All right, well in an attempt to be objective. I can see where you could think that camp names could be bad but let me tell you that they really aren't. If someone does create two totally different personalities for each name then it might be different. But I really don't know anyone who does and if someone acts differently at camp than they do at home chances are it's not because they have a camp name. I know that when I go to camp I am more uninhibited than anywhere else, not that I am constantly worrying what others think, but because camp is a sigh of relief, and people often feel they are among close friends at camp they are a bit more at ease. This can be especially true when you've been going there all your life. I have to say that I have worked at camps that have had camp names and haven't and Cayenne was Caitlin and Caitlin Cayenne if you will. So, I can really see where you're coming from except that I don't think everyone associates a special personality with their camp name. And lastly, I don't think camp is completely the real world but I have only been at two kinds of camps. One being a girl scout camp (obviously the world is not single gendered) and worked at a camp for kids with special needs(that was different because it was a place these kids could go and fit in) So maybe camp would seem more like the real world if I went to one that represented more groups or both genders. In conclusion I guess the "real world" depends on the camp and camp names from experience don't seem very harmful and certainly not dishonest. Dishonest would be telling someone that is your name and you do not have another one but all campers understand that your camp name is not your real name and are accepting of it. No--it doesn't interfere with bonding either.
Wow that was long.
Caiti Sue
