Why I Changed My Display Name

I recently changed my display name from Jack's Shack to just Jack. On a different post I was asked what prompted this change.

The history of Jack's Shack has a number of layers to it, each of them having to do with memories of special times and places. One of them was a bar that I used to frequent on and off. The Shack was a lot of fun and I carry it with me to this day.

However in the 2.5 years that I have been blogging I have learned that there is a less than savory definition tied into my former name. I feel kind of naive admitting this, but prior to blogging I was completely unfamiliar with it.

I am many things, but prude is not one of them. This blog travels in many directions some of them coarse and crude but that is not the focus of it.

Anyway, I changed it because I was irked by the association and images of the other name.

8 comments:

Jim said...

Hi Jack, just Jack, that perverted innuendo by those words is disgusting and indicative of one of the major problems in the world at this time. It is one of the most subtle problems, no one would ever believe how powerful this little thing could be. And this just points it out.

Look, taking words that have simple everyday innocent and unencumbered meaning, and making them into signs of lower life practises, sexual matters especially, just destroys a persons ability to have faith in words. It destroys ones' faith in speech and the written word. It is the downfall of society, and everyone overlooks it, not allowing for the power that spoken and written words have, actually really have.

Fundamental. True Fundamentalism. Think about it. To be grown up for many, means being able to decipher and utilize sexual innuendo, become proficient at it, even use it with power to 'possess' the victim. This is believed by many to be the ULTIMATE use of language by a human being, even believed to be the epitiome of language itself.

Pardon me for ranting. Regardless of what you call yourself, or your blog, Jack, you are a consummate pro, and have one of the best blogs in town, no question about it.

Gooch said...

I must be getting to be something of an old fogey myself, as I had no idea of the "alternative" definition of Jack's Shack. To make matters worse, Gooch, in addition to being a character on "Diff'rent Strokes" also has a sexual connotation I was completely unaware of before I started blogging.

have popcorn will lurk said...

Ohhhhh. I didn't know that other stuff. The worst I could think of was the 80's song "Love Shack." Eeeew, LOL. But I'm glad you changed it.

stc said...

I was as ignorant of that connotation as your other commenters. Thanks for enlightening us … I guess!

Ahuva said...

I'd never heard of that definition before (and I don't exactly think of myself as an innocent). I doubt many of your readers would have known about that association.

Connotations aside, "Jack Shack" had a nice ring to it. I'm going to miss it.

Jack Steiner said...

Hi Jim,

Thank you.

Gooch,

Dude. You are ancient. The kids at Ramah would never recognize you now. ;)

Chana,

Love Shack- makes me think of college.

Q,

You never know when that little nugget will turn into something meaningful.

Ahuva,

Who knows, maybe i'll change it back. "Jack" seems so empty to me.

... Is the Window to Our Soul said...

I like Jack's Shack. It seems so tropical. I envision palm trees and tropical drinks with little umbrellas in it.

Now if you had the name Jack's Wank or J. Arthur Rank (British rhyming slang - wank, then you would definitely have a problem.

(btw, I found a hilarious euphemism - "Warming up the altar boy's dinner")

chosha said...

Hmmm, learn something new every day.

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