I did something today without asking for your input, and so I am now asking for your support. I deleted a thread that I had started a while back and some of you provided great input. It was the topic in which I asked for substitute names we could use for the man who occupies the White House. At the time, I wanted to stop using his name for various reasons, and I thought using nick names would lighten our discourse. He felt more silly and light to me when we called him Mango or Twitler, than by his real name. I provided a few names to get it started and when I read the responses, I had a good laugh, probably the first real belly laugh on a subject involving that man. It was about time to be able to laugh.
I didn't realize at the time that I was encouraging people to ridicule someone. But when someone sent me this article recently, I got that that is what I had done.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't changed my mind about the guy. He's a danger. He is a bully, a cause of so much pain, a malignant narcissist and a sociopath. And I still like some of those names and could end out using them. And I won't have a problem with anyone using them here.
The problem for me was that I had set up a specific thread formally encouraging people to come up with nicknames for someone. So please don't worry that you shouldn't call him whatever you need to call him. I still can't say his name and don't intend to.
But I don't want his behavior to drag me down to his level. So I deleted the thread that I had started and did so with no disrespect for anyone who came up with some of those hilarious nicknames. I pray that you will be okay with my unilateral decision. I thought about contacting those who had contributed first, but reaching out to specific people who are scattered about is not easy, and I thought I might never do it if I didn't just do it.
Years back when spirit came to me about my future as an intuitive light worker, I was told that I would be a facilitator, the workshop leader. But not a guru. You have helped me grow in ways you can't imagine, and so deleting the thread I had created is part of my growth.
So follow your own inner guru and know how much I appreciate all of you.
Dear Jeanne, I am so grateful for this forum you've provided to so many of us. It's been a such a source of inspiration, joy, support, and relief for me during these past three crazy years. I've also gotten to know you as a friend, and I trust you to do what's right for this site. You have my full support and I'm sure the support of so many others. You tried to provide us with something that would lend some levity to counter the darkness, but then realized that you needed to pull back a bit. I see what you were doing with both decisions, and you have all my love and support. Thank you for all the hard work you do to keep this site going, work that includes making decisions to keep it true and authentic, and never mean. xoxo
I’m so glad you deleted it. It was definitely not in the spirit of the site.
I disagree about that pulling anyone down to "his" level. Some of the posts made me laugh harder than I have in a long time. I also think that in this time and place, it's unjust to censor clowning when that clowning is aimed at injustice.
BUT
It is YOUR site, and you have to be true to yourself so no offense taken.
F*ck Cheetolini. The fact any of us even has to consider this stuff because of his existence is maddening.
you know, Jeanne, that i sometimes refrain from posting what i would, because of the worry that somehow it is not coming across in the way i intended. So i tried to not post while i was having insomnia. Or after too much coffee. Or when i was too drunk. Or too sober! Or too depressed, or too ecstatic. And most def, when i was just too blah.zay.. Second guessing always come first for me, but let me just say this now: I see your heart, and i love what you are doing here
Laura, I appreciate your reply and I have always appreciated your gusto and your fire. I know what you do for this world, and I know you are on the front lines of helping in ways that I am so grateful for.
I am not censoring you or anyone, though. I tried to make that clear. I deleted a thread that I started because I did not like that I had called people to ridicule someone. I also laughed my head off when I read the responses. I'm fine with whatever you want to call the guy in your posts. I wouldn't have deleted the thread if someone else had started it. And it takes all kinds of voices to make up a collective of light workers. So Laura, thank you for you!
Unk P. Thank you. Thank you. Brings tears.
To clarify - I also mean we shouldn't censor ourselves for silliness. It's not like we're lining up to call "someone" names to their face (although if someone starts that, let me know and I'll get in line!).
And I fully understand the karmic argument of not wanting evil to boomerang back on any of us, but I have come to believe that when battling against truly dark forces, which I believe we are, no boomerangs. The Universe/Karma/Whatever* wouldn't allow for that. And if I'm wrong (a distinct possibility), I'm ok with taking some hits for the team.
Always remember St. Genesius*, the Patron Saint of Performers. He was a Roman clown who got executed for ridiculing the Emperor of Rome.
