Names, Faces, and People Watching...

[azskyman]

Ever notice how when you hear or see a name that your brain assigns a particular image of someone else by the same name who has passed through your life over the years?

For names like mine (Steve), Ed, Tom, Mary, and David, we have known quite a few over the years...and maybe our mental picture is a conglomeration of those (and their personalities) or maybe it is of a particular Steve (or Ed, etc.) you didn't really like. Whatever that image is....it is your reference point from which to judge that new person in your life. You either get a thumbs up or a thumbs down right from the get-go.

Less common names like Kami (and I'm not picking on you at all, MSCoast, this is just in fun) tend to get assigned a particular image. I only know one other Kami, and it is both her looks and her personality who made the leap to the new Kami on the block until I checked out the gallery. The one I know is a tall woman...former military...who speaks very much with authority! (and no, I do not know if she carries a whip!)

From that point on...the image can change depending on whether someone is in our Storm2k gallery or how and what they post. But still...they only "morph" from that first image in our mind.

So....in my case, although I am learning to know a lot of you for who you are and that face in the gallery, I will tell you Patricia that you started out as an employee of mine who works the night shift, Tom, you are my right hand partner at work, Jacki(e), you are that crazy woman who worked for me back in 1981, Joshua, you are a wonderfully talented computer guru, Bonnie, you are a wonderful friend and fellow teacher who is no longer with us, and Sonny (aka Arizwx), you don't know it but you bought my house back in Illinois!

Just a quick takeoff on this and then I'll stop. Particularly on waits at the airport, our mind will attempt to match faces of strangers with those we know. We have been known to laugh right out loud by doing nothing more than saying, "Hey, look over there. It's Dave" The resemblences to friends and family can be uncanny. Or they can just be fun.

All part of people watching.

[Stormsfury]

Interesting topic, Steve ... and as for stereotyping am image/face to a name, I'm guilty as charged ... of based on a style of posting also can bring a mental image of what that person might look/be like ... and lots of times, my image implanted in my head couldn't be further off ... which is good that the Storm2k Members' Gallery exists ...

[WidreMann]

I, too, suffer from this not-so-debilitating condition.

Sometimes I do take images from people I know in real life and sometimes I create images based on personality.

[pawlee]

lol! a few weeks back i thought azsnowman was a guy still in high school! boy was it a shocker when i saw him in the gallery! it was like "ok, i see his dad but where is he? oh wait, THAT IS HIM!" p

[JetMaxx]

I'll admit when I first saw the chat gallery over a year ago, I was very surprised....

Very few of the GoPBI or Storm2k posters looked as I had imagined they would; but that's just human nature...you'd be surprised how many folks over the past three years have thought I was black -- likely because of an African American NFL Defensive Back with the NY Giants a few years ago also named Perry Williams.

Jetmaxx aka Perry W.

[MScoast]

Less common names like Kami (and I'm not picking on you at all, MSCoast, this is just in fun) tend to get assigned a particular image. I only know one other Kami, and it is both her looks and her personality who made the leap to the new Kami on the block until I checked out the gallery. The one I know is a tall woman...former military...who speaks very much with authority! (and no, I do not know if she carries a whip!)

LOL...I'm a former military brat I'm shorter than short...I do speak with authority, but that's because I have 4 sons and a husband

[JetMaxx]

Kami, it all depends on who is hearing your name....I've always thought Kami was a beautiful name (I definitely didn't see you in my mind as Azskyman did).

Here's another example: the name Rhonda: my sister worked in a law office with a lady named Rhonda...a kindhearted attorney who was like a mom to Becky; and is a major reason my little sis is today a college graduate. When I hear the name Rhonda....I immediately think of attorney Rhonda Broffman and I smile

On the other hand, I have a good friend that absolutely hates the name Rhonda....because it just happens to be his ex-wife's name (their divorce was very bitter

Perry

[David]

What about David?

Yep, I have images in my head with most all names. But, it's easy to picture you when your in the gallery!