If you say it five times while looking in the mirror…

"P-Zed, evilutionary superscientist. P-Zed, evilutionary superscientist. P-Zed, evilutionary superscientist. . . ."

I hadn't really noticed before... but they DO like to use your full name, don't they? Sort of like a mother scolding an errant child: "Paul Zachary, you stop blaspheming this instant! I'm warning you..."

Well sure, it's the nannies who go for the whole name.

We know we're in trouble when someone writes "Paul Zachary" or "Paul." For we know that there's going to be a long convoluted diatribe regarding "niceness," which totally avoids the rudeness of intellectually dishonest liars.

Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/6mb592

Is it similar with our president? People who despise him emphasize his middle name.You know how I know when it's going to be a rant against him? When they start out "Barack Hussein Obama..."

Yeah, I noticed this trend as well...I always read it like a mother scolding a child - I probably wouldn't know my own middle name today, if I hadn't been such a hellraiser as a child.

"Do his foes believe that the use of his full name holds some magic power over him?"

I can imagine the ceremonies, where his name is spoken out in full, & prayers with baleful incantations, & much amen-ing. Feckin' edjits.

Go, PZ!

I think the first few commenters at Pleiotropy are correct: "PZ," like any shortened or nickname, denotes a kind of friendly familiarity that creationists obviously don't share.

I'm less sure that the popularity of "Barack Hussein Obama" in conservative writing is similar. In my experience, it's more of an attempt to emphasize the "otherness" of the name, making it a vestige of the "Obama isn't American" meme.

a rose by anyother name...

Actually, I was horribly scarred as a child when I looked up the meaning of my name in one of those baby name books.

"Paul" means "little".

"Zachary" means "remembered by god".

"little one who is remembered by god"? Gag. Fortunately, my mother did not pick it because she knew Hebrew.

I'm surprised the wingnuts don't like PZ - all caps.

May I call you, "Paulie"? Want another cracker?

A comic (don't remember who) once had a riff on the full-three-names appellation as denoting villainy: "Lee Harvey Oswald", "John Wilkes Booth", "Attila The Hun", etc. Maybe that is the sympathetic magic they are trying to invoke here, both with "Paul Zachary Myers" and "Barack Hussein Obama". "Paul Zachary Myers" obviously denotes a serial axe murderer, while "PZ" is someone you would hang out with at a picnic, often involving beer.

My son, who will be 8 this summer, was named Zachary before, I think, I knew what the "Z" stood for when I saw PZ's posts on t.o, and long before I knew the name would meet with such approval among the Biblical names fan club. I liked it because, with the middle name Alexander and my last name, his initials, ZAC, would be recursive, and he'd share a name with a certain Dr. Smith, who used to curse a robot with epithets like, "You blundering bucket of bolts," and lament, "Oh, the pain, the pain." That he shares a name in common with PZ is a delightful coincidence.

I guess you haven't really arrived until there are websites devoted solely to denouncing you.

If I spend even an hour online, I think I'm wasting my life; but creating and maintaining an anti-Whoever website: that opens up entirely new frontiers of loser-dom! (Unless of course you're attacking Bill O'Reilly.)

Maybe he would prefer "Paul-E Zizzle"?

For real, though, I was trying to find a point in that blog, was there one?

FYI, I refer to Dr. Meyers as "PZ" because...that's what it says under his picture on his blog!!!

Actually,
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Pzmyers R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
feels somewhat correct.

Hmm, rather than "little one who is remembered by god", I would suggest that "little remembered by god" might be more along the right lines, and certainly more preferable, no? ;-)

Thanks for the link, Paul Zachary.

P. Zachary Myers, (bet nobody calls you that)

How about instead of “little one who is remembered by god” you give a different spin? “Little remembered by god” seems close to forgotten by god. From there it is a short leap to “forget all about your little gods, they probably don’t exist anyway. Now go enjoy some calamari.”

PZ, when I first "met" you on the intertubes, it was a little while before I realised that the PeeZee I was hearing about and the Pee Zed Meyers I was reading of were, in fact, not two different people. Doh!

