Why so secretive?

[junglesmacks]

I'm curious about something. I've had friends for years that have attended BM from other regions other than the west coast/CA area, and none of them really went with the "playa name" thing. However, as I get to know more of you from the west coast/CA/SFO area via this board and now on Facebook, I'm noticing that many of you not only go by your eplaya/playa name on here, but on FB and in real life it seems.. and almost to a point of utter secrecy regarding your given name or even just first name. It seems to me like a regional deal the more that I notice the trend.

So my question to all you that live by the playa name gig is.. why? Why so secretive with the given name?






Let the snark roll.. I know this is loaded with opportunity.

[FIGJAM]

All super hero's have secret identities, duh!

(First name Tom)

[junglesmacks]

All super hero's have secret identities, duh!

(First name Tom)

lol..

Actually I've had fun trying to guess what some people's given name is. Trilo could end up being a Steven while Savannah could be a Maude!

[ygmir]

All super hero's have secret identities, duh!

(First name Tom)

Terrific answer, FJ!

[Elderberry]

For some, BM is a vacation, for others it is an obsession and a life style.

[oneeyeddick]

My name is Dick, but you can call me Dick.

[ygmir]

For some, BM is a vacation, for others it is an obsession and a life style.

......................

[tamarakay]

I go by TamaraKay, my first and middle names. I don't publicize my maiden name or my married name as there are people from my past that i'd just as soon leave there. I'm not crazy about it, i mean i'm friends with my mom, and my siblings on facebook. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. lol

[lucky420]

Oh we're just a sneaky bunch out west here...

[ygmir]

everyone knows the real me:

[wh..sh]

Because if some people we snark at and make fun of knew our real names we would be dead by now.
And it's the wild, wild west. One can't be too careful.

[Bob]

No secrets here, I'm Razzy Burning Man.

[C187]

The name everyone calls me by predates running into burners. Burners just so happen to call me it because that's how I was introduced. But now that you've said something, your right about the groups out east and playa names. One group I used to be involved with was all gun-ho about the playa names, while the rest of the groups you would find more people with out playa names. I would like to say it's just middlen values of polite conversation at play preventing people from using silly names everyday. But then I think about all the non-burners I know in the same area with silly names.

[theCryptofishist]

Wanted for felonies in 7 states.

[Bob]

http://tulsamugs.com/

[AntiM]

I get called Anti M by the nieces and nephews, Anti M = Aunt Margaret. Margaret isn't much of a playa name. I get called Maggie, but I don't like it unless I'm drunk. Bad Maggie is my pirate name.

[maryanimal]

Some of us are in the witness protection program...

[JStep]

No secret here. You can call me Jason if you prefer. Or J. Or hey dude. Or Jason Stephens if you want to be all formal.

JStep I acquired before BM, and is a pretty generic formula for nick-naming someone. I know people who adhere to the rules of playa naming, ie you can't pick it yourself, someone gives it to you on-playa and you probably wont even like it when they give it to you but it will grow on you... Same rules they use for Rainbow names... same rules a lot of people ignore. Why make it a prescribed ritual?

Whatever, right? If I like you I'll call you whatever you prefer. If I don't I'll call you whatever I want!

[maryanimal]

I don't have a playa name yet. I was given the nickname maryanimal 30 years ago by a dear friend of mine. Recently, I asked Foxfur about making a simple flame thrower (he told me I could buy the implement I needed at Harbor Freight, but I forgot the name of it). I got a new "nickname" of Maryanarchist from Yggy here on eplaya!

I chuckle every time I think of it! I know it isn't my playa name!

[BBadger]

I don't have a "playa" name either, and just use my old aliases.

Some of it is secretiveness and some is convenience. On the camp mailing list I've just continued to use just my alias because my Gmail email with that alias got attached to that list rather than my "business" email address. Anyway, it was often the case that when I met someone I communicated with mostly via an alias they would use that name even in real life meeting because that's just who I was. Easier to remember and recognize that name than my real one.

[wh..sh]

I am The Mighty Whoosh for all playa intensive purposes.
Mainly because I am too fucking tired of people screwing up my real (sanskrit) name.

[Elliot]

.
I often struggle to remember ONE name and face together, so I am no great fan of nicknames and other pseudonyms.

At the same time, of course I recognize the fun in a really appropriate "term of affection". There is a saying in Norwegian: Et kjært barn har mange navn. = A much-loved child has many (nick)names.

While we are here.... I wish everyone would use their actual faces as their avatars. This electro-communication is impersonal enough even at its best. Just my 2 cents, of course.



Elliot

[Elliot]

...tired of people screwing up my real (sanskrit) name.

I hear you! My Norwegian birth name is Steinar. Co-workers in Michigan tagged me Elliot 35 years ago, and I saw no reason to fight it.

(After Eliot Ness, who was on TV at the time, portrayed by Robert Stack.)

[trilobyte]

I've been going by Trilo for longer than I've been going to the playa.

[Eric]

I think it's just an way to claim an identity you create yourself as opposed to one you were born with. I hang out with so many diverse groups that use "alternate" names (Rennies, Burners, Drag Queens, Radical Faeries...) I don't even give it a second thought or think of it remotely as secretive. I have no problem calling anyone by the name they prefer, no more than I have a problem identifying someone by the gender they prefer. Why should it bug me? (okay, the Rennie who wanted to be identified as "Lord Robert" even when he was in street clothes in the middle of the week was too much- he got called Robert. There's a difference between identity & ego)

The only names I've used other than my own are my drag names (Olestra Glide for the clown, Woody Goods for my faux-king) and my photographer nickname (ShutterSlut)- and those are performance names. I get called "Eric" by everyone on-playa and by my friends in real-life (club people use "ShutterSlut" a lot- too many Erics)

[Nipple]

"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

I'm only know as Nipple to a small subset of people. They're the same people that brought me to the desert.

[MisaBlue]

I've never had nickname. Everytime I introduce myself, people kinda look at me and say, yes you are Misa...simple as that I am only Misa and that is OK

[lemur]

i have a nickname for my nickname..


there are people that call me "leems"


maybe in some small groups playa names dont make much sense..

in some of the larger groups playa names make it easier when youve for 4 johns 2 steves a couple Jennifers... etc..

i go by nicknames in most all of my friendships and rarely ever use my full real name unless i need to

[graidawg]

i just dont like my given name, i considered changing it by deed poll but found out you need 2 names for that, I now consider changing it to Grai Dawg which would satisfy them i suppose and i kinda want to ditch my family name, my kids don't have it in any form and i really want nothing more to do with my family or be associated with them. i like grai because a friend typed it on predictive text gray is short for graham usually but i liked grai, dawg because soemone called me it once and i used dawg as name n forums but i had to get lucky as there a lot of dawgs out there, so graidawg was born and people seem to use it a fair bit and i like it.

[Savannah]

All super hero's have secret identities, duh!

(First name Tom)

lol..

Actually I've had fun trying to guess what some people's given name is. Trilo could end up being a Steven while Savannah could be a Maude!

I told you that in confidence!