When you say [nickname], is that a nickname-nickname or a more American-sounding version of your name (which you've said in the past is distinctly Persian) that you use in some settings? Not that it really matters, but I've been pondering a lot lately about the practice of people born abroad adopting American-sounding names when they come to the U.S. and are trying to assimilate. My company recently switched to a new email system that requires that we use people's legal names instead of their nicknames, so I've had to call a number of coworkers to clarify their legal names so I can use their new addresses (like Bhaskar instead of Ron or Qian instead of Cathy). I think it's kind of a crappy thing to do to people – if they want to be known by an American version of their name to fit in more or reduce stupid American spelling errors and their Americanized name is on their business card, the company is calling attention to the fact that they changed their name and are in a way different. OTOH, the fact that they felt the need to adopt an Americanized nickname in the first place could be seen as an unfortunate societal pressure.
In college, I worked at a Greek fast food restaurant owned by three brothers, Nomikos, Sevastros, and Mikhail Lias, who used the Americanized versions Mike, Steve, and Mike, respectively. Very Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.
Man, that ABC story freaks me out. I always want to believe that I, personally, would never behave that way no matter what orders I were given, but the fact that so many people fall for shit like this, time and time again, makes me wonder if I'm kidding myself.
Bradley the McDonald's employee was equally smart. Also, depending on whether the maintenance man was employed by McDonald's or by a contractor, it's totally possible that his job is better and better paying than anyone else's in the story. Not that this is all that relevant to anything.
When I was her age, I probably would have done exactly what she did. The benefit of age is that you learn not to respect implicitly those you've been taught to respect implicitly.
Embarrassing but true – when I was in college, my roommate had this friend who would always call us and do weird, but funny, things over the phone. I picked up one night and the guy on the other end started asking me all kinds of pervy questions about my sex life and I thought it was her friend so I played along. I couldn't quite figure out where the joke was going to come in but figured the punchline had to be coming any minute. It took me about 5 minutes to realize that, no, it wasn't my roommate's friend but an obscene caller who was getting off on the other end of the line. Ewww.
(My biggest fear was that it was one of the students for whom I was a TA and that they would be sitting there looking at me in class for the rest of the semester knowing I'd had phone sex with them.)
Do McD managers hold advanced degrees from Hamburger U?
The answer to that is "yes, of course," but I was thinking of the fact that the story makes a point of mentioning that the maintenance guy was a high-school dropout.
I remember learning sometime around high school - I don't remember from whom - that if you're suspicious of someone who claims to be a cop you should always ask to see their badge or at least get the badge number.
The guy doing the ABC voice-over is way, way too cheerful. "And then she was sexually molested!" I mean, I realize this is the same cheesetastic delivery this guy's probably been using since he filed "Local Panda Wows Boat Show Attendees" for Action 5 Newswatch, but man, dial it down a bit.
Fresh outta Top Secret information, I'm afraid. But I am up late. I should start another book, but I'm still kinda in mourning over the finishing of the previous one, however.
OK, Tim, fess up.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 2:55 PM
Sorry, Ogged, I didn't mean to creep you out. . . .
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 2:56 PM
Good thing you hung up when you did. It was about to turn ugly.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:00 PM
Now that story was disturbing. Also, totally classy of ABC to show the teenaged girl naked on her knees.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:01 PM
I wonder how many people will click through now.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:02 PM
Yeah, I don't think it's quite appropriate to have a "Click here to watch the video!" link for that story.
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:05 PM
Whatever happened to "Is your refrigerator running?"
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:07 PM
When you say [nickname], is that a nickname-nickname or a more American-sounding version of your name (which you've said in the past is distinctly Persian) that you use in some settings? Not that it really matters, but I've been pondering a lot lately about the practice of people born abroad adopting American-sounding names when they come to the U.S. and are trying to assimilate. My company recently switched to a new email system that requires that we use people's legal names instead of their nicknames, so I've had to call a number of coworkers to clarify their legal names so I can use their new addresses (like Bhaskar instead of Ron or Qian instead of Cathy). I think it's kind of a crappy thing to do to people – if they want to be known by an American version of their name to fit in more or reduce stupid American spelling errors and their Americanized name is on their business card, the company is calling attention to the fact that they changed their name and are in a way different. OTOH, the fact that they felt the need to adopt an Americanized nickname in the first place could be seen as an unfortunate societal pressure.
Posted by Becks | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:09 PM
In college, I worked at a Greek fast food restaurant owned by three brothers, Nomikos, Sevastros, and Mikhail Lias, who used the Americanized versions Mike, Steve, and Mike, respectively. Very Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:11 PM
I loved that version of the Newhart show.
Posted by bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:14 PM
Given that Ogged's nickname is "Osama" ("Ayatollah" is so eighties) he's probbaly better off going by his real name.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:21 PM
Isn't it scary that the smartest person in this story is the maintenance man?