*Some believe that St. Genesius still protects performers, but especially clowns. I consider myself a lifelong clown.
Much love to you, Jeanne!
Jeanne,
What was your "intention" when you started the thread? Intentions matter. Was it to be negative, to ridicule Donald Trump? Was it a place to dump negativity? Was it trying to find a moniker that would stick to the man who sticks monikers to others? Would it be a nickname that would trigger his supporters with rage or trigger them to actually think about it.
For example, if Benedict Donald was the name that resonated, some people might actually stop and think about it. Benedict Arnold was synonymous with "traitor" in this country (and for some of us, we have a particular Brady Bunch episode to thank for that). Just as Moscow Mitch has frustrated Mitch McConnell, a nickname may frustrate Trump. In that state of frustration, he may not focus on implementing other dark deeds of Stephen Miller (et al) and just rage about how unfair he is treated instead.
In the end, I don't question your decision to do what you did. You provided a place for us to dump darkness and negativity and then you flushed it away. Welcome to the human condition....
You provided a place for us to dump darkness and negativity and then you flushed it away.
Love that thought. Also you are right, hadn't thought of that -- that the names help educate people. I'm going with Benedict Donald.
I don't want anyone to feel they can't use whatever words they want here. It wasn't about the names people use. It was about me as owner calling upon everyone to make up nick names.
My intention, since you asked, was initially that I wanted us to be under the radar by not using the man's name so much. A few weeks days earlier, I'd expressed that I didn't want to use his name so much, and people after that in their posts were hilariously substituting his name for so many funny and creative nicknames that I felt my spirit lighten up. I laughed my head off at the result. He seemed more silly than dark and foreboding. However, all I had was Mango, so I started the thread to get funnier names into my own vernacular.
But in the eyes of some good people who aren't fond of him but are looking for a higher vibrational community, it was felt differently when the site owner put out a call for nicknames. People who come from the political Right, for example, may find what I did hurtful, even while they may be turned off to the man in the White House. They want to end the divisiveness and connect with people who also want a kinder world. It feels hurtful to them personally, even though they don't like him. I was tone deaf to their feelings, but I see it now.
And coming from the site's owner, my action could be making me a perpetrator of divisiveness (and darkness) instead of a light worker. So it's not any one of our reader's use of names themselves that are the problem. It is the owner of the website explicitly calling upon the community to make up nicknames that I feel is wrong.
I hope people get the distinction and continue using whatever name they want, save anything that arouses violence or is repugnant to anyone. So far, no one has used a nickname that isn't okay. You get it.
I love the satirical comedic aspect of the names. Don't want that to stop.
The whole thing is complex. That article/study you posted touches on this issue for me. What is my intention in what I post? Codyroo got to the heart of it all with that question. My intention had been benign (though tone deaf). However, then there is a second question: what is the impact of my action on others? Answer: not benign for a certain segment of people when coming from site owner.
Laura, SNL, Randy Rainbow, John Oliver, Ward Sutton, and many other satirists have done amazing work in helping us to laugh at this situation. People have been doing that here with those names. Don't stop whatever helps you to be creative and laugh.
@jeanne-mayell, besides addressing your legitimate concern that we remain under the radar, I believe your intentions were good. A call for creative expression. Nothing wrong with that. Besides ... it keeps us sane!
I loved reading everyone's input in this thread. I've sometimes felt ambivalent about the name calling; I see T. calling people names, and I don't want to be ugly and match his lower energy. For example, I'm very uncomfortable making fun of how someone looks (although admittedly I do often say "Turtle"). Making fun of someone's physical appearance has nothing to do with their internal spirit and soul, unless what you're seeing outside is a manifestation of the inside. I agree that the "intention" is important.
Regarding T.'s name-calling: besides being mean-spirited, so much of what T. calls people isn't even accurate -- it's stupid stuff you'd hear from an elementary school bully. What works for me is if there is a grain of truth in the appointed name -- as Jeanne stated, that "satirical comedic aspect." And so many of the names people have come up with here brilliantly illustrate that.
