for the posters who chose new names

[hippieflowergirl]

i know i'm not the only one who has chosen a different name. i suppose it's the whimsy in me that finds it fun to play "pseudonym dress up". the human in me believes it's wise to acknowledge the significant shifts in life and maybe even re-name one's self accordingly. afterward, it was pointed out to me that it's often assumed that those who change their IDs might be trying to fly under some sort of radar. since that's not true for most of us i thought i'd start the conversation here.

is choosing a new name for one's self a sign of hiding something? what if one wakes up feeling like a new person one day and wants to express that shift in perspective? it seems a celebratory thing for me rather than something facade-like or disguising. must it be more likely that those who choose new log on names are trying to avoid some kind of deserved unpleasantry?

i once changed my name on a website to avoid harassment. it didn't work and i was subsequently bounced for violating TOS. my bad, but ouch! being jerked around and losing one's community all in the same day sux in an uber special way. i definitely did the deed but i was sort of focused on not being stalked. (and no, not everyone being stalked has done something meriting such treatment.)

i've nothing to avoid, even though my mouth sometimes gets too far ahead of my brain. but what if one did want to shift away from a period of jackassery and there were those (and there always are) who won't allow that one has learned from one's mistakes? it's fairly suffocating to always be labeled by one's stupidity, especially when one has very definitely learned one's lesson.

so what about it? okay to change or not? if no, why? if yes, must one always confess? face it. scooter (not his real name BTW) libby got a pardon. how do i get a little of that?


the artist formerly known as sunflower girl