As if being able to choose your gender wasn’t enough, apparently now you can choose your own name, too!
Rainn Wilson, most famously known for his role in “The Office,” has legally changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson.
Why?
Well, because he apparently wants to fight climate change.
Now, I’m not sure exactly how changing your name can change the weather… but apparently this is a thing!
See Wilson’s statement below:
Join me @ @ArcticBasecamp in bringing attention to the melting issue. We need world leaders to take action at COP 27!
The Arctic is melting at Millions of Liters per second, yet this problem can’t seem to make a name for itself, so we’ll make a name for it.
Go to link in bio ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/TgEG84fOmQ— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) November 9, 2022
Rainn Wilson has changed his name to 'Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson' to draw attention to climate change pic.twitter.com/vWjyuCNFSQ
— ScreenTime (@screentime) November 10, 2022
Rainn Wilson of “The Office” has legally changed his name to “Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter” to protest climate change. pic.twitter.com/bjuCLPVXUd
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) November 11, 2022
In recent weeks, climate activists have done crazy things.
For example, they’ve desecrated some of the most famous and iconic pieces of art.
They’ve destroyed statues and monuments.
Some of these climate activists have even graffitied public and private property.
I don’t know about you, but to me it seems like these “activists” are causing more damage and harm rather than good…
The Guardian has more info on Wilson’s name change:
The actor Rainn Wilson says he has changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson to protest against the climate crisis.
In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Wilson said: “as a cheap little stunt to help save planet Earth, I’ve changed my name on Twitter, Instagram and even on my fancy writing paper.” It is not clear if Wilson has legally changed his name.
As for why, he said: “I changed my name … to help tell the world leaders and influencers that we need to act now.”
The star of The Office (US version) has changed his display name on Instagram but not his username. He has not changed either on Twitter, where he said: “PS They won’t let me change my name because, Elon!”
He suggested alternate names for other notable figures in the entertainment industry, including “Cardi The Arctic B Melting”, “Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered”, “Harrison Why Not Drive An Electric Ford”, and “Leonardo Di-Polar Ice Caprio Are Melting”.
Wilson is a board member of Arctic Basecamp. He said their mission “is to raise awareness of the global risks of Arctic weather change.” The effort to mobilise people to change their names is being launched as world leaders gather for Cop27 in Egypt.
In a statement, he called on others to log on to “ArcticRiskName.org and create a name that will bring attention to this problem. Then – and this is the important part – change your social media profile or display name to match your new ArcticRisk name. If enough of us do this, then maybe Cop27 will be where our world leaders sit up and notice Arctic risks and introduce a solution.”
Will Wilson’s stunt actually have an impact on climate change?
Unlikely.
But it’s impossible to know for sure.
But there’s one thing that’s certain: Wilson is very serious about this.
Rainn Wilson of The Office has changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson as a climate change protest. Wilson has said his name change is "not a joke." pic.twitter.com/gpxnTyHhcQ
— IGN (@IGN) November 10, 2022
“The Office” star Rainn Wilson has changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson to protest climate change. https://t.co/0EcxMAQ1QZ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 11, 2022
Rainn Wilson changes his name to raise awareness about climate change and we had to share it on our Tweeter account. pic.twitter.com/z5m5f5MPUy
— E! News (@enews) November 11, 2022
But Wilson isn’t stopping there.
He’s encouraging OTHER people to change their names as well.
According to local news station KSL TV5:
Rainn Wilson has “changed” his name and is inviting others to do the same.
“The Office” actor debuted “Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson” on social media Thursday as a way to raise awareness about the climate control crisis.
“As a cheap little stunt to help save planet Earth, I’ve changed my name on Twitter, Instagram and even on my fancy writing paper,” he said in a video he shared on his verified social media accounts.
In the Twitter thread that included the video, Wilson added that he was unable to change his name on Twitter “… because Elon,” referencing guidelines implemented on the platform by new owner Elon Musk.
Wilson encouraged his followers to visit environmental advocacy group Arctic Basecamp’s “Arctic Name Changer” to get their own names to be used on their social media profiles in the hopes of capturing the attention of the world leaders assembling in Egypt for the COP27 international climate change conference.
So…
Has Wilson inspired you?
Are you going to pick your own name?
Even if you aren’t going to pick your own activist name, what would you choose if you had to?
We’d love to know!
Let us know in the comments below!
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