Watching *Dirty Jobs * and it brought to memories of Black Elmo and Regular Elmo from All In the Family because Mike sometimes refers to himself as Big Mike. Well, you can’t say Black Elmo anymore, but what about Big Elmo and Little Elmo or more questionable, Older Elmo and Younger Elmo? I’m sure there are some who’ll scream, “Yes, it’s non-PC!”, but what are alternatives? Elmo 1 and Elmo 2? Elmo and the other Elmo? Or is that too discriminatory too? Are we left with just Elmo and have to guess which one we’re referring to? :smack:
IMHO it’s totally up to the Elmos. Refer to them however you want, as long as they’re okay with it.
Ask Beckdawrek about the assorted wreks in her life.
I’m sure Kayaker will be here shortly, I know he just told that story a few days ago…
Anyways, I can’t see what the issue could possibly be with big/little Elmo unless one or both of them either don’t like it or it’s done in a derogatory way. I’ve been getting called ‘little joe’ all my life because my dad is also joe and that’s just the way some people have randomly decided to tell us apart, especially since we work together. I’ve never told anyone to use that term (I normally tell them to ask for Joey, as opposed to Joe), but people regularly stop in or call and ask for Little Joe or Big Joe.
Never given it any thought and, at least for me, it’s no more offensive than someone calling me Joe Jr (not a jr, but it still works to tell us apart).
So I can call them Black Elmo and White Elmo as long as they’re okay with it? 
Thinking about it, back when I worked for the City & County in the '90’s, the two messengers were both named Mike. One was tall and heavyset, the other was much smaller. Everyone called them Japanee or Portagee (Portuguese) Mike and Filipino Mike! :eek: Call me racist, but those were much simpler and fun times! 
As a kid of the 80s, I went to school with a million Jasons, Allisons, Sarahs, and Mikes. They were always distinguished by last name initial. Allison B. versus Allison S.
I have two roommates named Steve and we call them Big Stevie and Little Stevie. It was their idea, though, so naturally they’re fine with it.
It is the same idea as calling one Junior and the other Senior. People have to tell them apart so it is just convention. I know doting mothers that refer to their husbands and sons that way so I don’t think it is inherently offensive unless someone makes it so. That convention is way more common for males than females but it is long established. It has little to do with body size or social status.
Moderating: moved to IMHO
In my opinion it has nothing to do with PC and all about how the individuals involved feel.
Had a brother-in-law named Pete. He had a son named Pete.
So most folks called brother-in-law Pete, and his son “Repete” (pronounced repeat). Some others also referred to them as Big Pete and Little Pete.
My boss is called Scott and his son is named Scott as well. Sometimes we called them Scott and Scotty, or Scott and Scott Jr. The son now has a son and his name is Scott. So it’s Scott, Scott Jr., and Little Scott.
Heh. I used to be part of a community that included two women named Lucy. We referred to them as Crazy Lucy and Nearly Normal Lucy.
Nearly Normal knew what the nicknames were. Crazy Lucy was not informed.
Thanks for the thread move. I always think anything I have to post IS MPSIMS.
I agree with your comment, but as I posted this thread: https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887882&page=2, the overly sensitive crazies who’ll report or call you out, too often rule the roost or are the hen house owners. 
Hey, you worked with Crazy Lucy too? I worked with her, except she was named Amy and she was the only Amy in the company!
I used to frequent a bar with a couple of friends, and was bar buddies with 2 Robs, one white and the other African-American. The thing is, the white Rob was a heavy metal fan who used to always wear a long black leather jacket, so we started calling him Black Rob. At the time, there was also a popular rapper with the same name, so the nickname was meant to be somewhat ironic. One evening, the African-American Rob walked in wearing an all-white suit, so went on to be known as White Rob. Neither took any offense, and even referred to each other by their given nicknames.
I once had two friends named Dennis. Everyone called them Big Dennis and Little Dennis. They were fine with it.
Johnny Fever: Why do they call the Rev Pembroke “Little Ed”?
Venus Flytrap: Because his wife is “Big Ed”!
I’m white, and until recently I had a black co-worker with the same first name and last intial. Since she started there first, she got to be “firstname,” while people called me by my last name. She eventually moved on to another job, but people still call me by my last name out of habit. I don’t really mind. I would feel weird about being called “white firstname.” “Big firstname” probably wouldn’t go over well with most women, either.
In my family its almost required. We have Jrs, III and IVs and for the most part we HATE Jr, the third, the fourth. The exception being Tom, Tom Jr, Tom III and Tom IV who are T1-T4 respectively. The older of any name, say Denga for example, under a roof is “Big Denga” and the younger “Little Denga”. Any other name and you will get the family version of “the look”.
Larry didn’t need any nicknames to keep his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl straight. 
Yeah, like any nickname, if the parties involved are fine with it and it’s not gratuitously offensive to a third party (as in, I wouldn’t call my Chinese colleague “Chink Wei” even if she liked it, because slur), then it’s nobody else’s business.
But I wouldn’t recommend spontaneously calling someone “Big [name]” or “Little [name]” unless you know for sure they’re fine with it. It’s an unsolicited personal comment on appearance, and you can always get a rudeness ticket for that.