I admit that I'm repeating myself here, by turning into a post a reply I gave to a comment on my MLA nametag bit below.
See, it's only the MLA where I haven't worn my nametag. I do at other, smaller conferences, especially those in my field. There, where the groove tends to be more casual and the feeling more "we're all in this together," I see the nametag as functioning more aptly to generate conversation. I'm thinking of GEMCS (Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies?) here (not the RSA, which is pretty formal), where a tag-sight is more likely to prompt an introduction -- precisely because there is a more palpable *context for such an overture.
Anyways, the last GEMCS I attended was in Orlando, and naturally I took the kids (to that most unnatural of family destinations). Back in the hotel room, my daughter, who sees in every flat white surface an opportunity to "tag" herself, took the initiative to decorate my nametag. Colorful marker. Flowers. Stars. A couple princesses, no doubt.
I didn't wear the nametag afterwards, but wouldn't it be a hoot to customize one's MLA nametag -- you know, pimp my ride?
Imagine the looks!
Looks that would show up the very phenomenon of MLA nametag decorum.
It's a plan. And I invite you to join me. (See you in Chicago . . .)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
I Have a Cunning Plan
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
For some reason, when I read this, my first thought was some sort of tatoo image, maybe a mojo hand to ward off danger, or perhaps a heart with a dagger with a banner that reads "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."
Okay maybe not, but ...
What with my daughter's stars, I was thinking of Chief Justice Rehnquist's addition of stripes to his robe -- something that takes the name and makes it really stand out and *say something . . .
Of course I was also thinking flowers. Jardiniere and all that.
Suffice to say that the possibilities for self-expression are abundant, and rather tantalizing.
What's interesting, re: non-pimped MLA name-tags, is that at library conferences (ALA, ACRL, etc.) it is de rigeur to attach all sorts of ribbons, stickers, decals, doo-dads, and other add-ons to one's name tag in order to demonstrate affiliation to subsidiary and related organizations, committees, and groups. Certainly undermines the stereotype of the self-effacing librarian!
Post a Comment