Sunday, April 29, 2007

What's in a name?

Recently while roaming my local blog world, a question about my name came up. After a moment of reflection I replied that it does sound somewhat contorted and nasty. That got me to thinking about what goes into an online persona. What things make us rename ourselves to maintain our non-virtual privacy? How revealing are the labels we attach to ourselves. Some people get fanciful. Some steal from real life or popular fiction. Some try to describe their mental outlook. Others try to describe their physical attributes. Some just put their business out in cyberspace. I don't even know how many people actually realize what their "online ID" says about them. Although it does beg the question about what kind of person Hot_Ass_Trina (just an example) might really be. The anonymity that the internet affords us allows people to lie about who they are. In fact our expectations are that this happens more often than not. But even more interesting is that people are more truthful when anonymous than when exposed. Kinda disturbing when you think about it. Backwards even...

I am interested in hearing your stories. Why you are who or what your screen name portrays. You tell me yours, I will tell you mine!!!!

21 comments:

Jazzy said...

I asked you first mistuh!

About my name...I have always been opinionated. When nobody else had anything to say...I would speak up...and had to have the last word more often than not. Even with my mom. I am probably the only person in this world who will stand up to her.

When I was little my mother's friends called me their "little lawyer", because I was always arguing my case about something.

Anyay...that's my boring story on why I settled on this name.

Jazzy said...

PS: it's your turn

Anonymous said...

hmmmm well of course my first name really isnt Yazmar however that name came from a few things......only few people know THE REAL reason Y....

I call my site Yazmar's Breakthrough...becuz of course I want you and other to Breakthrough with me, because I am a very private person so it took some time to even consider doing this blog thing....ya know lettin people into my world....
I am a fan of Mary J. Blige so of course her album coming out "THE BREAKTHROUGH" was superb and I was so excited and decided to put the names together...I ended up with a Masterpiece

Jazzy said...

I'm mad your real name aint Yazmar dammit! How you gonna just jack a name like Yazmar?!

Anonymous said...

Whats your real name Opinionated Diva? Matter of fact dont u have a flower name? lol

if so


we have a lot in common!!

Jazzy said...

hmmmmmmmm it can't be the same name. It's Petunia aint it? hehe

Anonymous said...

hmmmm I know your name...and it aint petunia...lol lol lol

I love Jazz music.....

get it?

Jazzy said...

This is feaky...same name...same sign...if we have the same birthday now THAT would be really crazy!!

OK...lemme actually get some work done!

Lata alligata!

Anonymous said...

Our names differ somewhat....Im a September virgo...lol

Jazzy said...

I don't spell mine with an "e" at the end...ohhhhhhhh...september me too! Last day of the virgos!

Anonymous said...

your first name starts with a J mine doesn't

The Second Sixty-Eight said...

Lemme see... So then Jasmin and Yasmine? Jazmin and Yazmine? Hmm... This is far beyond eighth grade spelling bee level. That might hurt my mind.

To the boring story, my name is an ordinal description. I have five other cousins who share the same birth year. I was not first so I couldn't use something cool like Prime or The Elder. So mine tells something about me. Of course there is more to tell but I can't be putting erebody else bidness out there. If they free my mouth then I shall say.

And then there are the more exciting versions. One being me bragging about achieving some strange and convoluted sexual position at least more than once. Or the one about being just short of successfully pulling off a 69 twice. I would of course leave the reasons why to your imaginations, fertile as they may be.

Of course if folk want to assume the more exciting versions, I will do nothing to disabuse them of that notion!

The Second Sixty-Eight said...

Oh yeah Yazmar, you cheated. You didn't really tell!!! And what Diva said, 'How you gonna just jack...'

You two keep being seen with me I may have to change my name to something Jazzy!

Which reminds me of how I come up with names. My tags tend to identify me with my folk (usually family) in Cyberspace.

Dang! Did I just tell too much?

Jazzy said...

You are too funny. How you gonna start another blog when you JUST started consistently updating THIS blog??

You should be glad to be seen with us...for some reason being seen with women always makes a man more attractive to other women..this I will never understand though.

And your name is too logical...I think I'm going to stick to my own sordid version!

The Second Sixty-Eight said...

Yeah. I am guilty as hell on the new blogging while slow blogging. But I didn't want to junk this one up with a bunch of pics and videos and stuff. Gotta keep something pure.

And for the record I AM glad to be seen with you two. Was thinking of matching outfits or one of them deals where when we all stand next to each other you can see the whole collective garment flow from one person to the other. Bet we would make it on Hot Ghetto Mess in that deal!

I don't really understand the "If he can keep that bitch then he must got something going on somewhere. I gotta get with that" mentality either. And you know they be thinking the bitch part too. Like it ain't right unless she hate on you before trying to steal ya man.

I told you the story was rather vanilla. That is why I didn't tell first. But you gotta admit, it got you wondering clean in the wrong direction. Now I am curious about your sordid version.

Jazzy said...

lmao@matching outfits...nothankyouverymuch! I never understood the whole dressing alike thing. I hate when I go out and someone is wearing the same perfume I use, so I KNOW I couldn't get with the matching outfit thing.

And I'm keeping my sordid version to myself! :P

Anonymous said...

what you've typed here is interesting and I agree with it.

I'm urban butterfly because I live in "the city", DC metro area (seems like one huge city to me), and I think of myself as a butterfly- the process that a capterpillar has to endure to become a butterfly- the evolution, the metamorphosis. I believe that in life, we are constantly changing and evolving, and I want each change to yield something more and more beautiful within me.

The Second Sixty-Eight said...

Then you are a butterfly far more beautiful than your wings would advertise you to be.

Lola Gets said...

Because, whatever Lola wants...Lola Gets.
hehehe
L

The Second Sixty-Eight said...

I just bet Lola do...

Okay Lola, Too Much Material (TMM), I will have to leave that one alone!

deepnthought said...

I got my name quite simply because, I am always thinking. One of my friends in seminary a few years ago, actually started calling me that. He said I always look like I am thinking. so it stuck. That and the fact I am a nerd to my core. Cute but a nerd none the less.