The Name Game
Shirley!
Shirley, Shirley bo Birley
Bonana fanna fo Firley
Fee fy mo Mirley...
Shirley!
(Isn't that a FUN song?)
Today's topic has been rattling around in my head for some time now, kinda like that dime in the clothes dryer that you can HEAR, but never FIND. Well, in this case, it's tumbling outta my head (finally! That noise was driving me nuts!!!).
It's all about names. The names of things do mean something, after all.
First and foremost: Why do we insist on calling Saddam Hussein "Saddam"? Since when are we on a first-name basis with evil terrorist dictators? (SIDE NOTE: Am I the only who giggles at the word "dictator"?) Are we going to have our people call his people, and we'll do lunch? Is he being elevated to the same level as Cher, Wynonna, and Beyonce? Will we see him in an upcoming edition of People's 50 Most Beautiful Tyrants? (And before some dolt says that's his "family" name... then if that's so, why did his sons ~~ you remember, Huey and Dewey, or whatever, the ones we BLEW AWAY ~~ also have the last name of HUSSEIN???!!)
Read more...
Next, the whole John Mark Karr/JonBenet Ramsey mess got me thinking about this one: Why do we always refer to infamous murderers by all three names? Were we going to confuse this creep with John Karr, the mayor of Bumf*ck? Remember John Wayne Gacy, the child molester/killer/clown/scumbag? Did we really need to know his middle name? If anything, that probably confused a few people who thought they were talking about John Wayne. I say, let's bring back the good old-fashioned two-name murderous creeps like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson. Murderers just don't deserve the same respect that we typically reserve for normal people like, say... Neil Patrick Harris or Sarah Jessica Parker. (Oops, did I say "normal"?)
Finally, I'd like to mention the use of fake names on the Internet. User ID's, screen names, nom de plumes, whatever ~~ it's all the same thing. Now, I'm not knocking the practice; most people do so to some extent, and many, if not most, have perfectly legitimate reasons why. I'm just wondering if this new anonymity hasn't somehow given people the implied message that it's OK to be a jerk, in a way that very few would have the nerve to do in "real life". For example, even in a bar, would a guy (other than a VERY drunk guy) go up to a woman and say "What size are your boobs?" I've been in a lot of bars in my life, and I've never seen or even heard of this happening. Yet, every woman I've discussed this with tells me it's commonplace on all of the Instant Messaging programs. Would these jerks act differently if the women they were talking to knew their real names? I could see it now:
Michael R. Jones of Cincinnati: Hi, what size are your boobs?
Female9195: I'm tracking you down and slicing off your gonads, you bastard.
Michael R. Jones of Cincinnati: Oops, my bad.
William Shakespeare wrote, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." To which, I might add, "or as lousy".
Especially if we're referring to an anonymous guy on the Internet, an evil dictator, or some other miscellaneous creep.
Shirley, Shirley bo Birley
Bonana fanna fo Firley
Fee fy mo Mirley...
Shirley!
(Isn't that a FUN song?)
Today's topic has been rattling around in my head for some time now, kinda like that dime in the clothes dryer that you can HEAR, but never FIND. Well, in this case, it's tumbling outta my head (finally! That noise was driving me nuts!!!).
It's all about names. The names of things do mean something, after all.
First and foremost: Why do we insist on calling Saddam Hussein "Saddam"? Since when are we on a first-name basis with evil terrorist dictators? (SIDE NOTE: Am I the only who giggles at the word "dictator"?) Are we going to have our people call his people, and we'll do lunch? Is he being elevated to the same level as Cher, Wynonna, and Beyonce? Will we see him in an upcoming edition of People's 50 Most Beautiful Tyrants? (And before some dolt says that's his "family" name... then if that's so, why did his sons ~~ you remember, Huey and Dewey, or whatever, the ones we BLEW AWAY ~~ also have the last name of HUSSEIN???!!)
Read more...
Next, the whole John Mark Karr/JonBenet Ramsey mess got me thinking about this one: Why do we always refer to infamous murderers by all three names? Were we going to confuse this creep with John Karr, the mayor of Bumf*ck? Remember John Wayne Gacy, the child molester/killer/clown/scumbag? Did we really need to know his middle name? If anything, that probably confused a few people who thought they were talking about John Wayne. I say, let's bring back the good old-fashioned two-name murderous creeps like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson. Murderers just don't deserve the same respect that we typically reserve for normal people like, say... Neil Patrick Harris or Sarah Jessica Parker. (Oops, did I say "normal"?)