I do want to comment on something funny that occurred today. When I got up this morning and read the new topic name, Taking it to a higher Level, I said to myself "I really like that. Makes total sense to me. I will make that my intention." Then I turned on Morning Joe as he was airing the video of Sean Spicer on last night’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Spicey was banging the drums and dancing around in a day-glow, lime green salsa shirt. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone, then said to myself "Taking it to a higher level ..."? I'd find Spicey's performance strangely charming, had he not lied incessantly for T., and continue to lie for him. A name began to form on the tip of my tongue ... but I refrained. For now.
Then I laughed out loud -- at myself.
Cheers to you sweet Jeanne!
As I have been reading your posts in this thread, two quotes from Maya Angelou spoke to me. (I really like her words of wisdom.)
1.) We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
2.) Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
The way that I see it, you and your site are the epitome of these 2 quotes.
You are still in the process of creating this beautiful evolving place for us all to gather together. The glorious butterfly is a symbol which brings the message of beauty, endurance, vibrant joy, transformation, hope, and life. You are creating a garden to nurture a host of emerging butterflies (in all their various stages) and in the process you are becoming one as well.
Beautiful! isn't it?
@lovendures. Funny, been thinking about butterflies all day today! Ordered more milkweed so I could help the monarchs come back to life.
Jeanne, I understand your intent on starting the thread and then on deleting it. As others have said, this is your site and we are grateful to you for making it available to all of us.
I don't think you can put yourself in the same category as Donald Trump when doing things like that. You are good, he is evil. But I understand the collateral damage this could have on innocent people.
I'm just disappointed I wasn't able to come up with something in time to participate. But all the good ones were picked. I also heard all over the web other nicknames: from the Yeti and Uncle Sham to Liar of the Free World and Agent Orange...
My current favorite is Codyroo's Benedict Donald. I also like Moscow Mitch. I agree with Deetoo that I don't want to make fun of someone's looks, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, sexual preference.You and anyone else can use your creativity to come up with a name when you need to refer to anyone here whose name you don't want to use.
After reading all the responses, I realize the impact of anything I do here. People read into others' words much more than was intended. Even after I explained my intention - that I didn't feel the website owner should start a thread like that-- I feel people are now nervous about using nicknames. Damn! I miss those nicknames!
The Human Tanning Bed Warning Label. Tangelo Fruit Roll-up, Stretched Over Kitty Litter. Yellowish-Orangish Kanye. Boiled-Ham-in-a-Wig. Super Callous Fragile Racist Sexist Nazi SROTUS.
...there now, the spell is broken. And i feel so much better!
Taking it to a higher level--Kudos to you for understanding the owners concerns as well as those of many among us who felt uncomfortable and avoided the topic.
While it lets out a lot of steam, name calling of any kind is a reflection of our inner subconscious desires that do not reflect our highest selves.
I felt that my many months earlier prediction to you in a very small group setting online where i told you it was beginning to feel more like Facebook energy on this site came out when we arrived at this point.
For years Facebook became a huge name calling extravaganza of what most laughed at and reveled in what they felt as levity and lighting up their anger.
Really it only lightened up frustration everyone was still angry and couldn't get past it into any level at all of higher understandings or deeper levels of working or understanding or healing their frustrations or angers.
It could be seen as a silly game but its still does reflect on this site. Its like the celebrity predictions sites. Fun for many but whats the purpose, goal or good of them in the long run? We may justify visiting them but they still don't truly serve our growth.
I can see you got it and realized it and now are up where your talents truly do their their/your own highest and best work.
It's a huge challenge. After years here, we go round and round with newcomers, same discussions, same topics, same multi-leveled stages of understanding and growth among all of us. We get scared, we want to give up and more and more (just like Facebook) sites encourage us to post more, like more for their own purposes.
We all want and need to "be liked" to make others laugh, to find commonalities in understanding and touch each others humanity.
You are amazing to keep going, keep adjusting, learning and most of all growing. As you grow, lift up, learn and transform--we all grow and learn and are raised and so is the unseen, unheard of here collective.
A hard thing to admit, accept, and do. I admire and respect you so very much--and now even more so. ?