Yeah, selection bias perhaps. Still, I’ve noticed that a much greater proportion of high-profile missing white women have first names that end with a “lee” sound than women in general. Some recent examples:
[ul][li]Polly Klaas.[/li][li]Natalee Holloway.[/li][li]Jessie Marie Davis.[/li][li]Caylee Anthony[/ul][/li]
Now it’s Haleigh Cummings.
So, are women with “lee” names more likely to be abducted, are “lee” names generally more common now than in the past, or is the situation of “lee” women embraced more by the media because they have a cute-sounding name that might enhance their “whiteness” and appeal?
Selection bias. Polly Klaas was abducted over 15 years ago; it’s hardly a “recent example.” And as Khadaji rightly questions, one of your other examples doesn’t have a “lee” sound in it at all.
That leaves three examples from the last three-and-a-half years. I’m not seeing a real trend here.
If you analyze female names in the United States, you’ll find they tend to have similar endings. Diminutives and feminine endings tend (in our common languages) to end with A, E, I, and Y.
Yeah–actually this occurred to me and I was trying to think of male names that ended in -y in general. And all I could think of were diminutives (Johnny, Eddie, Bobby, Charlie) or names that could also be female names (Leslie, Jamie).
Probably not, but I totally support your sending out a totally irresponsible, over-the-top, panic-inducing, urban legend-creating email claiming just this.
There was an article on it in the local free paper under “News Quirks”.
They explained that a good reason might be in the 50s John Wayne was a popular character as the strong stoic type. The adults (not kids) that were watching this at the time were, more than likely, not of the upper middle class college educated types. They had kids and named their middle child not after a grandfather or father, but after a TV character that portrayed strength and manliness. This is also the beginning of TV so its a bit different than for us with 50+ years of it behind us.
Those people lived in a time and economic status where it was probably just ok to beat the kids and wife and drink heavily. It was their own business as far as society was concerned. Those children are now 50ish and getting laid off or having midlife crises or just finally losing their marbles after a tough life.
So that was their reasoning behind why Wayne is a popular name for psycho killers. I don’t know how true it is but its an interesting exercise in thought.
Is there a ‘lee’ sound in there I’m missing?