Is This Normal?

[Funkyterrance]

I was reading a thread in C&A reports that had been closed where a user had Hitler in his username along with a historically significant year. There are two explanations as to why this person chose this username. One being they have some connection with the username which makes it personally significant, the other being they think it's funny/cool to have the name of a mass murderer and therefore monstrous person inseparable from their CC experience. The latter is obviously much more likely.

To quote my clan mate and friend, qwert:

If these guy have some quite good and logical explanation why he decide to be Adolf Hitler, then i dont have nothing against these name.
But if he want to celebrate Adolf Hitler name and date when he become kancelar then he are not normal.

I would agree with this quote. I don't think it's "normal" to want to associate yourself with mass murderers, real life-villains, etc.. but at times I get the very strong impression that many people on CC do not share this viewpoint. "All in good fun", in so many words, or "freedom of speech" are very common response to issues like this.
So if you all don't mind, I'd like the hear some good reasonable defense(in a thread that will be viewed by a larger audience) for usernames as well as avatars, etc. on here that seem to laugh in the face of decency?

[BigBallinStalin]

Generally, when I take the position of free markets in a debate about welfare, some people will immediately assume that I must want people to die because I oppose government welfare. They're wrong, of course, but their jumping to that conclusion requires no knowledge about me or my position. Does the OP fit this description?

[Funkyterrance]

Generally, when I take the position of free markets in a debate about welfare, some people will immediately assume that I must want people to die because I oppose government welfare. They're wrong, of course, but their jumping to that conclusion requires no knowledge about me or my position. Does the OP fit this description?

By OP do you mean me? I mentioned the possibility, however slim, that the users may have some meaningful connection to the handle/avatar but the likelihood of this is questionable. But back to the original question, is knowingly using a username/avatar that represents a monster among men a normal thing to do, psychologically speaking? Do these people wear Hitler T-shirts in public? If not, why not and why don't the social norms that apply to real life apply to a socially active online site?

[2dimes]

There were some white supremist folks here. I didn't meet most of them but a few I've met would wear a hitler T-shirt in public. Now they might not wear one to work but.

On the side of what you're suggesting. I worked with one white supremist guy and we were chatting and I said something about, "You seem like a nice enough guy." he responded with a chuckle and said, "You think so? I'm not a nice guy trust me."

I didn't really think anything about that. Later on another job with a guy that was on both jobs I was asked, "Say that guy that they found in Eagle lake, wasn't that xxxx xxxxxx the white supremist from that other job we were on?" I'm like, "White supremist?" "Oh yeah he was a big time white supremist, guy. Didn't you know that?" I responded, "No but that makes sense of some of the things he was saying looking back."

That's part of why I don't like things being too Politically Correct. I find it more difficult to tell who's a racist. 20 years ago it was easy. After the racist jokes were told there was some people that just kept going on about things. Now the racists don't even use racial slurs until they think you're racist too.

[Pedronicus]

I would suggest you only quote qwert after spell checking and re writing his quote into readable English....

[2dimes]

Wat da mene...

[Dukasaur]

I would agree with this quote. I don't think it's "normal" to want to associate yourself with mass murderers, real life-villains, etc.. but at times I get the very strong impression that many people on CC do not share this viewpoint. "All in good fun", in so many words, or "freedom of speech" are very common response to issues like this.
So if you all don't mind, I'd like the hear some good reasonable defense(in a thread that will be viewed by a larger audience) for usernames as well as avatars, etc. on here that seem to laugh in the face of decency?

I don't think it needs a "defense" per se. If people have a right to give themselves fantasy names, then that right should be absolute and not need defending. However, if you want a rationale for naming yourself after vicious dictators and butchers, it is simply this. This site is selling a game about warfare and world conquest. Thus, one would expect names associated with warfare and world conquest to be commonplace. I'm actually surprised that we don't have more usernames reflective of Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon, Ghenghis, Ceasar, Xerxes, Tamurlane, etc. than we do.

[Funkyterrance]

I would agree with this quote. I don't think it's "normal" to want to associate yourself with mass murderers, real life-villains, etc.. but at times I get the very strong impression that many people on CC do not share this viewpoint. "All in good fun", in so many words, or "freedom of speech" are very common response to issues like this.
So if you all don't mind, I'd like the hear some good reasonable defense(in a thread that will be viewed by a larger audience) for usernames as well as avatars, etc. on here that seem to laugh in the face of decency?

I don't think it needs a "defense" per se. If people have a right to give themselves fantasy names, then that right should be absolute and not need defending. However, if you want a rationale for naming yourself after vicious dictators and butchers, it is simply this. This site is selling a game about warfare and world conquest. Thus, one would expect names associated with warfare and world conquest to be commonplace. I'm actually surprised that we don't have more usernames reflective of Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon, Ghenghis, Ceasar, Xerxes, Tamurlane, etc. than we do.

If it didn't need a defense, it does now lol. Basically these people are being referred to in some circles as abnormal which I'm not feeling is a universal response. But putting Hitler and Stalin in the same boat as any of the great Caesars of Rome... for shame!