Actually PZ, to be known as "little remembered by god" isn't that bad a thing, is it?

I think it is a residue of the old superstitions revolving around the "power of the name" which probably resonates subconsciously still to certain segments of the population. God refuses to reveal his full name to Moses at the burning bush, right?

To invoke someone's full name is to apply a curse upon him. . . .

Ah yes, the age-old confusion over zee and zed.

It's pretty impressive that someone has made you a hate-site. Have you read all the comments? Some of them are pretty funny.

"I think it's because the initials 'PZ' have a certain air to them, for those in the know. They convey the full rampaging power of Pharyngula, compactly expressed in a mere two letters.

Saying 'Paul Zachary' is a feeble way to try to convince themselves that they are dealing with a mere man, rather than the Terrible Giant Squid."

It's the ninth comment down.

Perhaps the ones who hate PZ are more obsessed about PZ, so that they are able to remember his name better. This was the first time I have heard the full name.

I refer to Dr. Meyers as "PZ" because...that's what it says under his picture on his blog!!!

Your attention to detail is poor or else you'd notice that what it says under his picture is PZ Myers.

@#23 Alison
"It's pretty impressive that someone has made you a hate-site. Have you read all the comments? Some of them are pretty funny."
For some reason, I do not think that it is a hate-site...

Well, according to some magical thinking, if you know someThing's True Name, you can Summon, Command, and Dismiss it. Implied threat?

I think that lots of mothers use the middle name when scolding the errant child as in "Kenneth Paul." (My first and middle name.)

My mom use to call dad by his surname or Sy, but when there was an argument or scolding to be done it was Sylvester George!!

So, they can remember his first and middle names, but can’t spell Myers… Curious.

one of the comments said:

Also, even though the initials PZ are unusual it's possible that there is at least one other PZ Myers out there. If you're going to be saying something detrimental about someone you should at least be clear who you're talking about.

Seems the rational answer to me.

He has contracted many supporters as well as many ardent critics, to put it mildly.

How do I get into one of these contracts? Up until now I've been submitting my comments for free.

What "Paul Zachary Myers" reminds me of is the scene beginning at 48:00 or so of this episode.

Posted by: Geral | April 10, 2009 2:57 PM
Is it similar with our president? People who despise him emphasize his middle name.You know how I know when it's going to be a rant against him? When they start out "Barack Hussein Obama..."

Well, if he was referred to as 'B.O.' that wouldn't be all that great either, eh?

#15

Maybe he would prefer "Paul-E Zizzle"?

Or "P-Ziddy?" Maybe for the "Beware the Believers" video....

Peasy -- full of peas, as in soup.

Sort of comforting.

Palls a Carrie -- Horrifies Ms. Underwood. Not good.

I suspect that some folks aim for using as many syllables as possible so as to sound more "serious" and erudite despite having nothing of value to say.

(Or perhaps I say PZ because I'm lazy.)

I feel so inadequate, not having any middle-initial. Is this unusual in the ilk/minionhood?

How do I get into one of these contracts?

He meant "contract" as a verb. To acquire, or pick up. Which puts us between beneficial human flora and parasitic. :)

Well, Germans would address PZ as Pay Tset.

Palls a Carrie isn't bad. The really annoying one was all the kids in elementary school who used "pull my ears" for my name.

Is that really all it'll take to get you visit?

:flings open wardrobe:

I have beer! Bought a selection of Easter brews, but haven't tasted any of them yet (lack of visitors). Please do appear!

I promise to only open one door of the cupboard so that we won't enter into xkcd country.

I'm less sure that the popularity of "Barack Hussein Obama" in conservative writing is similar.

Well, being known as B.H.O. would certainly be an improvement on just B.O. ...

I feel so inadequate, not having any middle-initial. Is this unusual in the ilk/minionhood?

You can buy yourself a middle name. I will sell you "Arbuthnot" or "Percy" for a mere $49.95 plus shipping and handling. Or if you want something a little more plebeian, "Roger" or "Alan" can be had for $29.95 +s&h. Or if you're really poor, you can get "Jack" or "Ted" for $9.95 +s&h, but that's only if you're really desperate.

