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Writing Group / Re: Pen names
« on: July 06, 2011, 04:51:56 AM »
I've also wondered about the etiquette of choosing a name that doesn't fit my ethnic background. I think it would be fun to use a pen name from another culture, but I'm not sure how that would go down.
For the record, I'm a white American of British and Scandinavian stock. If I chose a German or French last name (Bill Albrecht, Jack le Pen), I think I would be safe, even though I'm not French or German. But for some reason, it seems like if I chose a Spanish name (J.C. Rey), it feels like I might get in trouble. Worse trouble if I chose a name that sounds African-American (Terrell Jackson). Or Asian (Henry Pu-yi).
It's a shame, but I think if I choose one that doesn't sound "white," I'll get called a racist of some kind. That doesn't really make sense to me, because I would be choosing that name because I like that culture. But whatever, this is the world we live in, I guess.
For the record, I'm a white American of British and Scandinavian stock. If I chose a German or French last name (Bill Albrecht, Jack le Pen), I think I would be safe, even though I'm not French or German. But for some reason, it seems like if I chose a Spanish name (J.C. Rey), it feels like I might get in trouble. Worse trouble if I chose a name that sounds African-American (Terrell Jackson). Or Asian (Henry Pu-yi).
It's a shame, but I think if I choose one that doesn't sound "white," I'll get called a racist of some kind. That doesn't really make sense to me, because I would be choosing that name because I like that culture. But whatever, this is the world we live in, I guess.