My blog name references NBA player Metta World Peace, whose unique name not only makes a great play-on-words with "metacognition," but also has a surprising amount of relevance in critical thinking.
This is Mr. World Peace. Formerly known as Ron Artest, World Peace is currently on the decline in his career. About 10 years ago, he was one of the NBA's elite defenders, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, being selected as an All-Star the same year, and winning a championship with the L.A. Lakers in 2010. However, a series of recent injuries have pretty much made him an insignificant part of the league.
During his prime, however, Ron Artest (later to change his name to Metta World Peace) developed a reputation as one of the league's most aggressive and eccentric players. He was largely known for getting into fights on and off the court, including altercations like this elbow thrown at James Harden. What he is most known for is his role in "The Malice at the Palace," arguably the worst fight in the history of professional sports. With less than a minute left in a 2004 game between the Detroit Pistons and Artest's Indiana Pacers, a fight broke out between the two teams that escalated into an all-out brawl. Artest ended up chasing a drunk fan into the stands and punching him, earning him an 86-game suspension - the longest in NBA history.
Behold the mighty power of alcohol and testosterone.
After that game, "Ron Artest" became a name of infamy. The name itself developed a negative connotation and Artest became known as one of the league's most violent, even criminal players. This might help explain his strange choice in 2011 to change his name to Metta World Peace. "Metta" is a Buddhist word meaning "kindness" and "World Peace" is...well, world peace. If your name was synonymous with "criminal," wouldn't you prefer a name with as positive a connotation as "Metta World Peace"?
If his original name-change wasn't ridiculous enough, World Peace changed his name once again in 2014 to The Panda's Friend. (Not sure if his first name is "The"? Or "The Panda's"??) This was likely another attempt to create a more positive image for himself. After all, who doesn't love pandas? If you can be friends with the panda, you must be a pretty good guy. Compare the positive connotation of this name to the negative connotation of "Ron Artest." Ron Artest was the player who used to start fights, but The Panda's Friend is a good guy.
The Panda's Friend has since changed his name back to Metta World Peace, but his situation is a great example of the power of language and connotations. And now my blog name will hopefully make a bit more sense.
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