# Black hurricane names...necessary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 5, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149 "2003-08-05T17:31:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/21 "2003-08-06T01:15:19Z")
I know of exactly four "Colin"s. (None I know personally, of course.) Colin Powell- black Colin Quinn-white Colin Farrell-white Colin Firth-white The famous Colins are predominately white, AFAIAC. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/22 "2003-08-06T01:17:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > **Ah, Sheila, a good Irish name, 'tis!** I thought it was Australian. Y’know, like Bruce. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_Mexico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@Roger\_Mexico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_Mexico)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/23 "2003-08-06T01:23:11Z")
Here in Hawaii they use Hawaiian names like Iwa and Iniki. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/24 "2003-08-06T01:31:54Z")
> [@](#): > > **errata** said: > As for an alternative naming scheme, I suggest pet names, like Sparky or Precious. _And in tonight’s weather segment, Hurricane Foo Foo has leveled three towns along the Florida coast, killing hundreds and leaving thousands more injured and homeless as it makes its way further inland. We can only hope Foo Foo loses strength soon._ I don’t see this working very well…😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/25 "2003-08-06T02:16:28Z")
Especially if Foo Foo makes a mess of the carpet. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/26 "2003-08-06T02:54:07Z")
BTW, once they went to both male and female names for the Atlantic storms, it was decided to add variety by making the names be selected from English, Spanish and French, and be preferably short and common. Part of the idea is that it be easily communicated to the peoples who may be affected by the storms, who would in their majority be native speakers of English, Spanish, French and Haitian Créole (which uses French “Christian names”). Eventually, I’m sure a Hurricane Lakeisha would come around, in due time. I’m myself still a bit perversely disappointed that my Hurricane namesake did not have a trajectory through St. Croix, Tortola and St. Thomas. I so badly wanted a headline: “JOSÉ RAVAGES VIRGINS” on the newspapers 😛 ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/27 "2003-08-06T06:19:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\*Well, Democrat Texans will now have to refrain from claims that the Republicans have any corner on the dim bulb concession in Texas. > > As noted in the article and above, (some) women raised hell that using only female names was detrimental to perceptions of women, and now a black woman is mad that we are not using “black” names to equally abuse blacks? \*\* Couldn’t agree more. If I were the hurricane naming honcho I’d say to hell with it and number them like: 2003-A1, etc. and 2003-P1, etc. for the first, etc. in Atlantic and Pacific in 2003. This picayune nonsense gets old pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/28 "2003-08-06T06:26:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andros \* > Yo, **rj**. . . since when is Colin a traditionally black name? That sound you hear is the whoosh of a joke over **andros’** head. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/29 "2003-08-06T06:31:24Z")
[World-wide Tropical Cyclone Names](http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames_text.html), courtesy of NOAA. You will notice in List A of the Fiji Region Names is Cyclone Sheila. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/30 "2003-08-06T07:14:23Z")
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into Congress… :smack: I don’t ask this often of our government, but don’t they have anything better to do? Jeepers creepers. > [@](#): > > I’m myself still a bit perversely disappointed that my Hurricane namesake did not have a trajectory through St. Croix, Tortola and St. Thomas. I so badly wanted a headline: “JOSÉ RAVAGES VIRGINS” on the newspapers. There was a Hurricane Irene about 5 years ago. One newspaper ran a headline that said “Get Out of Irene’s Way” at that time. She very much enjoyed the publicity. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/31 "2003-08-06T07:21:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > \*\*You will notice in List A of the Fiji Region Names is Cyclone Sheila. \*\* Yeah, but that’s Cyclone Sheila, not Hurricane Sheila. ---
**Author:** ![tramp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tramp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tramp)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/32 "2003-08-06T13:05:47Z")
“Hurricane Shaft made landfall tonight…” “Shut yo mouth!” ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/33 "2003-08-06T13:38:31Z")
Well, _I_ think hurricanes should have Hungarian names! Hurricane Árpád, Hurricane Béla, Hurricane Gyula, Hurricane Imre, Hurricane Ildiko, Hurricane Kálmán . . . ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/34 "2003-08-06T14:27:29Z")
And it is, of course, a Nazi plot that Jewish names have been so underrepresented when it comes to naming storms. Where’s Hurricane Irving? Or Hurricane Shlomo? Hurricane Mordecai has a nice ring to it, nu? ;j There was a Tropical Storm Barry a couple of years ago, as it turns out. Not quite a Hurricane, but it was still interesting to read headlines like “Barry Forces Florida Residents to Practice Preparedness” and “The place was rocking when Barry hit the panhandle” Barry ---
**Author:** ![mammock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@mammock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mammock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/35 "2003-08-06T15:06:47Z")
Why stop there? Why not Chinese and Indian (both kinds) and Arab? I think it would be cool to have Running Bear as a tornado. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/36 "2003-08-06T15:07:47Z")
Well, wait a minute. . .what about Italian Mafia storm names. . .“And this just in: Tropical Storm Joey the Weasel will ravage the midwest throughout the night, and for most of tomorrow morning. Joey became a “Made Tropical Storm” at 3PM when he claimed his first casualty. . .” Hey, this is fun! Can we play again tomorrow?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/37 "2003-08-06T16:17:06Z")
Let me just go on the record… “We’re from Texas, and we’re ashamed that Sheila Jackson is from Texas.” As for black names. I’ll bet if they named a hurricane Rastus or Step n Fetchit, this same person would suffer a conniption fit. I’m sure she means proper African American names like Kweisi, because who would ever name a hurricane Frizzell?? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/38 "2003-08-06T18:31:26Z")
Hurricane Barry always reminded me of Barry Bonds. Isn’t it Chris Rock who pointed out that Martin Luther King, who preached peace, would be appalled to find out that while there are many streets named after Martin Luther King they are not streets you’d want to be caught on after sunset? Top of my head… Let’s see…famous blacks…well…Sheila is one now…Barry (Bonds)…Jesse Jackson…Al Sharpton…Martin Luther King…Willie Mays…Mike Tyson…Carl Lewis…Nelson Mandella…Bill Cosby…Chris Rock…Jackie Robinson Yep…looks like the Hurrican naming convention could never include those names or forms of them. :eyeroll: DUH. Guess she should go after mini-license plate makers next, lest some kid name Frukanda spends their entire shopping trip spinning the display rack of license plates wishing someone made one with her name… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/39 "2003-08-06T20:20:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by norinew \* > \*\*Well, wait a minute. . .what about Italian Mafia storm names. . ." \*\* I want one with my Mob name. _The Horse_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149/40 "2003-08-06T21:06:44Z")
Being named after a hurricane didn’t do Ruben Carter any good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hurricane-names-necessary/193149.md?page=3)