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And my name is.....


IrishEyes

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As I was reading through some of our recent posts, I started playing a little game. I tried to guess the poster just by content, not by looking at the avatar or nic. That led me to thinking about our nicknames, and why we chose what we did.

 

Some are pretty self-evident; Tormod and Yvonne, for instance, use their given names. I think tim does as well, as does Bo.

 

Others use a variation of their name, like alps, right?

 

Then there are 'the others', whose nic surely says a lot about the person without actually naming the person. Mine, for instance... When I first signed up here, I was listening to my favorite recording artist, and thinking that his Irish eyes would be smiling on that particular evening, if he were living my life. My nic said something about who I was at a specific moment in time. Of course, as that musician has been my favorite for decades, and I have been greatly influenced by his music, that moment in time was not an isolated instance, and I often feel like Irish Eyes are smiling on me. Part of that is from ancestry (me mum's mum's mum's mum made the crossing from the fair green isle, or so the story goes...), part of that is more current and selective ( i married a strapping Irish lad, o'course!). But you get the general idea : my name fits, at least in my mind.

 

What about the rest of you? As much as our avatars may say about us, those are something that we can change to suit our ever-changing moods (according to some), or to give a different impression of ourselves (according to others). Our nics are something that we are more attached to, and (I feel) therefore more apt to describe us as we wish others to see us.

 

I cherish your thoughts and comments on this topic!

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I always thought you had green eyes! lol!

 

I think Unc told us his nick is from an old sci-fi show in a different thread. Freethinker is pretty obvious (or so he thinks ) but it would be interesting to hear about the others, yeah. I remember how we nagged Open Minded 5 about his narrowmindedness (sorry, OP5!)...

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Also, I think it's interesting that we have nics for nics...in other words, people have often shortened our nics for us, and the shorter ones have stuck... Or maybe our names have evolved??

 

Maybe that's actually more like pet names, though. I try to use a person's actual 'given nic' unless I converse with them on a fairly refular basis, or if I'm trying to be friendly or something. For instance, Freethinker is just FT to most, but to *me* he will always be FreeT. Uncle Martin is UM to some, but he's Unc to me. Gahd remains Gahd, because I have no idea how to change that one to anything else, except Ga, and that just wouldn't be right. I don't think I've ever really talked to BlameTheEx before, but I recently shortened that to BTE. Of course, if anyone complained to me about their 'pet name', I would stop using it. Well, except for FreeT. I just like the sound of FreeT, like my favorite chip but without the "O" at the end...

 

oh, and for the record, *I* was the one who saved OpenMind5 from some other silly moniker by dubbing him OP5, and it stuck! Imagine that!!

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Originally posted by: IrishEyes

Well, except for FreeT. I just like the sound of FreeT, like my favorite chip but without the "O" at the end...

 

...yet including many things which are not good for you...

 

oh, and for the record, *I* was the one who saved OpenMind5 from some other silly moniker by dubbing him OP5, and it stuck! Imagine that!!

 

No! That was me! Come on! (Or otherwise...prove it!)

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Originally posted by: IrishEyes

No! That was me! Come on! (Or otherwise...prove it!)

 

Aw shucks, you're right. I'm wrong. You did dub him OP5 first, didn't you?

 

Man, you've got a memory like an elephant...or a computer....

 

Thanks, Scotty. I am always happy when I remember things. Now where did I put my pants today. Aw shucks, I'm wearing them. (Don't even bother asking Yvonne about that one).

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Originally posted by: GAHD

Originally posted by: IrishEyes

 

Gahd remains Gahd, because I have no idea how to change that one to anything else, except Ga, and that just wouldn't be right.

 

Could always shorten it to the 3 letter varient

 

Now Gahd is a REAL HC ("Happy cynicist"). Or would that be a happy happy Canadian. Or maybe they're the same. /*duck*/

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Originally posted by: Tormod

Originally posted by: IrishEyes

Well, except for FreeT. I just like the sound of FreeT, like my favorite chip but without the "O" at the end...