Ah, turning round to watch TV means other posts saying the same thing intervene! :-D

My brother's middle name is Clivie.

Qeerty @ 28

I think we may have had the same mother. I usually got Vicki but if I heard the words Victoria Ann I'd run like a scared friggin rabbit.

Weirdly though I've only used my full first name since I was about 18. I think I just got used to being in trouble and it was easier to use it all the time. Besides Vicki is name best left to cheerleaders.

I feel jealous now. I want a middle name, or at least an initial. Then I can gauge when people don't like me by looking at when they use my full name.

Hey Qwerty, you see what I did there, unintentional typo in your name that turned out kind of funny! I think I may have been taking typing lessons off the Rev BDC.

Three times in the mirror suffices: :)

http://xkcd.com/555/

hmmm...

maybe we should confuse everyone and start calling you:

Paul Zachary M

nah. too many syllables.

My "initial' reaction.......Who cares by what name they call someone.

What was even worse than Mom's usage of my middle name?

When she would stammer a bit and add my siblings name before finally getting to mine.
"Shan- Al- JASON!" = Run.
If there was a "Miz" in there (the dogs name) I would hide under the neighbor's bed...

I feel jealous now. I want a middle name, or at least an initial. Then I can gauge when people don't like me by looking at when they use my full name.

You're lucky. All 3 of my names can be first or last names. Do I have three first names or three last names? I'm confused!

BTW, someone on the linked site suggested "Pee-Zack." Now that sounds good!

@15: Maybe he would prefer "Paul-E Zizzle"?

P to the Zizzle
M to the Yizzle
E to the R to the SIZZLE!

That's all well and good, but when are you going to blog about being your own entry in Urban Dictionary?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pz%20envy

...and of course the wingnuts make a point of calling you Mr. Meyers (complete with misspelling of your name). I'm sure the full name thing is supposed to sound like a parental admonishment...you know the way parents invariable do that with their kids when they're doing something naughty? It's supposed to be a putdown.
Dickheads.

@48

I really don't like to pick on spelling or punctuation in this kind of forum, but QWERTY is pretty difficult to misspell. Freud would be proud.

My sister maintained that you had to give a child a good hollering name: Amy Marie! Samuel Robert!

I've done the same: Jason Eric! Peter Thomas!

I must say that I've yelled Peter Thomas far more than Jason Eric.

But he's turned out to be a really good and smart kid, now a physics major in college. I'm sure my yelling had nothing to do with it.

Maybe Mel Gibson was right in Conspiracy Theory. They are trying to link you to assassins, who we all know all three names of?

We should all switch to using your native american name...

Dances With Cephalopods

'Tis # 43

How much for Ebenezer? You've got an honest face...

Paul Zacharias is a good name.
PZ its also good.
But i prefer to call Professor Myers... :)

Nah, rob,

That's too zackerhyme.

So my question is THIS...being a Canadian I say P Zed, so which does PZ actually prefer??

Well, I've been standing in front of a mirror all afternoon calling all the different variations of your name five times per variation and no link.

I've gotten a link on Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy, but for that I had to sacrifice a goat, conduct a full blown Satanic ritual and subject a creationist to all sorts of evils like telling her about basic evolution for 10 hours straight... I'd rather not go into full detail in public though.

Using initials isn't always to show regard for someone. Take ole G.W. for instance. A lot of people called Bush that, his followers and dissenters alike. And many of the former became the latter. I mean it does sound nicer but sometimes people use it to remove a certain amount of respect from the person being named. I like PZ, though, because its got a nice ring to it. Its got a "z" which makes it a bit novel. Plus it has other cool uses like, " I'm getting PZed off!" or just "PZ off!" No disrespect intended PZ.

Funny, a right wing troll who used to stop by regularly for insults had yet an other insult in the comments.

OT sort of. Fundies call for book burnings. This is a Glenn Beck "tea party", some sort of right wing protest at our economic mess. Which was all produced by right wing christofascists.

