Frequently, especially within the male work community it seems, we are referred to by only our last names. For example, rather than say, “Well Belrix says this” I hear “Well, McDonald said that.”
I don’t really self-identify by my last name - nothing wrong with it, I’m just “Belrix” to me.
In the office space, though, you get “Go give this to Jones” or “Talk to Smith about that” rather than “See what Phil has to say about that subject.”
I’m the only “Belrix” in the office so using my first name would be sufficiently specific. Referring to me only by my last name seems neither necessary nor friendly. It makes me a piece of office equipment and somehow dehumanizes me… or something… It’s a vaguely unsatisfying thing, anyway.
I have one male friend who always calls me by my last name. But I have a pretty different first name, so people usually call me by it without me being confused with anyone else.
I ALWAYS call my husband by his last name, unless I’m calling him by a sickeningly cute pet name.
I’m called by my last name everyday, but it’s pretty much mandated by my job. I like the way British kids shorten my title though by just calling me “Miss”. In the States, the kids are often far too lazy and it just comes out as, “Miss Uh…” and they don’t even bother to spit out my surname.
My situation is a bit different from yours though.
I call my bestest friend by her last name, only because it’s a bit unusual. I wouldn’t like being referred to as my last name since it’s a male’s first name. It would just too weird if everyone were calling me a guy’s name.
I hate hate hate being called by my last name. Not that I don’t like my last name, however. To me it just sounds like the person using my last name sounds very stand-offish and snobbish. It also seems to me like I’m being talked down to.
Maybe this stems from my being called by my last name in grade school.
That seems to be a guy tradition. In my social circle, there are a million Mikes and Chrises, so they were always referred to by the last name. Over time, everyone became known by his last name, including me, which is odd because my first name is about half the length of my difficult-to-pronounce last name. The women of the group are always first name only. Go figure.
My last name is extremely long and conveluted, so I have never really ran into folks wanting to address me by it. Being in the military, I deal with officers and such calling me by rank and name, of course, but most friends either call me by my first name or just “J” for my last name (which is what I was called exclusively in basic, AIT, and when I first arrived at my post).
Other friends of mine do this with each other, but not all the time.
However, that seems to be the way it is in many boys’ yeshivos in Brooklyn. When I went to high school, I was simply “Steinhardt.” My kids are now “Steinhardt” as well.
However, when my (then) eight year-old’s friend called me “Steinhardt” I gave him a stern look and said to him “It’s Mr. Steinhardt to you.”
I like it when people use my last name. FTR, my first name is fairly unique and my last name is extremely unique. However, I must confess, that I react quickest, when called by my nickname (Six-O), then by my last name, and finally by my first name. There have been occasions where people that typically use my nickname or lastname have repeated my first name over and over again, and I haven’t responded. I think I have a difficult relating the voice and my first name to indicate me. I always just think it’s possible that it’s someone else with my first name and that they are calling for imaginary person.
I don’t like it at all. I have a first name, and it’s not hard to remember. If you are a grade school gym coach then I’ll cut you some slack, but that’s about it.
Mostly depends on who does it. If it’s jocks trying to bug you, you tend to dislike it. If your friends do it, it may be tolerable. I don’t let people call me by my last name because it’s just a BAD name. It’s the name of a large furniture dealer and a bodily fluid (though not spelled like the latter).
I prefer it. My first name just sounds a little too feminine to me. And I think it sounds a little condescending, kind of in the way that people arguing on TV sound (“Well, SIR, I think you’re an idiot!” “Well, BOB, you are an ass!”).
I have basically three first names, so any one of them are fine. Some people call me only by my last name. No biggie.
What I do hate, is the “Bob” for Robert, or “Liz” for Elizabeth - without asking that person if they like the short version of their name. I personally hate the short version of my name and the only people who use it are people who do not know me well enough to know better.
I’d rather be called by my first name. Fortunately every job I have worked at has never adopted the practice of addressing others by their last name[sup]*[/sup]. The only time I was ever exposed to this practice was in junior high gym class. It sounded so awkward and quasi-military. Because I hated gym class anyway my impression of the whole last-name-only thing was tainted even more.
[sup]*[/sup]For a short time at one retail job the menager insisted that we lowly piss-on (peon) employees address the managers by Mr. ----- or Mrs. ----- . I thought the whole thing was ridiculous. It made me feel like I was in school again every time I had to ask for a manager’s attention.
:rolleyes:
My first name is Danny. Some people call be by my full name (last name is one syllable, some ppl say its catchy), some Dan, but rarely Danny. A few also call me Gary, which is a name some friends came up with (don’t ask, long story involving illegal activities ).
I’m sitting here trying to figure out which bodily fluid is “bad” and is the name of a large furniture dealer. Blood? Saliva? Milk? Okay, saliva would be an iffy surname, but I can’t imagine Saliva Furniture. Urine? Vomit?
I bet it’s some variation of semen. Do you have Semen Furniture where you’re from?
