You're more than just a number

14.08.10

We are humans, not mathematical concepts.

So it annoys me when someone asks me for my phone number or social insurance number as a means of identification. Call me by my name, not a number.

But numbering people isn’t new. The ancient Romans numbered their children — ever heard of Octavia, or Eight?

Numerologists give numerical values for names to help parents decide which would give their children the greatest advantage.

Some people are known by their numbers, like Agent 99 and Queen Elizabeth II.

Maybe being in the word business makes me sensitive to the depersonalizing effect of getting a number to replace my name. It might be my traumatic experience with new math in Grade 5. Or it could be that number combinations are harder to remember than words.

Car model numbers, highway numbers and even phone numbers are also vaguely annoying.

It’s much more descriptive to tell someone to turn left from the Sunrise Trail than Highway 6. A Mustang is memorable, but only fans know if a 210 is a Ford or a Chev or a Whatnot. The Crime Stoppers phone number would slip entirely from my head if it didn’t make up the word TIPS.

Source: TheChronicleHerald.ca

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