Caps or Lowers?

Names are interesting. They say a lot about a person. Names can be weak, powerful, quiet, loud, inconspicuous, blatant, etc. They are wonderful things. There are certain names that just grab at your attention. Yakapo, for example, is just one of those names that I can't say enough. Yakapo. Yakapo. Yakapo. What fun. But more importantly, a single name can shift its meaning simply through its presentation.

For the primary breakdown, I will use my own name. James. See, James, on its own in the basic written form is standard. It can hold power if used correctly, and it seems to just flow off the tongue. JAMES, on the other hand, is far more powerful. It calls your attention, makes you want to know a JAMES, makes you wish you were one. james is very informal. It makes you comfortable. It has no "POW!" to it, and is simply there to sooth your mind. For James, I prefer the all caps. JAMES is my favourite of the three. However, if I am using my full name, I would write it James R. Mitchener. There is just something about that which makes me proud to be a James.

Other names are different. Lantz, for example, must be written with a capital "L" and lowercase followings. I think it's because of the unique spelling, and too much uniqueness would be overwhelming. So, we keep it normal.

An interesting couplet of names are Kristen and Kristin. I have known both, but felt very different about both the names. Kristen could only be written by me as "kristen". That's who she was. I hated Kristen, and hated KRISTEN even more. Kristin, however, has always been "Kristin", and will always be. KRISTIN is just daunting, and kristin is far too weak a name.

Here's a list of people I know and how I see their names:

Robert
Josh
beth
Bryan
MIKE
pulkit
JIM
josh c.
BROOKS
Kyle
garrett

Got you thinking? How do you see your own name? How do you see mine? Other peoples?

Discuss.