Help with Acronym

[death tribble]

I am working on a villain and his colleagues who is anti-American.

 

The acronym for the main villain is HUAC and so far I have come up with Horrific UnAmerican Activities Creator. Trouble is I do't think that sounds good enough. Commando for the C is also inappropriate as he would not be a soldier or matial artist type.

 

Hadn't really decided on the full powers yet either. One might be a transform or mind control that turns an individual against America.

 

Background is that the villain's family were ruined by the House on UnAmerican Activities Commission that sat following the Second World War. And the descendent is back to make America and its institutions pay.

 

I also would need ones based on FBI, CIA and NASA. Got one for NSA (New Soviet American). But unless or until I can get the HUAC one right there is no point continuing. And I am not that keen on using HUAC as the name of the group as the guy may strike on his own.

 

Any ideas ?

Thanks

[Crimson Arrow]

Hostile Un-Amercian Activities Co-Ordinator/Conspirator?

 

I have been thinking about this and may I suggest that they are not all named after the agencies specifically? Perhaps the Fed (the Federalist?), the Spook (although watch out with that one, I think it can also be a racist term, but perhaps one of our cousins from across the Pond can confirm or deny that), Rocket Redglare (from the line about the "rocket's red glare" in the American National Anthem), which works in a socialist reference as well as relating to spacecraft (original reference was to weapon-type rockets, of course). I like your NSA one and I'd definitely keep that (subject to my comment below about cumbersome things to say).

 

As for HUAC, he'd just be "The Un-American".

 

My suggestion stems from the fact that only some of these terms are acronyms (such as NASA) and having to say, "Hey, FBI", is a bit long-winded. Alternatively, perhaps their "official" names are initials/acronyms and they have nicknames because their full ones are unwieldy. Mind you "Rocket Redglare" is longer than NASA, but YMMV!

[Smoot]

How about "The Blacklist" or (if you're targeting each agency individually) "The Shadow Cabinet"?

 

Frankly (and the Four Aces from Wild Cards aside), the HUAC and McCarthy tended to target fairly easy marks- not esp. fearsome figures. IIRC, the only one publically tarred as a 'red' in that period that I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley would be Dashiell Hammett.

 

I'm not an expert on the period, but istr that the whole thing ended when they tried harder targets, like the Army, and got hit with a backlash. That's why the JSA plotline seemed a bit... off.

 

Also (just a note), the Red Doom or Comintern teams would've probably tried to welcome any supers 'kicked out' of the US. Or (as in the Four Aces' cases) publically support their 'friends' in order to ruin them.

 

PS: Alas, "Spook" has the connotation that Crimson Arrow thinks it does.

[levi]

Is this villan from America? If not, why would he have a name consisting of English words?

[Blue]

Re: Help with Acronym

 

About that "C" part...

 

Corrector? Conspirator?

 

How about Corollary?... Webster's says, "Something that naturally follows". This guy is what would naturally follow as a result of such activities by the committee.

[DocMan]

C is for Controller when in reference to him personally, and for Committee when in reference to the group.

 

Yeah, have the group AND the leader named HUAC. Confuse the good guys!

 

Doc

[BoloOfEarth]

I also like the idea of HUAC being the name of the individual and the group. So how about:

 

the Humble Un-American Coalition (for the group) and

the Historian Unearthing American Corruption or the Herald Upsetting American Complacency (for the individual)?

[death tribble]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. The family would definitely be American and might now be exiles.

 

I know that Robert Taylor the actor testified for the committee as did Elia Kazan but I also believe that Ronald Reagan did as well.

 

Yes as soon as McCarthy went after the army he was ruined.

 

But a lot of others had been hurt as well before then. All started with the Hollywood 10 and Alger Hiss.

 

As a side note some of the writers etc who fell foul of McCarthy got jobs in Britain with the fledgling Independent TV.

 

Although I like what Crimson Arrow said for a name, I'd have to use Rocket Redglare as a patriot. Anytime people make mistakes singing your national anthem or mock it, people go beserk.

I know Roseanne was singing it at a Baseball match and deliberately goofed it to mass booing from the crowd. Anastacia forgot the words when she was singing and got attacked as a result (mental blocks happen). And Whitney Housten just extended the vocal at a Superbowl rendition and received hate mail.

I am not American, what would happen to me ?

If the Sex Pistols had done to your anthem what they did to God Save the Queen, I don't think they'd be alive now.

[Smoot]

death tribble: I can't speak for others, but I don't think anyone's going to get mad at the name of a GM's NPC (and Villain, after all.)

 

If your villain chooses "Rocket Redglare" as a name, it'd be in the knowledge that he (she?) would be baiting the US population at large (and, no doubt, the more patriotic-oriented heroes), rather than garnering support in any way.

 

I see your point, though. I spent some time living in the UK, and often had a hard time digging up a common point of reference for this sort of thing (ie, something that, if insulted or defiled, would p*** off the average Briton to the extent that messing with the flag or anthem would to Joe American.)

 

By-the-by, doesn't HUAC sound like a pre-spitting noise?

 

Edited to add: Jimi Hendrix did a number on the anthem, and that seemed not to cause too much damage to peoples' impressions of him...