This is a youtube video going viral.

Woman: [Shouts] Burn the books! [applause]
Man: I dont think you were serious about that, were you?
Woman: I am too.
Man: Burn all the books?!
Woman: The ones in college, those, those brainwashing books.
Man: [laughs] Brainwashing books?
Woman: Yes.
Man: Which ones are those?
Woman: Like, the evolution crap, and, yeah...

I'm all for fundies burning books, something they do occasionally. A good example of their mental and moral poverty

Where?

Janine, where is the insult I missed it?

It is on the site that PZ linked to. It is the not at all missed Eric Atkinson. Patricia, you remember him!

*makes sign of crossed noodles* Janine, AUGH. That was one vile dude.

"Lee Harvey Oswald", "John Wilkes Booth", "Attila The Hun"

Don't forget This three named evil one

I saw that you slammed him too Janine. Good one.

My theory (in the nonscientific sense of the term, i.e. a guess) is that people who call you by a form of your name that is not the one you prefer do it to get your goat.

Conversely, I have on occasion insisted on my full first name rather than the shorter form I prefer with certain people and in certain settings in order to distance myself from them.

Thus the person who answered the phone all day long, "Revenue Canada, Barbara speeaking" was emphatically not ME.

I also insist on "Barbara" with people I secretly dislike, to emphasize (if only for my own internal satisfaction) the distinction between such people and people I like, who are allowed to call me "Barb."

RS @32:

I think in this case the second syllable in the word "contracted" is stressed--to indicate that PZ contracts followers like people contract diseases...

Pleiotropy is just being funny--he's a PZ admirer.

Oops, missed your post, Newfie--great minds and all that...

from the link:

Last year he was involved in three scandals of the blogosphere: Crackergate, Expelled from Expelled, and... I can't remember the third one. If anyone reminds me, I will update.

So far none of the Pleiotropy commenters has attempted to fill the gap. Me, I'm so jaded I usually can't tell what's a "scandal" until I hear the screams & sirens. Which of our host's madcap misadventures of '08 was The Third Scandal - and who's going to play PZ in the movie?

LRBG - short for PZ?

Thought you were Dr. Evil-utionist? You want a Hot-Pocket?

Dog remembers little.

The times I do mention you I've said PZ Myers. Mostly because I don't know many who I know reads your blog, so thats just to let them know who I'm talking about as it seems to be the most common version used on the sites I visit. I haven't even memorized your full name, so even if I did dislike you I would have to remember it. Though PZ sounds so much cooler, doesn't it?

I went to a few of the sites that hate PZ (linked off the article on Plietropy). What a joke :) The deluded religiots that run these sites and their sycophants really aren't too clever. The sad thing is they wear their ignorance like a badge of pride and actively work to force this oppression on their families, their friends and (by corrupting education and governance) to all of us.

The Salem Hypothesis is interesting, I had not encountered it before.

Pierce @78

I would guess the third scandal was the discovery institute and the zoo (Cincinnati?)

I would guess the third scandal was the discovery institute and the zoo (Cincinnati?)

Not the Demons Insane, but Kooky Howling-at-the-moon's creation “museum”.
And yes, it was the Cincinnati Zoo.

If I spend even an hour online, I think I'm wasting my life

In that case, I've wasted the majority of the last three years.

Oh Walton, please do not make the snarky jokes so easy on me! I am a sucker for such bait.

Ciao y'all

Yep, I remember Eric Atkinson.

On further reflection, could it be that Scandal 2008.3 was Prof. Myers's vicious, unprovoked, and strident blitzkrieg upon the historic Repub Nat'l Convention in St. Paul with his Calimari 666™ cyberpistol?

No, that's not quite right -- "Zachary" ("Zechariah") is the wrong verb form for "remembered by". One site suggests "Yah(weh) remembers". Another possible interpretation is that the verb is an imperative: "Remember Yah(weh)!".

Because "zchr" also means "male", the name might also mean "Man of God".

I don't make this stuff up; I just report it.