What's a name got to do with it?

In class the other day, we talked about how names of people can put preconceived notions of race in other people's mind. When someone says Gonzalez, we think Mexican. When someone says Achmed, we think Muslim.

So I thought about how this translates to my friends and how I treat them when we are all hanging out in social situations.

First off, my friends are the coolest. They are crazy, fun, party animals, and everything else.

As everyone knows, I am very caucasion. I have blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and am very fair complected. And it's no surprise that most of my friends prior to coming to OU looked like me. They were white. And the fact is, many of their names tended to give people the notion that they were white.

But after arriving here at OU, I started to meet many different people. Now the question I pose to the readers is in these following sentences: What do you think of when you hear these names? At the bottom of this post, I will put up pictures of the people to show you who they really are.

Don't cheat: read everything first, then go to the bottom of the page to see the pictures.

1. One of my best friends is Ruben Ronaldo Gonzalez. What did you think of when you first heard his name? This guy is the best. He is in the army, and just returned from Iraq where he was a prison guard. He is always there for his buddies and one of the nicest and most loyal guys I know.

2. Next is one of my friends I've known since before pre-school. That's Barrett Gilley. Man, we have had some great times. We've been really good friends in grade school, middle school, through high school, and even joined the same fraternity at OU.

3. One of my really good friends is my bud Reagan Millsap. Great guy. He actually just got engaged to his girlfriend Rachel, and when he came to O'Connells last week, we ripped him for a good twenty minutes on how he is going to be even more whipped than he is now.

4. Now this one probably won't be too hard for most people. My friend Ti Nguyen. He is one of the funniest people I know. We constantly rip on each other. He always seems to kick my ass in poker. But someday, I'm going to win, I might have to cheat, but I will win.

Ok, so here are the photos.

1. Ruben. Look at this guy, does he look Latino at all? What went through your head when you first read his name? Did the fact that he is in the army give you any preconceived notions about Ruben?

2. Barrett is the one in the very front, flexing both those guns. Take a look, anything come to mind when you see him? Well, Barrett is Native American. Shocked? I know I was when I first found out, because I had no idea.

3. So now here is Reagan. When I said his name, did you think he was black? Or when I mentioned his fiancee's name, did you think she was white, and did that make you think he was white too?

4. Finally, here is Ti. Now I know most of you probably knew Ti was Asian. But what I want you to ask yourself is why? And did any stereotypes pop in your head when I said he was good at poker. He really is, but that's not the point. Always wins.

After reading all of this, I want you to think about the notions that pop up in your head when you hear a person's name. Sometimes we jump to conclusions when we hear certain names, and I'm not saying it is completely a bad thing, but if we are not careful, it could get us in a lot of hot water.

Check out this video. It will shock you. It is a diverse panel asked to describe a person by only knowing their first name.

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&fg=rss&vid=d7185f4b-b05c-433e-a836-055bae119b75.

Thanks for reading.