Social observation - “name blindness” in black people

self | June 14, 2025 | Fwdude

[fwdude]

I’ve done online searches to see if there is any veracity to this seemingly strong tendency in the black population to fail to note, remember, or use names of others who come across their path, at least not people who are celebrities. I call it “name blindness,” after another psychological phenomenon known and “face blindness.” This tendency doesn’t seem to be limited to specific sociological strata in the black population, but seems to be extant throughout.

I’ve noticed this in college classes, where professors names are not remembered or used, on online forums and in debates and speeches, where black presenter seem to resort to pronouns to refer to a person in question.

My interest is in sociological phenomena and this seems to be consistent across generations and socioeconomic groups. Does anyone know of any scholarly studies on this, or is this question not allowed to be asked, buried by political correctness?

[fwdude]

Again, I’m not limiting this penchant to just social interactions and forgetting names. I’m referring to persistent presentations of names in stories, movies or other presentations.

[Mr. Blond]

Possibly due to the lack of future orientation.

[spacejunkie2001]

if their names weren’t generally a string of nonsensical letters we might not be blind to it

[11th_VA]

Ditto

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I hear white guys calling each other "Bro" quite often.

[fwdude]

I hear white guys calling each other "Bro" quite often.

Well, surfer dudes, but not adults, at least in my experience.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

If I had not seen Mission Impossible:386 last week I would not be able to bring to mind any of the names of the characters. As it is there was “Ethan Hunt” and “Luther” and the rest I could not name with a gun to my head. I remember the plot, such as it was, but there is “British Computer Guy who was in Hot Fuzz”, “Blond Asian Chick”, “That English girl who played Agent Carter” and “Bad Guy”.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Might be a location thing because there are no surfer dudes in my area. True it does tend to be younger men but they do use it quite often.

Hopefully they grow out of it.

[T.B. Yoits]

It's not a disorder, it's apathy and being out of their element. The interviewer doesn't read, watch, or listen to anything from a whole group of people - one of whom they're interviewing while you're watching.

The interviewer is not someone "in that arena" so to speak. They were likely hired for their ethnicity and/or their genitalia. I indirectly knew a local news interviewer. She was as dumb as a post but could read from a teleprompter to ask questions as if she really knew about the subject. She was pretty enough but it was the ability to not freeze up, and just roll with the directions on the screen or in her earbud that kept her in that job.

It's the same as watching female "reporters" interviewing sportsball players or coaches. They barely know the question, don't care at all about the actual answer, and vaguely remember the name of the interviewee that their producer told them. Now if you asked that same "reporter" about clothing designers, Kardashian drama, or an episode of "Sex and the City", she'll go on and on, telling you everything you never wanted to know.

[fruser1]

I’ve never noticed this. Perhaps it’s more about what they really care about. Did your college mates who never used professor names know the names of favored musicians?

And when it comes to gangsta culture, I can’t imagine anyone not knowing who Tony Montana is.

[fwdude]

I’ve never noticed this.

Well, watch and take note. I’ve been noticing this for almost all my adult life.

[broken_clock]

Interesting. I don’t always remember names but to those I do, I tend to call you by your full name. No Bob’s or Art’s, you’re Robert and Arthur and so on.

[No.6]

Insufficient data — you’d have to be able to observe how people address their perceived peer group vs. others.

If we mean “do other ethnicities show disinterest in my name” yep. To most Indian people my name is apparently “yes” :D

Among sketchy people of all colors, though, check your wallet if you find yourself being called “boss.”

[Repeal The 17th]

You are wrong.
I was born lily white and I have always had trouble remembering names and faces.
My good friend and next door neighbor,
(who just happens to have been born black,
however, is my go-to guy to remind me.

[glorgau]

Name blindness? I must be black and not know it. ;-)

[x]

People find it easier to distinguish faces of others in their own racial category. It's not hard to believe that they'd find it easier to remember the names of people in their own racial group as well. It some cases, failure to remember a name hinges on failure to distinguish a face. People remember the names of those in their own neighborhoods but find it harder to remember the names of outsiders.

"On online forums"? These names are all fake anyway. Why bother learning or remembering them? I have trouble keeping my own ones straight and the passwords too. Everybody has trouble remembering names sometimes. Even the scolds who reproach others for doing it.

[Chickensoup]

I have done that all my life.

Could not even come up with spouse name in introductions. Consistently.

I have many work arounds.

When reading novels I refer to the characters as I read them by first initial.

I hang my knowledge of people not on name but on other certain information that immediately triggers my memory.

[glorgau]

>It was a real problem last year when I wasn't sure which one was my manager.

You could try the Dale Carnegie method:

How to remember people's names

[pfflier]

So that is where that idiotic “Bro” thing comes from?

[ladyjane]

If your wife says she isn’t sure you could pick her out of a room of tall blonde women - that is face blindness. It is genetic.

It wasn’t a problem years ago when people lived in the same town all their lives. It can be a problem now with an ever changing group of co-workers in the corporate world.