soz.

Didn't Dave Cameron ask his party members to stick to single barrelled names as oppose to posh sounding double barrelled ones. I understand why but I disagree with that as well.

To presume a person's background based solely on their name is presumptuous at best, prejudice at worst.

There is nothing wrong with the name 'JaVonDre Tarniqua Blingman' there is nothing wrong with 'Martha Billingsford-Rembrandt'.

I think name preference rises from external social influences, it isn't my place to judge the sensibility of a name that arise from other social structures. On a personal level I wouldn't name my children with either of the above but that doesn't make the names stupid, idiotic, pretentious or implies any social or class standing IMO (JaVonDre could be the son of P-Diddy or some such multi-millionaire, Martha could be the daughter of two people in low pay, low skilled jobs).

Am I easier to accept because my name is Laurence?

lost_in_thought

DonDaddyD wrote:

Am I easier to accept because my name is Laurence?

God yes, you'd be utterly unbearable otherwise.

DonDaddyD

So it's not my dashing good looks and sweet disposition...

Cafewanda

What good looks? :twisted:

Cafewanda

luther wrote:

Cafewanda - whoops.... just remembered I've got your box of reflectors sitting here......

Great to hear. Was just about to send JaTavious Dayvonte Smith to sort you out. By the way, he's an Olympic standard swimmer :twisted:

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

Am I easier to accept because my name is Laurence?

Easier than if you name was Mary.

Look at the trouble ITBoffin has when people find out his real name.

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

There is nothing wrong with the name 'JaVonDre Tarniqua Blingman' there is nothing wrong with 'Martha Billingsford-Rembrandt'.

I think name preference rises from external social influences, it isn't my place to judge the sensibility of a name that arise from other social structures. On a personal level I wouldn't name my children with either of the above but that doesn't make the names stupid, idiotic, pretentious or implies any social or class standing IMO (JaVonDre could be the son of P-Diddy or some such multi-millionaire, Martha could be the daughter of two people in low pay, low skilled jobs).

I'd assume, off the bat, that JaVonDre had adopted their own name, rather than been given it. If that were wrong, I'd feel sorry for them, just as I feel sorry for Moonunit Zappa. Blighting your child with a daft name that you thought was "cool" can't be much fun for the child.

"Name please"
"JaVonDre".
"How do you spell that?"
"As it sounds. J-A-V-O-N-D-R-E. With a capital V and a capital D."
"Uhh, J-a, capital V-o-n, capital D-r-e. Right".
"Yes".
"Ja Von Dre. Is that German?"
"No, it's JaVonDre. All one word."
"Oh, Javondre. I thought you said it has capital V and D."
"It does, it's all one word though."
"Eh? It has capitals in the middle? It can't have that"
"Give me that damned keyboard and I'll type it myself. FFS!"

And so on. Most of the delivery food outlets I use need three goes to get my phone number right, and there are no elephant traps in that.

Bit different to

"Name please"
"Greg. G-r-e-g."
"Thank you."

DonDaddyD

Greg66 wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

There is nothing wrong with the name 'JaVonDre Tarniqua Blingman' there is nothing wrong with 'Martha Billingsford-Rembrandt'.

I think name preference rises from external social influences, it isn't my place to judge the sensibility of a name that arise from other social structures. On a personal level I wouldn't name my children with either of the above but that doesn't make the names stupid, idiotic, pretentious or implies any social or class standing IMO (JaVonDre could be the son of P-Diddy or some such multi-millionaire, Martha could be the daughter of two people in low pay, low skilled jobs).

I'd assume, off the bat, that JaVonDre had adopted their own name, rather than been given it. If that were wrong, I'd feel sorry for them, just as I feel sorry for Moonunit Zappa. Blighting your child with a daft name that you thought was "cool" can't be much fun for the child.

"Name please"
"JaVonDre".
"How do you spell that?"
"As it sounds. J-A-V-O-N-D-R-E. With a capital V and a capital D."
"Uhh, J-a, capital V-o-n, capital D-r-e. Right".
"Yes".
"Ja Von Dre. Is that German?"
"No, it's JaVonDre. All one word."
"Oh, Javondre. I thought you said it has capital V and D."
"It does, it's all one word though."
"Eh? It has capitals in the middle? It can't have that"
"Mofo dn't eva in ur life be tellin me how to spell my name! I'll go upside ur mofo head try'na be talking bout my name! I bust'a'cap up in this mutha you ever be talkin bout my name again!"

And so on. Most of the delivery food outlets I use need three goes to get my phone number right, and there are no elephant traps in that.

Bit different to

"Name please"
"Greg. G-r-e-g."
"Thank you."

Fixed that for you.

Could be worse, they could introduce themselves to you as Morgan...

(The problem isn't the name in your example, it was the person JaVonDre was talking to not being able to accept something different).

EKE_38BPM

Greg, you forgot the apostrophes in the middle of the name for the authentic ghetto sound.

Something along the lines of:
"Name please"
"Ja'VonDre".
"How do you spell that?"
"As it sounds. J-A-V-O-N-D-R-E. With a capital V and a capital D and an apostrophe before the V."
etc

I wonder why apostrophes was chosen as the punctuation mark of the ghetto namers? Why not throw a few ampersands or commas into the mix?

