Sample story
Tyler came up one day and asked, “Hey, Betty, when did they say that Family Home Evening was again?”
“It’s ‘Beatrice,’ and it’s at the Institute at 7.”
As Tyler walked away, he wondered why Beatrice keeps correcting him about her name, as he hears other people call her Betty, and she doesn’t seem to mind them.
Later, he overheard Lillian talk to Beatrice.
“So, you think Scattergories is a nice board-game to play at FHE, Beatrice?”
“I guess if enough people agree to play it, then it is."
Tyler walks up to Lillian. “Hey Lily, do you ever call her Betty?”
“I used to, but she told me to call her Beatrice. She said she doesn’t know why it agitates her to call her Betty but it just does.”
“Are others forced to call her by her full name or is it just us?”
“From what I observe, it’s just us. We ought to talk to the Missionaries or President Beauregaard about this; the way Betty restricts how we address her, offends me.”
"Maybe it's by how we stand out. I'm the only one confined to a wheelchair at this Institute, and you're the only one wearing a wig. You don't think she..."
"Well actually, it appears to be. If only chemotherapy wasn't dumb enough to make me lose my hair, you know. And it's as if that wasn't enough; remember when my wig fell out in front of Betty when playing Twister that one night?"
"Oh, the nerve. There's just no sense in discriminating by handicap. That could be as bad as doing the same by race, religion, and any other demographic. Isn't handicap a demographic too?"
"I'd be inclined to say it is."
Actual story below
(The names below have been changed in the actual tale.)
At Institute, everyone else calls her “Annie.” “Annette Windex” first learned of my “personality secret” (a certain demographic) when she and her fiancé “Craig Brownback” saw some books pertaining to that demographic/secret when they helped me unpack my apartment after returning from Japan last August.
Annette and Craig kept the discovery to themselves because they knew by my silence about these books, I felt uncomfortable talking about it. Months passed, and at some point Annie told me about my secret, etc, etc. We had a missionary session at her apartment with Todd June (That’s you, Tommy) and soon after we left, she sent me a Facebook message saying that I’m to only call her Annette.
Some weeks later, Solara Randomhouse (That’s you, Cami. Cami --> (Toyota) Camry --> (Toyota) Solara. Moreover, Webster and Random House both make dictionaries.) was talking about Annie, and I told her that “Annie” is what she goes by online, as she told me in a Facebook message, and that she prefers to go by “Annette” in real life.
Then I later told Annie that I corrected Solara about her name and she told me not to; other people can call her Annie because it somehow doesn’t agitate her when others call her that, but it does if I do, and that she doesn’t know why it agitates her, but that it just does. That agitated me, and made me think of how some people get agitated when people with handicaps talk to and/or deal with them, and even when they’re in the same room with them. Would anyone who reads here agree that those tendencies are offensive? I am with you right there!
I can only wonder how things would be different between Annie and I if she had not have seen those books. I feel so unenthralled at this restriction of what to call her that I don’t even want to say her name when I address her. I can call her Annie out of her earshot so I can feel better about it.
Possibly she is restricting what I’m to call her because of my secret/demographic, and what good comes out of that? However, I would not mind calling her any name she wants me to if she became my friend here again.
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