Indians are notorious for using false names at call centers. I even met a few very well spoken gentlemen in the .net programming business who used Anglo names. They didn’t want to tell me what their real name was.
But, what are the effects of using a false name?
(1) You will lose credibility. There are many people out there who will assume that if you misrepresent your name, you will lie about other things as well. I have learned that this is unfortunately true. The sad thing is that so many people in India lie about their names and lie about everything else as well. If you ruin your credibility, that is for life — at least with that particular client who you ruined it with. Unfortunately, you undermine the credibility of others who are associated with you as well when you lie. People will judge others from your country because of your fabrication!
(2) People might be more comfortable with your name. Many in America cannot pronounce multi-syllabic Indian names. Worse yet, they might not like some of the names. God forbid your name is Ousama or Hussein. Muslims typically have names like this! Many westerners might like the fact that you have a name like David which they can pronounce!
(3) You might gain a sense of freedom having a new name. You are no longer Chakrapani Balasubramanium. You are now, Rick Smith, an aspiring American businessman, who for some reason ended up in an Indian Call Center! You might feel a sense of liberation by being freed from the oppressive and narrow-minded restrictions of Indian culture! You might even start eating hamburgers and dating girls with no thought of marriage — how American!
(4) You might also feel a sense of alienation. If you feel close to your culture, and distant from Western culture, you might not like being Rick Smith. You might say, “I don’t feel like a Rick Smith.” Honestly, it is hard to feel close to a culture unless you socialize in it. And even if you socialize in that culture, if they are mean, discriminate against you, or are just plain boring, you will not identify with them in the long run.
So, if you are not sure about having an alias name, try it out for a week or month, and see how it goes. Have your mom call you by that name, your sisters, brothers, friends, enemies, and so on. Try it out, Rick!
Tweets:
(1) What are the effects of using a false name in business besides losing credibility?
(2) If you misrepresent your name, will you lie about other things too?
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