Finally, I'd like to mention the use of fake names on the Internet. User ID's, screen names, nom de plumes, whatever ~~ it's all the same thing. Now, I'm not knocking the practice; most people do so to some extent, and many, if not most, have perfectly legitimate reasons why. I'm just wondering if this new anonymity hasn't somehow given people the implied message that it's OK to be a jerk, in a way that very few would have the nerve to do in "real life". For example, even in a bar, would a guy (other than a VERY drunk guy) go up to a woman and say "What size are your boobs?" I've been in a lot of bars in my life, and I've never seen or even heard of this happening. Yet, every woman I've discussed this with tells me it's commonplace on all of the Instant Messaging programs. Would these jerks act differently if the women they were talking to knew their real names? I could see it now:
Michael R. Jones of Cincinnati: Hi, what size are your boobs?
Female9195: I'm tracking you down and slicing off your gonads, you bastard.
Michael R. Jones of Cincinnati: Oops, my bad.
William Shakespeare wrote, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." To which, I might add, "or as lousy".
Especially if we're referring to an anonymous guy on the Internet, an evil dictator, or some other miscellaneous creep.
posted by Jim McKee at 11:13 AM
14 Comments:
A mosque near to us was formely known as 'The Saddam Hussein Mosque', named after you-know-who.
I have often wondered about the three name things. Maybe just to protect the innocent who happen to have the same first and last name? My brother has the same first and last names as a famous jerk (to remain nameless here) and he does get the prank phone calls and all. Maybe would happen less with middle names involved? Who knows. This is why I have FOUR names, legally. First, Middle, Maiden and Married names, all in a row. My so also has 4 names, First, Middle, Birth Last Name, New Last Name. So I guess either we'll never be serial killers or we'll be SUPER killers.
If you giggle at dictator, be sure and check out my latest post about soup. Funny, but wrong.
When I was between marriages and a 'chat whore' (yes, I've reformed), guys would ask the most ridiculous stuff, especially the fetish freaks. "Do you like to have your toes licked? Do you own any leather underwear?" Yeah, and those were MILD comments.
It was too humilitate Saddam Hussein. Think about it -- how many kids thought his name was 'Soddomy'?
Jim, you've got to go read this post on Wry Toast - great minds think alike!
http://www.wrytoast.squarespace.com/home/2006/8/30/name-your-children-well.html#comments
Screen names provide a false "safety" to many STUPID people.
I think shakespeare was talking about his lust for the lady being SWEETER when he actually KNEW her vs. lusting after her, that by knowing her name he could WOO her....IMHO
Funny I guess not much has changed with men....
I think they use middle names to emphazie they are in trouble...Like when Mom or Grandma yells at you...
Enjoyed the post. Now why couldn't I make the bridge between names and boobs?? S'pose I could have bridged it with "names for boobs," but that's been done.
I do have a boob post rattling around in my dryer, though. It needs more time, though.
With thanks for your correction to my post, and apologies for my nom de plume... I remain.
Wry, no apologies necessary. As I said, most ppl have a legitimate reason for a nom de plume (even a reason as simple as 'personal privacy' is reason enough). I just don't sanction it as an excuse to be a creep, that's all.
my theory about names and pictures on blogs is that if you tend to be open and trusting in 3D life, you put your name and pic on the blog.
if you are guarded and reserved in real life, you go the anonymous route with degrees of letting yourself show on your blog.
i am reserved in real life. i don't let my guard down easily, but i am not completely closed off and i share personal stuff. i think that shows on the blog.
Neil Patrick Harris...this got me thinking. I wonder if they have seasons of Doogie Howser out on dvd?? I should look into that...I always wanted my internet name to be Penny Lane, but it was always taken unless I wanted to add like, the full number of pi to the end of it. I think they do the full name thing for the reason someone above posted, so they don't falsely implicate an innocent person. Just recently there were two past NBA players in the news. They had the same name, and one was arrested for child molestation or something, and the other guy was getting harrassed over it.
Jim, it's me again...thanks for the Doogie heads up! You have made my day, my week, my month, my year.
Yaxlich would like to let Jim know that he isn't the only person who giggles at the word 'dictator'
I have a nom du plume to protect myself and my family.
But then I turn around and post pictures of myself.
*sigh*
But by now, Paperback Writer just fits. I wouldn't think of using my real name now, it might just confuse people! ;)
Oh, there was some sort of "offical" explaination about the whole serial killer using three names thing. I think it was to make them more deranged or something like similar.
Of all these suppositions, I'll have to go with what Superstar said. "I think they use middle names to emphazie they are in trouble...Like when Mom or Grandma yells at you..."
The more names used, the more trouble you're in! Hhhhhmmmmmm.... Maybe that's why I gave my boys 2 middle names. ;)
G.
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