Posted by ogmb | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:41 PM
I don't know about scary, but it might tell us something about how much being educated has to do with being good.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:45 PM
Man, that ABC story freaks me out. I always want to believe that I, personally, would never behave that way no matter what orders I were given, but the fact that so many people fall for shit like this, time and time again, makes me wonder if I'm kidding myself.
Brrr.
Posted by Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:45 PM
Bradley the McDonald's employee was equally smart. Also, depending on whether the maintenance man was employed by McDonald's or by a contractor, it's totally possible that his job is better and better paying than anyone else's in the story. Not that this is all that relevant to anything.
Posted by Tia | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:50 PM
When I was her age, I probably would have done exactly what she did. The benefit of age is that you learn not to respect implicitly those you've been taught to respect implicitly.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:54 PM
being educated
Do McD managers hold advanced degrees from Hamburger U?
Posted by ogmb | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:55 PM
OK, Tim, fess up.
Hey! I think IoT is now ogged's official frenemy.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:55 PM
Embarrassing but true – when I was in college, my roommate had this friend who would always call us and do weird, but funny, things over the phone. I picked up one night and the guy on the other end started asking me all kinds of pervy questions about my sex life and I thought it was her friend so I played along. I couldn't quite figure out where the joke was going to come in but figured the punchline had to be coming any minute. It took me about 5 minutes to realize that, no, it wasn't my roommate's friend but an obscene caller who was getting off on the other end of the line. Ewww.
(My biggest fear was that it was one of the students for whom I was a TA and that they would be sitting there looking at me in class for the rest of the semester knowing I'd had phone sex with them.)
Posted by Becks | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 3:57 PM
Do McD managers hold advanced degrees from Hamburger U?
The answer to that is "yes, of course," but I was thinking of the fact that the story makes a point of mentioning that the maintenance guy was a high-school dropout.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:00 PM
Bradley the McDonald's employee was equally smart.
Kinda. He didn't do any of the abusive things to the girl himself, but she stayed naked in the back room for another two hours.
Posted by Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:03 PM
I remember learning sometime around high school - I don't remember from whom - that if you're suspicious of someone who claims to be a cop you should always ask to see their badge or at least get the badge number.
Of course this may not always work.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:04 PM
Hey! I think IoT is now ogged's official frenemy.
Woo-hoo!
Posted by Isle of Toads | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:34 PM
The guy doing the ABC voice-over is way, way too cheerful. "And then she was sexually molested!" I mean, I realize this is the same cheesetastic delivery this guy's probably been using since he filed "Local Panda Wows Boat Show Attendees" for Action 5 Newswatch, but man, dial it down a bit.
Posted by Isle of Toads | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:42 PM
Damn it, that was funny, Toads.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:43 PM
Damn it, that was funny, Toads.
I have to do something inbetween all my ogged-hatin'.
Posted by Isle of Toads | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:47 PM
The guy doing the ABC voice-over is way, way too cheerful.
OK now, should I turn my Flash blocker off for this?
Posted by ogmb | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:49 PM
ogged's official frenemy.
You misspelled frenulum.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 4:49 PM
For small enough θ, the period of a frenulum is proportional to the square root of its length. Size does matter.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 5:01 PM
me: OK, Tim, fess up.
SCMT: Hey! I think IoT is now ogged's official frenemy.
But frenemy != stalker, SCMT.
Posted by Matt Weiner | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 5:16 PM
Is it the hair, Weiner?
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 5:19 PM
SCMTim is Andie MacDowell.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 5:32 PM
Y'know, I ran a whole bunch of very cool studies decades ago to try to show people how this stuff happens, and y'all still don't get it. Sigh.
Posted by Stanley Milgram | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 9:01 PM
Internet access in heaven! Sweet! But question: have they always had internet access in heaven? Kotsko?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 9:12 PM
Dead people have been commenting here for quite some time, why note it now? Or is it that Milgram is the first to be commenting from heaven?
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 9:16 PM
eb, those other comments were by people pretending to be dead people.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 9:18 PM
So the site stats actually say "heaven"? Or "firmament"? Cool.
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be wireless without end.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 11-30-05 9:24 PM
Most of my comments are by dead people, a number of whom work for me in sweatshop conditions for less than minimum wage.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgplate | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 12:57 AM
But they don't care—they're dBRAINSead.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgplate | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:01 AM
Standpipeish, do you use instant messeging?
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:07 AM
Why do you ask?
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:12 AM
Because if you were, I'd probably message you.
But 38 sorta makes me think you're a Republican.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:13 AM
Ignored my will verb tenses.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:14 AM
Because if you [did], I'd probably message you.
Oh, I see. I don't often. Usually people just email me when they want to give me Top Secret information or suchlike.
Posted by Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:22 AM
Fresh outta Top Secret information, I'm afraid. But I am up late. I should start another book, but I'm still kinda in mourning over the finishing of the previous one, however.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:26 AM
One of these days I'll start using that "preview" button.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 1:27 AM
Good god, man. You start doing that, and I'll be the one in the barrel!
Posted by Chopper | Link to this comment | 12- 1-05 8:01 AM