[2dimes]

I'm no fan of the Herr Hitler but he mearly demanded everyone to hail him as Führer. Ceasar considered himself God. I'm thinking that lead to some pretty hard core nasty if he felt slighted by whom ever. I'm pretty sure you're under valuing what those guys were up to. Maybe the nazis got them on volume but that can't be the only way to awards/recognition for atrocity.

[Dukasaur]

I would agree with this quote. I don't think it's "normal" to want to associate yourself with mass murderers, real life-villains, etc.. but at times I get the very strong impression that many people on CC do not share this viewpoint. "All in good fun", in so many words, or "freedom of speech" are very common response to issues like this.
So if you all don't mind, I'd like the hear some good reasonable defense(in a thread that will be viewed by a larger audience) for usernames as well as avatars, etc. on here that seem to laugh in the face of decency?

I don't think it needs a "defense" per se. If people have a right to give themselves fantasy names, then that right should be absolute and not need defending. However, if you want a rationale for naming yourself after vicious dictators and butchers, it is simply this. This site is selling a game about warfare and world conquest. Thus, one would expect names associated with warfare and world conquest to be commonplace. I'm actually surprised that we don't have more usernames reflective of Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon, Ghenghis, Ceasar, Xerxes, Tamurlane, etc. than we do.

If it didn't need a defense, it does now lol. Basically these people are being referred to in some circles as abnormal which I'm not feeling is a universal response. But putting Hitler and Stalin in the same boat as any of the great Caesars of Rome... for shame!

Okay, that kind of bullshit hypocrisy will not stand.

Why should one bloodthirsty butcher be selected for special treatment over others? Just because it's politically fashionable? Or just on numbers? Because the various Ceasars only butchered a few hundred thousand victims here and there, that makes them morally superior to Hitler and Stalin because those butchered people by the millions?

When Constantine stripped 100,000 P.O.W.s of their clothing and made them march outside during winter until they froze to death, that was so much more humane than what happened at Dachau? Bullshit. Vicious tyrants are vicious tyrants.

All the "Greats" are great mainly at murdering their opponents. There isn't anyone who has a full chapter devoted to them in a history textbook who isn't a bloodthirsty killer. The whole long littany of terror, from Sargon of Akkad to George W. Bush of Washington, is a river of blood and unnumbered tears. Just try to find one example of a historical "leader" who isn't responsible for at least 10,000 innocent deaths. Getting from 10,000 to 10,000,000 is just a difference of opportunity and means, not motive.

[gordon1975]

let anyone have any name they please,will give me more satisfaction killing a hitler , bin laben or George W. Bush.on the maps.its a war game after all

[2dimes]

Dibs on Dubya, leacher of oil.

Or maybe Obama the cruel.
He smote Bin Laden and Gahdaffi after all.

[Funkyterrance]

Okay, that kind of bullshit hypocrisy will not stand.

Hehe.

Why should one bloodthirsty butcher be selected for special treatment over others? Just because it's politically fashionable? Or just on numbers? Because the various Ceasars only butchered a few hundred thousand victims here and there, that makes them morally superior to Hitler and Stalin because those butchered people by the millions?

When Constantine stripped 100,000 P.O.W.s of their clothing and made them march outside during winter until they froze to death, that was so much more humane than what happened at Dachau? Bullshit. Vicious tyrants are vicious tyrants.

All the "Greats" are great mainly at murdering their opponents. There isn't anyone who has a full chapter devoted to them in a history textbook who isn't a bloodthirsty killer. The whole long littany of terror, from Sargon of Akkad to George W. Bush of Washington, is a river of blood and unnumbered tears. Just try to find one example of a historical "leader" who isn't responsible for at least 10,000 innocent deaths. Getting from 10,000 to 10,000,000 is just a difference of opportunity and means, not motive.

So either you missed the humor in my post or you are blinded by your need to contradict me at every turn. Which is it?
Besides, lumping madmen, sufferers of god complexes, bloodthirsty killers, sadists and the simply ambitious all into the same group is just lazy. Motivation is everything, Dukasour.

[Dukasaur]

So either you missed the humor in my post or you are blinded by your need to contradict me at every turn. Which is it?

Must be the first. I have no particular desire to be at odds with you, although it does seem to be happening rather often lately. But if your defense of the Ceasars was meant as sarcasm I missed it. I thought you were one of those Pax Romana apologists who was going to argue that it's okay to murder people in order to prevent violence. If you were being sarcastic my opinion of you goes up one notch.

Besides, lumping madmen, sufferers of god complexes, bloodthirsty killers, sadists and the simply ambitious all into the same group is just lazy. Motivation is everything, Dukasour.

When someone comes to burn down my village and massacre all my relatives I really don't care if he's doing it to glorify the one true god or to enforce a United Nations resolution. The nuances of motivation are interesting academic debates at least on some level, but none of them excuse tyranny.

[/]

I agree that context if largely important. For example, if I were the moderator of a Turkish history forum, I would probably ban a "Vlad the Impaler" name, but if I was running a vampire enthusiast site, the same name wouldn't set off any bells for me.

If we played the board game "Axis & Allies" here instead of risk, I doubt anyone would bat an eye over a hundred "Hitler", "Mussolini", or "Tojo" names.
That said, I don't really mind either way where the mods decide to draw the line in this particular forum, so long as the names don't glorify of the deeds or ideologies of said persons.