Comments on: Name-Dropping

By: Rita

Rita — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:06:35 +0000

yeah i know what ya mean… i am guilty of name dropping sometimes, i would ask ppl “do u know this person” such…

By: nomad

nomad — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:37:10 +0000

i am hearing, an interpreter, and when i meet new deaf from other places and tell them where i live, they usually ask me if i know so-and-so deaf in my home town. i always feel out-of-the-loop when i don’t know them, i feel my “hearingness” in the deaf world.
sometimes i will drop a deaf name or two depending on the situation, like if they work in the same field, just so whichever deaf person i’m talking with doesn’t think i’m completely out of it (read: lousy interpreter). smile.

also i saw the one comment here about the use of names in the jewish community and that’s what i was going to add, too. we call it “playing jewish geography.” i think it is very similar to the way name-dropping functions in the deaf community, which is, in part, to bond with other members of the minority community you’re a part of. jews are about 2% of the american population (and i, for one, don’t identify with the larger, “hearing” majority because of my own minority status) and because of the us’s history of oppression of jews, quotas and discrimination/anti-semitism, etc., we often play that game maybe so we can feel like we are a larger and stronger community than we are and to affirm that we are all family and that we’re still alive and thriving.
i think beyond all this, for anyone, just knowing somebody in common can be really COOL.
i wonder if it’s really any different from the deaf community or any minority?

By: Micah

Micah — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 03:13:39 +0000

hello amy!!
very one intersting.. but most of time i go any deaf events alway see alot of name dropping but sadly when they found something about this person and don’t want to dicuss more further after you name the person and don’t want to make a friends cuz this person can be bad news or whatever its affect other person which they can get wrong idea.. i think it’s really stupid of them to avoid this if they don’t know what’s going on. Name dropping can be awesome to make some new friends but NOT always! so watch out sometimes.

By: Vikki

Vikki — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:31:39 +0000

After reading LaRonda’s blog, I jumped over here to see about name dropping. Great v/blogg. I find it very true. I am wondering, can I drop your name from the good old days at WSD? You were such a great mentor to me. (smile)
Cheers~
Vikki

By: The Ear of My Heart » Blog Archive » When Deaf V/Bloggers Meet ~

The Ear of My Heart » Blog Archive » When Deaf V/Bloggers Meet ~ — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 05:19:05 +0000

[...] How did I do for name dropping, [...]

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:10:45 +0000

What an interesting topic!

Have you ever thought about another thing that most deaf people in the deaf community also tend to ask which high school the person graduated whenever she/he meets a new face ?!

By: IamMine

IamMine — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 13:52:57 +0000

*nods in agreement with codadiva*

I, too, live in a small town!!! I know exactly what you are talking about!

And many of those news don’t even have to make it to the weekly newspaper – it’s old news already.

Maybe that’s why they aren’t making much money with the local newspaper??!! LOL!!!

By: codadiva

codadiva — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:51:22 +0000

Hi Amy,
It’s an interesting topic. Name-dropping I believe is all over, even CODA community. I agree with some of the comments that there are name-droppers to try to look better by association, and name-droppers that just wonder do you know my friends.

In college, I went to Michigan State Univ for a year, people would ask me if I knew other students there… the school had 10,000 students, I didn’t know them.

My small town of 35,000 also name drops, it’s worse than the Deaf and Coda community! Really!

By: SnoopyFreak02

SnoopyFreak02 — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:32:11 +0000

Amy,
Yes, you are right! I recognized that many deaf people tend to do that name dropping. I learned myself when I was in another states or in another country, one of my friends told me that someone told to my friend about my name… my friend puzzled and how did he or she find out about me. There were lots rumor about me! Yes, it hurts me lots because possible they were trying telling negative or positive about any deaf person.

We all know that the deaf community is very small than hearing people in general which are too large in the community!

In other way, it is true, nice to have professional network by name dropping. However, you must in positive ways instead of negative ways about the person of your friends or know about this person. We have to be careful for what we say words.

By: IamMine

IamMine — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:31:17 +0000

Wow…I’m going to use your name to make friends, Amy!

Kidding aside, it does happen in different groups too so I don’t think it’s just the deaf culture. Though it is tighter in the deaf community because of how small it is, compared to hearing people in general.

Better cover your eyes now….

This also applies to Pearl Jam community – a lot like the deaf community – where they get acquired based on the shows they’ve gone – which state, where, how many shows, favorite albums and etc. I’ve known some who get married to each other! lol.

I warned you to cover your eyes….