Highend names and lowend names and how one becomes the. Conversely, the makeup of the childs family, a move. This might explain why, in 1958, a new york city man named robert lane decided to call his baby son winner. Loser graduated from college, and became a sergeant and later a detective for the nypd. The importance of a parents first official actnaming the baby a boy named winner and his brother, loser the blackest names and the whitest names the segregation of culture. Or, would a roshanda by any other name smell as sweet. Robert lane who named one of his sons winner and his lastborn loser. Conversely, to what the name loser signified, loser who was nicknamed as lou. If you have, all of these name studies remind me of that chapter about the two brothers named winner and loser. So interesting, i wish more people would read it so there wouldnt be so many questions on the site. Chapter six covers the first thing a parent ever does for their children.
Next section glossary previous section freakonomics summary buy study guide. Levitt steven freakonomics by lucy alexanyan issuu. In this groundbreaking book, leading economist steven levittprofessor of. In recent years, there have been hundreds of books written about the importance of naming ones child. Lane gave his son the name winner, and then named his next son loser. The whole book is interesting by my fellow name nerds will appreciate chapter 6 which explains the socioeconomic patters of naming children. In one case, a parent name one child winner and one loser only to have loser become a successful businessman and winner ended up in jail. Hagys work is beyond me, but i just dont think her venn diagrams and graphs are all that clever. Levitt gives an anecdote about a new york city man named robert lane gave his son the name winner, and then named his next son loser. Boy who was given the name winner and who turned out to have an abominable crime record. Much of the book includes anecdotal stuff which i assume was placed there, along with a bunch of self serving fluff, by the ny times coauthor. Does psychology show that people with the same name have. Therefore the beginning of chapter six starts off by saying the first official act of being a parent is. A roshanda by any other name how do babies with superblack names fare.
My favorite part of that chapter in freakonomics was the story of winner and loser and how each of them turned out. The lanes, who lived in a housing project in harlem, already had several children, each with a fairly typical name. Freakonomics has on its side the popularity of a book whose. So the white females names were molly, amy, claire, emily, katie, madeline, katelyn and emma. What do the experiences of winner lane, loser lane, and temptress tell us about the likely relationship between a childs name and hisher prospects for success in life. Freakonomics a rogue economist explores the hidden side. Dubner contents an explanatory note in which the origins of this book are clarified. Just like loser before her, marijuana pepsi has made. In 1958, a new york man named robert lane decided to call his baby son winner. But this boy well, robert lane apparently had a special feeling about this one. Many of their results emerge from levitts analysis of various databases, and his creativity in asking the right questions. Freakonomics a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything steven d. If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. If you havent read the book, uh, theres a chapter on two brothers named winner and loser.
Chapter six of freakonomics, kind of plays off of chapter five of what it takes to be a perfect parent. So she assembled some data, which included the lists we created for our first book, freakonomics, of the whitest and blackest names among baby boys and girls. Sure they might not be as imaginitive and exotic as the new crop. Son of robert lane and, in spite of his name, a successful detective for the nypd. We wrote in freakonomics about two brothers named winner and loser.
She has to turn her face to keep from laughing out loud. Each week, freakonomics radio tells you things you always thought you knew but didnt and things you never thought you wanted to know but do from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. With such names, it is not difficult to guess their destiny, is it. Gladwells name, affixed to his blurb prepare to be dazzled. It opens with a conversation with nyu sociologist dalton conley and his two children, e and yo. A scene from the a roshanda by any other name segment of freakonomics.
An interesting part of the chapter was the account of the father who named one of his sons winner and his last son loser. A boy named winner and his brother, loser the blackest names and the whitest names the segregation of culture. Three years later, the lanes had another baby boy, their seventh and last child. Betty, grace, olivia, jane, larry, george, franklin, edward. The one i liked most was that a winner is less afraid of losing, that a loser is of winning. But the book is somewhat oversimplified, because it is targeted to wide audience. A new york city man, located in harlem, who named his two children winner and loser. There was also a story of a guy naming his sixth and seventh son winner and loser, respectively. Also leaving me clueless are the sexless names that actually seem like surnames. Freakonomics chapter 5 summary and analysis gradesaver. Were temptress, winner, loser, and orangejello prestigious names. This chapter of the book examined the names of children given by their parents.
Robert lane of new york city named his sons winner and loser. Roland fryers name study shows that theres a trickle down effect. He jumps to attention and belts at full voice, zinkoff. Easily share your publications and get them in front of issuus. The graph is wrong, as dubners own book demonstrates. The book was very funny, with very true statements, one side showing the winners and how they approached problems, and the other showed how the losers had the opposite approach. A particularly entertaining chapter on the life effects associated with the name you give your child reveals that the name really has nothing to do with a childs success or failure, the parents do. These examples cannot draw definitive conclusions, though, because they all vary while temptress became what her name was, winner and loser.
