Friday, September 10, 2004

Lesson: Naming is Claiming

One way to exert power in the guise of friendship is by inventing nick-names for your coworkers. I insist on calling Evelyn Evie, though I know she hates it. Cynthia is Cyn. Stuart is Stu. Use this maxim at your disposal.

You name them, you can control them.

Slaveowners used this to their advantage, they gave their last-names to their slaves, it's a way of coralling them invisibly.

I used this liberally when interviewing my freelancers today. I tried out name abbreviations for various interviewees, whenever someone cringes at my new moniker for him/her, I made a note not to this person back. I need someone I could control, after all, this poor sap is going to be doing my job. Hehe.

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