What's in a Name

Recently a news story ran on one of the cable networks about the correlation between street names and the value of the houses on those streets. It seems that houses on streets with names like Massacre Lane or Poison Avenue don't sell well. Houses on such named streets go down in value. And who is surprised. I don't know how streets acquire such names except that perhaps 'Massacre' or 'Poison" were names of leading pioneer families. Over time that connection is lost and people only see the word in its most ordinary meaning.

Retirement centers – Nursing Homes – come up against the same issue. If you had to move from your home because you need more help day-to-day, and you had a choice of where to live, would you choose Brown's Nursing and Rehabilitation Center or Theresian House? Southfield Convalescent Center or Meadowlark Hills? The infirmary or St. Mary's Convent Community?

The first name in each of the three pairs defines those who live there by their physical frailties and limitations. The latter name is more normative of a residential complex or, in the case of Sisters, just another convent. There is no implication in the name that those who live there are in the least bit deficient.

Because words reflect and shape our concepts, names that point to a limited, negative defining of the people in that place, both the individuals who live there and those who care for them are subject to negative concepts about themselves or those they are there to serve. Given that truth, what are the consequences for the residents who receive care in such a frailty-defining environment?

Conversely, as words reflect and shape concepts, so do concepts reflect and shape the words we use. That's what's in a name.