Let Brocco Stay

Though it is important to insure people in social media are not misrepresenting themselves there is a point when the need to insure accurate identity has been taken too far. In an ideal world there would be no need for people to have a different persona online, but we don’t live in an ideal world. People can be fired or shamed out of a job for supporting LGBT rights; Transgender people could be abused or even killed for being identified in their active lives; And children could be kicked out of their home for exploring the confusing and complicated feelings of coming out as a young teen in a conservative home; Still others may live in a land where their race, religion, or gender identity is a crime.

Because of this some people choose a pseudonym to go by while on Facebook. There is a need to insure that there isn’t a case of identity theft, or overt misrepresentation. But it is a sad day when an organization finds a stuffed doll to be a threat to the safety of Facebook. Brody Brocco Broccoli is an alter ego of a young woman whose only intention is to create a fantasy to make people smile and laugh. He is a lovable though delusional head of broccoli who dreams of taking over the world. Erica Cook, a psychology student in Indiana, has been named his arch enemy and a page has been created to display Brocco’s (as he is called) plots to take over the world, and Erica’s attempts to thwart Brocco’s plans. In the process Brocco names fans who take part in the fantasy to jobs or even countries to rule to garner their support.

I am Erica Cook, and though this is my legally given name, who I am in this story is as much a fictional character as Brocco is. The only difference is, I don’t have a doll. But I am allowed to stay because I am legally Erica Cook. There is no subterfuge here. There is no deception, or real misrepresentation. It is simply a role playing game where two friends work to make very difficult lives a little easier to bear. We ask for reason to be used in this case. Allow people to call themselves what they want, and stop punishing people for being a little different, or for making other’s laugh. Ask yourself if banning a doll played by a young woman is really what the rules were meant to do.

Let Brody Brocco Broccoli stay.