What's in a Name?
An awful lot of baggage that doesn't even necessarily belong to the one who wears the name, apparently.
For example, TMPCafe member Mark Weinberg said:
I guess the fact that she chooses to call herself Zionista is ample demonstration of where she is coming from. If I called myself "Anti-Zionisto," would anything I said be taken seriously?
Obviously, the subtle nod to the Clash's 1980 epic album Sandinista, and the satirical jab at rightwingnut radio rhetoric such as "Clintonista," and fashionista," are largely lost on my audience. My socio-political sympathy with the Jewish national liberation movement seems to be the limit to have any subsequent perspective taken seriously. That, as well as the mistaken certainty of my gender affiliation denote the difficulty I bring on myself by inviting others' baggage into my ability to sustain articulate ideas and advance reasonable arguments.
So, if anyone cares to indulge me this minor identity crisis, I humbly put forth the question whether or not to retire the Zionista brand and change my screenname. While we're at it, I am open to suggestion for new ideas.
I appreciate your patience, and I apologize for any inconvenience that this self-indulgence may have caused.
Zionista:
Crush me not!
Alas, woe is me, woe is me! Are you, Zionista, really just another one of the guys?
Well let me say this! You can change your name, you can change your posture, but to me, silly me perhaps, you shall forever be the one, the only one, who is known to all as Zionista.
Make no changes my friend. Keep the name and stay forever just the way you are-a peaceful, soft-spoken, complacent daughter, er I mean son of a gun, with no common sense and an aversion to all things controversial!
:-)
July 12, 2007 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
bslev,
Heck.... Y'know, it all comes down to just words on a screen.
July 13, 2007 6:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why not follow the Bard's advice. He has Juliet answer the very question you ask in the title of your post, thus:
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
July 12, 2007 8:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
We must never lose touch with The Classics.
July 13, 2007 6:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
I happen to like you as Zionista. Most of us who follow your postings know you are not a wild eyed Zionist. Even though we disagree a lot, I still go to your comment summary to see if I missed a mildly acerbic comment or two.
As a Spinoza enthusiast, I could still pick your posts out, regardless of your new screen name. Don't change - be yourself. That's the best any of us can do here.
July 12, 2007 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
jdledell,
Ooh, that hurts.
But seriously, a Spinoza enthusiast? Honestly, I'm honored that my scribbling is recognized by one of such fine taste in philosophy.
July 13, 2007 6:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ah! the choices in life can be so perplexing. At the risk of sleuths like Mr. Weinberg accusing you of Seth(ing) into a Bar Kochba you could closet the Zionista - wear that dress (in a good sense) at your leisure - open a second email account and voilà, a new you.
Instead of morphing into an androgynous mirror, say something like 6ptStar, you might want to Jekyll and Hyde it, something like Carnivore, Canine or Caveman. If you are a Gemini you could justify it by saying the stars made me do it: the Zodiac in me (the zodiaion, zodialion?). You could always go bold with Split, LieInState or LieDetector. The possibilities are such that if not yet I'm sure eventually someone will have a PhD in The Art of the Handle. Just for fun I keep a list on a Stickies Note when a clever one comes to mind.
Some people don't think twice and just use their real name, a straight talking down to earth approach.
IMO the interesting question is: Are you going to tell anybody if you put a fork not in your tongue, but in your road?
July 12, 2007 10:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gary Small,
If you mean draw attention to any potential change in the ol' nomme de plume, sure. I'll do what I can, anyway. And draw as much attention as I can to the issue presented here without taking anything away from matters at hand. It's been done.
July 13, 2007 6:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks everybody. Great stuff -- a beggar's banquet of food for thought. We'll see if a big meal is digested in the time it takes a nosh.
July 13, 2007 6:49 AM | Reply | Permalink