I think I shall name my first child (of either sex) F0rf,UxS'@ke!
Its pronounced as its spelt, but the exclamation mark is included.





And the second character is a zero, not an 'O'.

il_principe

Reminds me of an old Fry and Lawrie sketch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNoS2BU6bbQ

lost_in_thought

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I'm 36 and took the bus or walked to school as I refused to take the cycling proficiency test that my school insisted you took if you wanted to use the bike shed. Talk about cutting of my nose to spite my face.

But I agree that not being able to/forced to cycle to school due to traffic concerns limits a kid's chance to get into cycling other than a mile or two around the local park.

BSOs are no fun to ride either. If they are you're only experience of cycling, they will probably put you off for life. Economics, rather than race, is a major factor in cycling take-up in poorer comunities.

I grew up in the back end of nowhere, and although I rode around the farm and such on a bike, I never used it for getting places, simply because said places were too far away. I remember once cycling to a mate's house, aged 12-ish, and it took me an hour. That mate's house is still a good 15 minute ride away, school was a 30 minute drive away, then I went to a boarding school in Cambridge, which is when it finally occurred to me that bikes were a good way to get around!

However, cycling through Acton, which while not impoverished is not the most glamorous part of London, there are loads of kids on bikes, admittedly riding aruond on pavements and generally misbehaving, but at least they're on bikes!

DonDaddyD

Reminds me of a boondocks scene:

"Hello Mr Slick Back"
"My name is A Pimp named Slick Back! Like A tribe called Quest, you say the whole thing!"

biondino

DDD, just so you don't continue repeating false accusations, Liv said that not teaching children to swim was idiotic, not that their names were idiotic.

When Hear'say appeared I assumed you pronounced their name "hear-[loud swallowing noise]-say.

DDD wrote:

there is nothing wrong with 'Martha Billingsford-Rembrandt'

Dude you've obviously not dated her.

Sewinman

Greg66 wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

There is nothing wrong with the name 'JaVonDre Tarniqua Blingman' there is nothing wrong with 'Martha Billingsford-Rembrandt'.

I think name preference rises from external social influences, it isn't my place to judge the sensibility of a name that arise from other social structures. On a personal level I wouldn't name my children with either of the above but that doesn't make the names stupid, idiotic, pretentious or implies any social or class standing IMO (JaVonDre could be the son of P-Diddy or some such multi-millionaire, Martha could be the daughter of two people in low pay, low skilled jobs).

I'd assume, off the bat, that JaVonDre had adopted their own name, rather than been given it. If that were wrong, I'd feel sorry for them, just as I feel sorry for Moonunit Zappa. Blighting your child with a daft name that you thought was "cool" can't be much fun for the child.

"Name please"
"JaVonDre".
"How do you spell that?"
"As it sounds. J-A-V-O-N-D-R-E. With a capital V and a capital D."
"Uhh, J-a, capital V-o-n, capital D-r-e. Right".
"Yes".
"Ja Von Dre. Is that German?"
"No, it's JaVonDre. All one word."
"Oh, Javondre. I thought you said it has capital V and D."
"It does, it's all one word though."
"Eh? It has capitals in the middle? It can't have that"
"Give me that damned keyboard and I'll type it myself. FFS!"

And so on. Most of the delivery food outlets I use need three goes to get my phone number right, and there are no elephant traps in that.

Bit different to

"Name please"
"Greg. G-r-e-g."
"Thank you."

Why do you have an Australian name?

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

(The problem isn't the name in your example, it was the person JaVonDre was talking to not being able to accept something different).

Uh-huh...

"Name, please"
[phonetically] "George"
"G-e-o-r-g-e"
"No, it's not spelled like that".
"How do you spell it then?"
"J-J-0-u-e-r-'-g-h-&-". Please don't forget the closing quote mark at the end".
"Oh. That's a bit different to normal."
"Yes, and so what?"
"Well, by "different", I was attempting to express in a tactful and understated way a synonym for the word "wrong"."
"Wow, you're a closed minded person, aren't you?"
"Well, yes, like others who find themselves artificially constrained by such things as dictionaries, grammar and rules of mathematics, I suppose I am."

And so on...

There is at least one native American language that uses a number as a letter (and not "8" for the sound "ate"). But the point is that it is a different language.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Sewinman wrote:

Why do you have an Australian name?

Oooh, thin ice, my young Welsh-monikered fried, thin ice.

It is Scottish. One might conclude that it has been adopted by the former penal colony on account of the high proportion of Scots sent out there... :twisted:

lost_in_thought

I mean, strewth, people struggle enough with 'Grace'....

- Surname?
- Grace. G-R-A-C-E
- No, your surname
- My surname is Grace
- No, your second name, your family name
- That's Grace
- Ohhh Grays - G-R-A-Y-S
- No, Grace. Like what you say before dinner. G-R-A-C-E
- No, your Surname...

I can only imagine the trouble you get with 66. Or is it Sixty'Six

tailwindhome

Hmmmm! Assumptions based on names you say?

We did this really well in Northern Ireland back in the day.

Tell someone your real name in the 'wrong' part of town and not only could they make generalised assumptions about your ethnic/ religious background but you could end up bundled into the back of a taxi and never seen again

Good times