Would young temptress still have landed in trouble if she had been named, say, chastity. Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise. Is this fact merely a curiosity or does it have something larger to say about names and. I have continuously found intriguing the answers the authors of this book look for in their studies and this one was no difference. But i think that people with the same name can have the same traits sometimes. The episode draws from a freakonomics chapter called a roshanda by any other name and. A great story where a guy named his kids winner and loser to see what would happen to them. It doesnt appear that robert was unhappy about the new baby. A roshanda by any other name how do babies with super. Chapter five of freakonomics by any other name essay. Contrary to what his name suggests, loser lane succeeded in life, moving up in the new york city police department, where his colleagues called him lou. Strangely, loser lane went on to be a pretty successful man. And winner s biggest claim to fame was the length of his criminal record.
The story of two brothers named winner and loser in 1958, a new york man named robert lane decided to call his baby son winner. Levitt, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. As it happens, temptress, loser, winner and precious are all black. The story of these two brothers matched the findings of my academic research with roland fryer, which found no impact of a childs name on her life now, from the milwaukee journalsentinel, we have the story of three sisters.
Nor are they as cosmopolitan, but they are quite graceful. It is a new york times best seller, you should check it out. The final chapter of this book discusses whether or not the name parents give their child matters. A roshanda by any other name freakonomics questions q. The hot new book freakonomics applies economic analysis to a range of. Freakonomics study guide contains a biography of steven d. Freakonomics chapter 6 and epilogue summary and analysis.
Listen free to freakonomics radio on iheartradio podcasts. The outcome of his childs life was winner fell into plenty of trouble having a lengthy criminal record while his brother loser succeed throughout school, he graduated from lafayette college and joined. Freakonomics a rogue economist explores the hidden. The most notable achievement of winner lanes life was the length of his criminal record. The story of these two brothers matched the findings of my academic research with roland fryer, which found no impact of a childs name on her life. It was published on april 12, 2005, by william morrow. Though not stated outright in the book, heres what freakonomics suggests. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. In all her thirty years of teaching, she has never known a student to announce himself or herself in such a manner. The final chapter of this book discusses whether or not the name. Winner lane, however, has been arrested nearly three dozen times. Radio radio archive subscribe on the radio the team books freakonomics superfreakonomics think like a freak when to rob a bank lectures about extras tell me something i dont know question of the day footy for two freakonomics. He graduated from lafayette college, and became a sargeant in the nypd.
Discover the hidden side of everything with stephen j. In freakonomics, the authors demonstrate the power of data mining. Perfect parenting part ii or would a roshanda by any other. So, does the name you give your child affect his life. Freakonomics three years later, the lanes had another baby boy, their seventh and last child.
Loser, a star student and athlete, went on scholarship to an elite prep school, on to lafayette college in pennsylvania, and then joined the force. Thanks to a wide array of websites, books, and even consultants dedicated to. We examine the winners, the losers, the unintended consequences. Freakonomics a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything by steven d. For reasons that no one can quite pin down today, robert decided to name this boy loser. A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything is the debut nonfiction book by university of chicago economist steven levitt and new york times journalist stephen j. Freakonomics a roshanda by any other name makalynn brown pols 101 summary. Parents sense that their childs name can somehow predict the childs success in life. The authors major question is if names as in the instances of winner, loser, and temptress are merely a curiosity or if a name has something larger to say about names and culture. After all, their intent was to write a popular book that also conveys some economics, not the other way around. Winner and loser both lived different lives, contrary to what their names are, while temptress actually became what her name was. But if winner lane could hardly be expected to fail, could loser lane.
Stephen j dubner and steven d levitt on what they got right and wrong. The book drunk tank pink says your name does matter on your. Contrary to what his name suggests, loser lane succeeded in life. The episode draws from a freakonomics chapter called a roshanda by any other name and includes a good bit of new research on the power of names.
Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. What does your name say about your class and income level. Whats in a name, really, from an economic perspective. The story of two brothers named winner and loser sahio. These are the sort of questions raisedand answeredin the new book freakonomics. Freakonomics a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. As it happens, loser and winner, temptress and amcher were all black. That was really one of the single biggest takeaways, in fact, we told the story of these two brothers in new york whose parents had named them loser and winner, and the fact was that loser turned out to have a great life as an upstanding citizen.
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