Hurricanes and gender issues (seriously)

[Vegosiux]

You could say things are going to hell in a handbasket when I of all people decide to open a gender thread, but...yaknow what, sod it, this is so bizarre.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/06/02/female-named-hurricanes-kill-more-than-male-because-people-dont-respect-them-study-finds/

The (paywalled, naturally) study in question: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/29/1402786111

I'm not actually sure what I want to discuss about this, but for the last few minutes I have been wondering if there's a negative space wedgie causing this crazy stuff somewhere.

I will note, however, I never understood the need to "name" hurricanes, in the first place. It's not exactly you can take one home and call it George and pet it and squeeze it and hug it...

So I suppose there's a little discussion value there, at least: What do people think about hurricane naming conventions and what to do about it?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm torn. Should we start giving hurricanes male names so more people will "take them seriously", or should we let them perish for their stupidity?

 

[Vegosiux]

I'm torn. Should we start giving hurricanes male names so more people will "take them seriously", or should we let them perish for their stupidity?

If you have to name them, I dunno, name them after the geographical location and the date of where and when they formed, and maybe their level or something. I can't see any practical application for hurricane-naming aside from keeping records and statistics.

(plot twist: that naming convention makes people them even less seriously and I am now responsible for many damages.)

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm torn. Should we start giving hurricanes male names so more people will "take them seriously", or should we let them perish for their stupidity?

If you have to name them, I dunno, name them after the geographical location and the date of where and when they formed, and maybe their level or something. I can't see any practical application for hurricane-naming aside from keeping records and statistics.

(plot twist: that naming convention makes people them even less seriously and I am now responsible for many damages.)

Alternatively we could name them all Chuck Norris plus a number.

 

[PsychicTaco115]

I'd totally take on a hurricane named SunshineGoodness than mess with Hurricane Chuck McSkullFuck

But seriously, I think we should reconsider the naming convention if people aren't taking them seriously enough

Pay attention to the facts, not the name itself!

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I say keep the naming convention. If you're not giving a natural phenonemon all the respect and fear it's due just because some guys in a weather bureau gave it a woman's name, then I want you out of my gene pool.

I'm torn. Should we start giving hurricanes male names so more people will "take them seriously", or should we let them perish for their stupidity?

Half of all hurricanes have had male names since 1979; they alternate.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

Oh look, another example of how literally anything can be twisted into a sexism controversy. "Most deaths at sea happen because the ocean doesn't take sea vessels with female names seriously". Har har har.

I thought the overwhelming majority of hurricanes were given female names? Therefore most hurricanes that caused deaths would be most likely to have a female name.

On the topic of naming them, I don't see why not. It doesn't really do any harm to name hurricanes considering their potential size, duration and impact on surroundings. We have names for mountains and lakes don't we? Granted those tend to be more permanent features, but still the goal is the same - a quick way to reference/identify something in nature.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I say keep the naming convention. If you're not giving a natural phenonemon all the respect and fear it's due just because some guys in a weather bureau gave it a woman's name, then I want you out of my gene pool.

I'm torn. Should we start giving hurricanes male names so more people will "take them seriously", or should we let them perish for their stupidity?

Half of all hurricanes have had male names since 1979; they alternate.

The point of the post was an article citing a study that confirmed that "most people" don't take female-named hurricanes as seriously as they take male-named hurricanes, leading to a comparative lack of precaution and death. That means that to maximize hurricane awareness we should start giving them all male names. And I was wondering, should we do that, or should we not care that misogynists may perish by underestimating female-named hurricanes?

 

[DementedSheep]

Do you intentionally go searching for stupid shit relating to gender issues?

 

[Vegosiux]

Do intentionally go searching for stupid shit relating to gender issues?

1) I randomly came across it when browsing the internet and thought it was bizarrely interesting. These things happen.
2) If you don't think this is worth your time and attention, simply ignore and move on.
3) Reported. I'm not in the mood to be harassed by random people.

 

[DANEgerous]

Uhhh Wow. Honestly I do not know how to contextualize this. I mean this implies that people may in fact find Cat 5 Hurricane Justine less dangerous than Cat 4 Justin. One obvious thing to blame for me is scientific literacy looking at data and finding a threat is something America doe not exactly ace. I also have to just blame many weather stations like mine who make every storm out to be fucking to the extent we only have a severe weather team because you need the severe weather team to report a high of 75 with a 5% chance of rain and in the end I wonder what would happen if we had an average thunderstorm but called it Hitler Murderfist Von Lucifer the third.