...yet including many things which are not good for you...

Hey I'm the best thing that's happened to her, since, er..... us loging in here?

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Well, since everyone seems to feel that my "Freethinker" is if not "appropriate", at least accepted, what is there for me to say?

 

OK! When did I require a REASON to post? :-)

 

1st, I use a nic because I have been threatened many times on various discussion lists because of my views. The less detail I give, the safer it is for me and my family. Yes it ahs been almost exclusively Christian that ahve threatened everything from contacting my employer/ customers to physical violence against my kids. Ah yes, loving Christians!

 

One BBS, the loving Christian posted my SS#, court and tax records and kids schools. All because he could not prove that the biblical Jesus actually existed.

 

So I hide behind a nic.

 

My first nic in "Cyberspace" (on BBS's before the Net was open to the public) was Radar Love, after the song of the same name. The next time I needed a nic, the song "Lunatic Fringe" was on. So I used it. As I did for many years and still do in some situations. (Such as IRC)

 

But it became too easy of a target in discussions. Lacking substance, they usually get around to attacking the name, just as they still do with Freethinker here. But with Lunatic Fringe it is just too easy.

 

So I switched to Freethinker. Or Freidenker if Freethinker is already taken.

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1st, I use a nic because I have been threatened many times on various discussion lists because of my views. The less detail I give, the safer it is for me and my family. Yes it ahs been almost exclusively Christian that ahve threatened everything from contacting my employer/ customers to physical violence against my kids. Ah yes, loving Christians!

 

You know, if this thread had been about why you use a nic instead of using your real name, I might think that your reply was interesting. I would even express outrage at the way you had been treated, and probably say something about the horrible people that call themselves Christians.

 

HOWEVER>>>>> this is just a fun, light, watercooler topic about why you chose the nic you did.

 

Also, I find your explanation totally invalid, and just another very obvious attempt by you to take pot shots at Christians. If you were truly concerned about your personal security, or your privacy, you would not have used either your real name or your work e-mail address in your user profile. It took me no more than 30 seconds to find your work address and phone number, and not much longer to find your home address and phone number.

 

I find the fact that you used this topic to continue to spread your hatred of Christians very disturbing, and offensive. If it were just, as you have so often claimed, to stop the spread of ignorance, you would contain your remarks to the religion of Christianity. Instead, you make blanket negative statements that show little more than your obvious hatred of an entire group of people based on their religion. I know there is a word for that particular trait. Can anyone remind me what it is???

 

If anyone else would care to share how they chose their nic, without trying to be blatantly insulting to an entire group of people because of the actions of a few, please do so. I would love to hear the story behind BlameTheEx, geko, tinny, and many others.

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man FT, i never knew all that happened to you from christians, now you know why in oneof the earlier threads i said i didn't call myself "christian " i believe in Christ and all but i think even you can agree that at least according to matt. mark luke and john in the Bible,Jesus never said threaten and harass others because they disagree with you, he simply said to love people regardless, to not hate but to forgive. so i'll tell you right now, if that is the impression that has been left in your mind of christians, then please don't associate me or Jesus's teachings with them because that's certainly not the way to treat others. i don't know where people get off thinking that either by yelling or threatening others that they will ever get their point across. so on behalf of any of those that claim to follow Christ that have been mean or that didn't really try to apply the teachings to their life and who have offended you-

i apologize for them FT because that is not the waythat we wholove Christ are taught, but the Bible said that there would be false prophets and with false prophets come false followers.

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Originally posted by: wisdumn

my name simply means to me that we as humans are sometimes wise but often dumn. i realized this the first time i recognized my own ignorance and quitely chuckled to myself .

 

Funny you should mention that, Wiz. Because it should be spelt "wisdumb". It's "dumb", not "dumn".

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