Why did I pick the name "Harrison Bergeron?"
"Harrison Bergeron" is a short story written by the late Kurt Vonnegut. The title character is an intelligent teenaged individual who happens to be strong and handsome. Set in a 2081 America, the Constitution was amended to make all people equal. Uncle Sam's approach to ensuring equality comes at a severe cost to individual liberties. The Office of the Handicapper General is charged with ensuring equality happens, generally through implanted radios and other devices. To ensure Harrison Bergeron can never develop a coherent thought, a bug is implanted in his ears, emitting a shrill beep every ten seconds. He's also physically handicapped by being forced to wear weights on his arms and legs, making him physically unable to do anything considered above average.
So how does this apply to me?
As an Officer in the Navy, I am generally on call in some manner. I've been issued a government Blackberry in the past and am expected to keep my phone on my person at all times. Onboard ship, I always had a telephone nearby and if my CO needed my presence, I would sometimes be paged over the 1MC (the ship's general announcing circuit, an "intercom" in landlubber speak). Over the years, I developed a Pavlovian response to the ringing of the phone and, later, to the sensation of my cell phone buzzing in my pocket (I usually keep the ringer silenced).
On a particularly rough day several years ago, I became frustrated that the phone would not stop ringing while I was desperately trying to meet a deadline on a project. After about the tenth phone call in about an hour happened, I, exasperated, answered with "Lieutenant Harrison Bergeron! How may I help you?" And that is when I changed my SailorBob.com handle from "LT Grouch" to "Harrison Bergeron."
This is also the same timeframe where I humorously deduced the true meaning of being an Officer.
An Officer is supposed to lead, walking the spaces of the Division or Department. However, that is often easier said than done, because the reality is that the typical Officer will spend much of his or her time working in the office, doing office work!
So how does this apply to me?
As an Officer in the Navy, I am generally on call in some manner. I've been issued a government Blackberry in the past and am expected to keep my phone on my person at all times. Onboard ship, I always had a telephone nearby and if my CO needed my presence, I would sometimes be paged over the 1MC (the ship's general announcing circuit, an "intercom" in landlubber speak). Over the years, I developed a Pavlovian response to the ringing of the phone and, later, to the sensation of my cell phone buzzing in my pocket (I usually keep the ringer silenced).
On a particularly rough day several years ago, I became frustrated that the phone would not stop ringing while I was desperately trying to meet a deadline on a project. After about the tenth phone call in about an hour happened, I, exasperated, answered with "Lieutenant Harrison Bergeron! How may I help you?" And that is when I changed my SailorBob.com handle from "LT Grouch" to "Harrison Bergeron."
This is also the same timeframe where I humorously deduced the true meaning of being an Officer.
An Officer is supposed to lead, walking the spaces of the Division or Department. However, that is often easier said than done, because the reality is that the typical Officer will spend much of his or her time working in the office, doing office work!
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