 

[DementedSheep]

Do intentionally go searching for stupid shit relating to gender issues?

1) I randomly came across it when browsing the internet and thought it was bizarrely interesting. These things happen.
2) If you don't think this is worth your time and attention, simply ignore and move on.
3) Reported. I'm not in the mood to be harassed by random people.

You probably read that as more hostile than I intended and I'm probably getting you mixed up with someone else. I'm just getting a little sick of people finding some random idiots blog or something and using that to declare why gender issue are stupid or not real.
So sorry if I bit when I shouldn't have.

 

[Vault101]

snip.

its more of a silly anecdote than anything to really get ones panties in a twist over....the fact that female names are not taken seriously shouldn't be about the hurricanes

 

[Lilani]

I just...I...I can't...

I feel my mind curling in on itself. Everything is collapsing into a singularity that I cannot contain. I need to get away from here, sequester myself on some mountaintop in Tibet until this torrent in my skull ceases.

 

[Vegosiux]

snip.

its more of a silly anecdote than anything to really get ones panties in a twist over....the fact that female names are not taken seriously shouldn't be about the hurricanes

Yeah, hurricanes aren't the actual point of it, the point is that there seems to be a difference in perception when it comes to male and female names. Which most likely isn't limited to hurricanes. I might have been a little cheeky in my OP with direction-setting, of course.

I will note, however, a while ago I actually made a gender thread precisely on the topic of names in R&P; but it seemed most residents seemed to think names aren't a problem, but granted, it was about people's names. Maybe I should revive that particular thread...if I find it.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I say keep the naming convention. If you're not giving a natural phenonemon all the respect and fear it's due just because some guys in a weather bureau gave it a woman's name, then I want you out of my gene pool.

I'm torn. Should we start giving hurricanes male names so more people will "take them seriously", or should we let them perish for their stupidity?

Half of all hurricanes have had male names since 1979; they alternate.

The point of the post was an article citing a study that confirmed that "most people" don't take female-named hurricanes as seriously as they take male-named hurricanes, leading to a comparative lack of precaution and death. That means that to maximize hurricane awareness we should start giving them all male names. And I was wondering, should we do that, or should we not care that misogynists may perish by underestimating female-named hurricanes?

Ah, then it looks like I misunderstood you; I'd thought you believed they were named exclusively after females.

(And definitely the second choice. I'm totally for that.)

 

[Vault101]

Yeah, hurricanes aren't the actual point of it, the point is that there seems to be a difference in perception when it comes to male and female names. Which most likely isn't limited to hurricanes. I might have been a little cheeky in my OP with direction-setting, of course.

I will note, however, a while ago I actually made a gender thread precisely on the topic of names in R&P; but it seemed most residents seemed to think names aren't a problem, but granted, it was about people's names. Maybe I should revive that particular thread...if I find it.

to steal a joke from an autostraddle article I read this morning:

[i/]if we give things feminine names theyre clearly less threatanting. Now we'll call the NSA "Sophie"...Sophies reading your emails again? LOL that crazy *****...[/i]

I just...I...I can't...

I feel my mind curling in on itself. Everything is collapsing into a singularity that I cannot contain. I need to get away from here, sequester myself on some mountaintop in Tibet until this torrent in my skull ceases.

singulatity? I think you mean Samantha....whats she gonna do? make you a sandwhich?

 

[Ninmecu]

"Most deaths at sea happen because the ocean doesn't take sea vessels with female names seriously". Har har har.

Poseidon is going through his blue period and he's sick of all the females being caught up in his waves, obviously.


As for the topic at hand, I have nothing to really add other than warble garble tittly sprinkle fargle. Because that makes about as much sense as an article and a study being made on this subject.

 

[FPLOON]

I don't know if this is correct or not... but, couldn't we start naming these hurricanes with gender neutral names like Sam and Alex?

Other that that, I don't care about the names more so do I care about how much damage hurricanes make overall... I mean, that one went how far off the coast line?? That's the part that fascinates me the most... It's not the name that makes the hurricane, but the amount of destruction it makes in the long run...

 

[Weaver]

I think we can all agree on one thing: this blows.