4 ms·

I think the process is a bit simpler: names like Kevin and Cindy were markers that the child was born in a family where TV was the predominant culture, by far.

I think the process is a bit simpler: names like Kevin and Cindy were markers that the child was born in a family where TV was the predominant culture, by far. The "bad rap" described in the New Yorker is just "these names point to a working-class origin". For most people, it does not imply anything about their intelligence. Since the French school system is very bad at correcting inequalities, a child born in an environment that does not favor school has very few chances of becoming a "bigwig" (deputy, doctor...). Where the TV is predominant, the chances are low that the parents read often or could help with homework. So these children have little chance of getting out of the working class. As noted in the OP, in France having an "arab name" like Mohammed or Chérifa (nowadays these are called "muslim names") is much more painful. Some recruiters could frown upon a "Kevin" (even subconsciously), but many would simply reject any "Ahmed". According to a recurring poll, a majority of French people think that French muslims are not truly French citizens.

nindalf 4y ago
I think we said pretty much the same thing. I'd be interested to understand how you think we disagree. For example, you said "these names point to a working-class origin". I said "they’ve inadvertently created a marker for lower socioeconomic status." You said "Where the TV is predominant, the chances are low that the parents read often or could help with homework." I said "but lower socioeconomic status is correlated with lower test scores." You gave a mechanism that explained how my claim comes true. I then go on to say how this discrimination becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and leads to a cycle where people with these names are less likely to succeed. You went a different way, pointing out that it's not only anglophone names in France that indicate a working class background, it's also Arab/Muslim names.

nindalf 4y ago

I think we said pretty much the same thing. I'd be interested to understand how you think we disagree. For example, you said "these names point to a working-class origin". I said "they’ve inadvertently created a marker for lower socioeconomic status." You said "Where the TV is predominant, the chances are low that the parents read often or could help with homework." I said "but lower socioeconomic status is correlated with lower test scores." You gave a mechanism that explained how my claim comes true. I then go on to say how this discrimination becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and leads to a cycle where people with these names are less likely to succeed. You went a different way, pointing out that it's not only anglophone names in France that indicate a working class background, it's also Arab/Muslim names.