Is there anything bad/condescending with using middle initials?

<p>[#29</a> – Middle Initials Stuff Rich People Love](<a href=“http://stuffrichpeoplelove.com/2009/07/07/middle-initials/]#29”>#29 – Middle Initials | Stuff Rich People Love)</p>

<p>Hm, so I’ve used my middle initial with my name for several years. I pretty much feel like I have to because my name is <em>extremely</em> common and the middle initial is the only way for me to distinguish myself from other people with my names (since it often happens that there are multiple people with my name at my school). And I don’t use my full middle name since it’s very foreign sounding, and foreign sounding names have the potential to trigger implicit xenophobia (many people are implicitly xenophobic).</p>

<p>But justifications aside, most people don’t care about the justifications. I want to know how this changes people’s impressions of me.</p>

<p>Is it just in writing, like when you sign your name, or do you introduce yourself as “Albert B. Caldwell”?</p>

<p>Make up a name that’s memorable and introduce yourself as that (at that point, that’s your nickname).</p>

<p>I do it, works for me.</p>

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<p>Just in writing (or emails) and facebook (people never can find me by searching for my name). </p>

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<p>Ah, what name did you use? I know a few people who did that. I was thinking of using my Internet name, but it has a long history of emo-neuroticism (if googled), so I’m still really trying to think of another name. I know someone goes by “Bunny” which is fine. But I want non-common names (since my last name is extremely common) and using a non-common first name might also be condescending. I’m thinking of using the name of a star like Sirius or Alnitak or Regulus or something. But do those sound sort of condescending?</p>

<p>stuff white people like is already about stuff rich white people like</p>

<p>pointless blog imo</p>

<p>Hm, I’ve felt that “stuff rich white people like” tends to describe the whites who tend to be more politically conservative (it includes things like foie gras and animal tropies), while “stuff white people like” tends to describe the ones who tend to be more politically liberal (it has things like vegetarianism and gay rights)</p>

<p>oh i see the difference never mind</p>

<p>No. My mom wanted my siblings and I to write her surname initial as our “middle” initial, the one before she got married, to ackowledge her. So it be like this:</p>

<p>John K. (mother’s surname initial) Doe.</p>

<p>Instead of us using our middle initials that we were given at birth, we used our mothers surname in its place.</p>

<p>People who think it’s pretentious are paronoid and have nothing better to do than nitpick. </p>

<p>I asked a nine year old boy that I’m mentoring if he wanted to learn cursive (he can’t read cursive) and he responded, “No. It’s just another way for people to say, ‘Look at me! I can write fancy!’”</p>

<p>I just crunched my brow and pursed my lips and said, “Hmmm. Intersting.”</p>

<p>“Ah, what name did you use? I know a few people who did that.”</p>

<p>Don’t want to say, it would give me away (there are a number of people I’ve met in real life on here). But think of a silly stereo-typical name for a some group of people, but a name which no body has. </p>

<p>Tell me your ethnicity and I’ll give you a few names if you want.</p>

<p>And I’ll second the “cursive is obsolete” statement by the 9 year old (I bet that’s what he meant).</p>

<p>I use my middle initial solely on official documents. It often appears more professional but it is often superfluous for identification purposes.</p>

<p>condescending? lol, no…</p>

<p>In your case, I would definitely consider using a middle initial or going by a different name. I have a very rare last name and a less-common spelling of my first name, so I rarely use my middle name or middle initial. In fact, I try not to have any reference to my middle name unless I legally have to. Just change your name on your facebook profile and start introducing yourself by that name.</p>

<p>Ah thanks for the replies everyone! :)</p>

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<p>lol chinese…</p>

<p>my opinion: it’s pompous @ hell</p>

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<p>haha that little kid is smart as hell. learning how to write in cursive is a waste of time nowadays.</p>

<p>the “stuff rich people like” blog looks stupid. there’s a whole post on how they like to name their kids after luxury brands like mercedes and prada - uh no, that sounds like something a crack mama would do; wealthy people usually tend to pick traditional names. probably written by a bored middle schooler from iowa :/</p>

<p>Using it for email and facebook isn’t a big deal. Just don’t introduce yourself like, “Hello, I’m Percy P. Pippenheimer!”
that’ll get old real fast.</p>

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<p>So true. The only time I was ever made to write in cursive after elementary school was on either the SAT or ACT (can’t remember which) when I had to copy down that statement in the answer booklet and sign it.</p>

<p>When I resort to cursive in class, that’s an indication that I’ve lost interest in what the teacher is saying and don’t care anymore so I just scribble sloppily.</p>

<p>In terms of using middle initial, there is nothing wrong with it, especially if you have a common name like Joe Schmo or John Brown, for example.</p>

<p>I almost never use my middle initial when I have to sign with my initials cause they are S.I.N
Not even kidding!</p>

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<p>I have always written in cursive for the simple reason that I find it to be more fluid, legible, time-efficient, and aesthetically pleasing than my printing.</p>

<p>Not going to lie, I have an alias that about half of the people in my life know me as and only the people I grew up with know my real name. My alias is totally ridiculous. Graf Bradford. But it gets the job done and pays the bills. My co-workers seriously think my name is Graf, which is really just a German peerage that means “Count”, and is most often found as a part of a last name (Graf von/van [insert town]) or just a last name. Never ever saw it as a first name until I started using it.</p>