[lookout123]

The name issue is a valid discussion if everyone drops the knee jerk sensitivity for a minute. I've long held the belief that names DO matter. They aren't the end all be all ingredient in a person's fate, but they do matter, with boys especially. I have always said that some names will either lead the boy to be a super stud that everyone flocks around or a nerd that is left out and picked on. Evidence is only anecdotal but it is interesting.

I went to school with two guys named Doyle. Physically they were built about the same, dad's worked in the same factory so same money, pretty much everything about them was at least similar. Except Doyle S was made fun of for his girlie dork name from the time we were in first grade. People would pick on him and he'd shuffle his feet and had no way to respond. Funny thing is that the other Doyle didn't get picked on for his name very often. He became a stereotypical badass. The girls swooned for him, the guys surrounded him, the football team caught his passes.

The name matters only to the degree that the kid is able to define his personality. Unfortunately, it can cause a kid some disadvantage early on that can carry into adult life.

I think the real problem in this thread is that Radar, as usual, takes a valid point, takes an extreme stance on it, and uses his usual tactics from How to Win Friends and Influence People to convince everyone of his superior viewpoint.