In the last several months I have received more than several friend requests on my Facebook account from individuals, who like myself, have the "Hiv" prefix attached to their internet names and for the first time ever this week, it finally dawned on my why so many folks were so skeptical of me when I first brought this name into the world of Facebook almost 2 years ago (yes, two, not one, because keep in mind that the name lay dormant for almost an entire year before I reactivated it). It now all makes sense why many folks simply could not and/or did not wanna deal with me - because they simply did not know what to make of me, or how to take me - a real person or a very poor joke gone awry. I never thought I'd ever say this but I finally know exactly how they felt. People wanted to know then, just as newer folks I run into online nowadays wanna know now, what is the deal with HivSpice, what is the full story behind that name? Since those early days on Facebook, those questions have been answered on a fairly regular basis via this blog; however, how extremely ironic that I find myself asking the very same questions that were once asked of me - what is the story behind each and every one of those "Hiv" names?
By the same token, as interested as I am of the answers to such questions, I'm not dying from curiosity to find out why others choose to have an "Hiv" or "Poz" prefix or syllable within their internet identity because after all, it's a free world and people definitely are not required to have my or anyone else's consent on what kind of internet monikers they create. In fact, my only personal concern regarding the prescence of such names online is that it is my sincere hope people will utilize them with the intention of using them for honest, legitimate reasons, whether that be making a personal stand in regards to the education/prevention efforts and/or public awareness regarding Hiv/AIDS, or as a form of personal self-expression, or for whatever other reasons in the wide spectrum of possibilities that lay between those two reasons. As long as folks arent using such names for questionable and/or dishonest intentions, I really dont have a problem with it. Well, with just one exception.
If people are creating these "Hiv" names as a form of mockery or its their own sad attempt at trying to be humorous, I do have a major issue with that because I personally do not think there is one funny thing about being Hiv+ and/or having full-blown AIDS. Granted, when you do create a name with "Hiv" or even "Poz" in it, people making all kinds of comments is something you need to get use to because that naturally comes along with the territory; but, even so, for those who have commented "HivSpice? Now THAT's funny!" (and trust me, there have been several or more incidences of that happening over the years) that is something I will never fully understand because it does make me wonder "What the hell is so particularly funny about this name?" I think the answer is hidden in the 2nd part of my name, "Spice," for on numerous occassions many have asked "Who are you, the missing Spice Girl??" Jokes about the Spice Girls are nothing new to me so I usually let such jokes roll off my back, after all, I too can laugh about it and at myself, and dont get me wrong, it's not that I am uptight or pompous about the matter, but beyond the Spice Girls reference I simply dont find it funny. By the same token, I'm not going to get upset or write a personal rebuttal every time someone attempts to make a humorous insinuation regarding my name, I'm just gonna continue to stand my ground, and continue to roll with the punches on that because I happen to like the HivSpice name, for the good things it represents to others and to myself.
One other interesting thing about all of this is that when I calmly and rationally ask people who have commented that the Spice name is funny, guess what happens? They instantly shut up. Now that's fine-n-dandy but even that aspect of it all evokes a bit of mystery too because I really would like to find out the answer. I mean, I dont inquire about it in an offensive manner, I politely ask them why they think the name is funny and to this day no one has yet provided me with one single legitimate answer. Strange, dontcha think?
Though I have never claimed, nor will I ever claim, to have cornered the market on "Hiv" names I'm more than certain that there were "Hiv" and "Poz" internet names long before I created the Spice name back in '95 and I'm sure there will be such names in existence long after I've bitten the dust. Actually, in a way, I hope there's not because I personally, just like millions of other people out there, would like to see the day when there wont be a need or even a place for names such as these - the day when Hiv/AIDS is eradicated and becomes a fact of the past. Trust me, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be referred to as the person who is "formerly known as HivSpice" in the years to come. Wouldnt that be great, literally? Thank you for reading.
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