Call me by my preferred name, you stupid fuckers

The BBQ Pit
1

[ul]the drummer in my old band[/ul]
[ul]my immediate supervisor at work[/ul]
[ul]my bosses sister-in-law[/ul]
[ul]all the rest of you stupid fucks who think it’s cute to call me “Ricky”[/ul]

Knock that shit off! I’m getting really sick of it!

My name is Richard, and I don’t mind if you call me Richard. My late grandmothers called me Richard to the day they died. Some store owners call me Richard, since that’s the name they have in their records or see on my debit card.

However, I prefer to be called Rik. This is the diminutive I have chosen. Not Ricky. Rik. I neither need nor want my my name to be diminished any further. I’ve already shrunk my name from Richard to Rick to Rik. I do not want my name cutsey-fied.

I don’t care if you’re calling me “Ricky” as an “affectionate” nickname. I don’t feel affection for you. And Ms. Supervisor, I don’t even like you. After about the fortieth time you’ve called me Ricky, and I’ve politely asked you to not call me Ricky, and yet you keep doing it anyway, I’m going from irritated to royally pissed off. You’re even less amusing than usual when you call me “Ricky…, er, Rik…” Oh yeah, girl, show me see that you’re making an “effort” to call me by the correct name! Work it! Emphasize your “effort” by keeping on calling me Ricky and then immediately correcting yourself! Tell you what. I’m sure you won’t mind if I mispronounce your your name and start calling you “Suckie”. And then, if you were about 90% more attractive than you are, and if your personality was about 90% less grating than it is, and if you were kneeling if front of me Suckie-ing my Dicky, I might let you call me Ricky.

Harrumph.

I recently read an article, in a magazine for writers, about naming your characters. The article made this observation:

(Bolding mine)

When you call me Ricky, you’re telling me that you think I’m lower than you. That you don’t respect me as a man, or as a professional. Maybe even worse, I wonder if you somehow think you’re being my “friend” by calling me by an “affectionate” nickname. Sorry, but my friends respect my wishes regarding the name I’ve chosen to be called.

Dale Carnegie said something I really liked in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. I’ll paraphrase, since I don’t have the book at hand. He said the the most beautiful sound to any man is the sound of his own name. Get his name right, and you’ll have a lot more success in dealing with that man.

I’ll say it one last time: My name is Rik, not Ricky! Don’t call me Ricky!

2

I feel the same way about “Maddie”. My name is not and has never been “Maddie” and I will not answer to it.

3

geeze Ricky, lighten up.

always happy to provide the obvious

4

This is your solution. When you hear, “Oh, Ricky . . . I mean Rik, . . .” that’s your cue to ignore her and intensely concentrate on whatever you are doing (even if it’s staring at your fingernails). When she calls you on your obliviousness, say something like, “Oh, I thought you were talking to someone named Ricky. That’s not my name, so I didn’t pay any attention.”

Repeat ad nauseam until the person has been trained to call you by your correct name. It worked for Pavlov.

Alternately, since you’ve already been polite, try the extremely direct approach: “Look, I have told you several times, politely, not to call me Ricky. I do not like it at all, and I do not think it is cute or amusing when you do your little ‘Ricky, I mean Rik’ routine. From now on, if you want my attention, call me Rik. Just Rik. I will ignore you if you call me anything else.” Then do it. If they call you and say, “Hi, Ricky!” say, “Sorry, nobody here by that name,” and hang up.

In other words, don’t LET them call you Ricky. It’s not your name, so don’t answer to it.

5

Question for you, Rik:

I don’t quite get that last bit there, shortening from Rick to Rik. Do you pronounce them differently, and if so, how???

6

Rik? As opposed to Rick or Rich? How cute. I bet you’re just adorable when you stamp your foot and insist on it, too. When you sign your name, do you dot the “i” with a little heart?

7

So Rik it’s a silent P?

Kidding.

8

Yeah, I can see how “Ricky” would piss you off now that you’re calling yourself “Rik” now.

Pretty obvious they should be calling you Rikki.

And write every letter in a different color too?

Rikki

9

Too late!

(No, I’m not the first to point that out.)

There was this annoying girl in high school who developed the habit of calling me by a diminutive form of my name that is ONLY used by my father, mother, sister, long-term romantic partner (we’re shackin’ up now, so I figure he deserves a promotion from “boyfriend” :wink: ), and an ex to whom I am particularly close. Oooooh, it was so annoying.

10

What about “The Ricker”?

11

Stop being such a Dick about it.

12

Ricky I can see being irritating, but how can you tell if someone is calling you Rick instead of Rik, though? What’s the difference?

Speaking as an expert in the field, you understand.

13

DAMNIT! Missed it by that much.

14

Wow, I can’t believe that former Indiana Pacers center Rik Smits is a Doper!

15

Anyone ever call you “Rickets”? That’d be funny.

16

Seriously, I couldn’t believe I was the first myself. Had to run through the thread twice to make sure :slight_smile:

17

Rickety? Rikki Tikki Tavi? Riiiiiiicola!?

18

“Aaaaawwwww, but Ricky, I wanna be in the show tonight!”

19

But you’re so fine. You’re so fine you blow my mind.

{C’mon, a Pit thread asking not to be called by a name is just begging for it}

20

I know what you mean. Some people call me Andy. I don’t like it. I just…don’t.