The King of Cruel Nicknames

~ MaryG

What’s the story behind your nickname?

I wasn’t going to respond to this prompt, but then thoughtful posts by Singing Gecko and Books by Asher got me thinking.

Growing up in the 70s, kids (mostly boys) were constantly coming up with cruel nicknames for classmates, usually other boys. However, girls were not always spared. A couple of boys decided to call me “Popeye” in 5th or 6th grade because of my large eyes. I was so upset about it. I cried and cried. I think my mother finally intervened and spoke to a teacher (which was not her usual style), after the typical advice given to girls back then did not work: “They’re teasing you because they LIKE you” (worst advice ever!)

These memories made me think of the question Kamala Harris has been posing: What kind of a country do we want to be? It’s actually a great question.

Do we want to go back to the time when casual bullying, based on appearance/race/sexual orientation flowed like water from the tap? (If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, you know what I’m talking about.) Or do we want to live in a country where differences are celebrated and everyone feels included? DEI (short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) should not be used as a slur. And it makes me sick that it’s being used that way against Harris.

I honestly think the cruelty is the point with Trump and his followers.

Image from Pexels

15 thoughts on “The King of Cruel Nicknames”

  1. Hear, hear! I had no idea what DEI, and how that can be seen as anything but good is beyond me. I think Trump & Co. appeal to the crabbed, nasty part of human nature, which certainly does not need to be encouraged. Instead, leaders should encourage compassion and inclusion.

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  2. I had a phrase in my post today “except when used by former presidents” or something along those lines because I have always thought nicknames were generally an affectionate thing, although not always. i took the phrase out because i didn’t want to go there but nicknames can be very derogatory and unkind.

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    1. They often are/were, especially back in the day. I’ve noticed it’s lessened with my kids’ generation. My son and his friends have mostly harmless ones. Thank goodness!

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      1. it just occurs to me that when the giver is generally unkind, the nicknames are too. i guess that explains why i give affectionate nicknames because i an generally affectionate. it is good to see kids using fewer mean nicknames — that’s my experience with kepler as well.

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  3. I’m glad my post was helpful. I initially hesitated to respond to the prompt for the same exact reason – the hurtful nature of nicknames in childhood.
    But after tea and meditation, I reconsidered that experience. I embraced it!

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  4. Spot on. I can’t believe people celebrate Trump’s school yard bully tactics. Every time I hear him call people names, I always say, “How old are you?” It’s seriously time to turn the page on this guy. I hope enough voters are as tired of this as I am.

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  5. We used to complain about 30 second sound bites. Name calling like that tries to take that theory one step further. Let’s call someone a name that will stick, whether it’s right or not, and then I don’t have to talk about my own actions or lack of policy. The attention is off me but on me all at the same time. Ugh.

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    1. I agree, it’s a form of deflection. And the way he continues to deliberately mispronounce her name…what do the comms/marketing pros make of that? Is it just pure racism?

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      1. I struggle with pronunciations, but nah, I struggle to think that it’s not done on purpose. When you have his record of doing that, there’s a reason for it. And yes, to me it comes across as a mktg move to point out sort of like the nicknames, “hey she’s different.” I don’t expect politicians to be Miss Manners, but I hate what it does to the rest of society. Politics should at least be civil and mannerly. Or am I just crazy! 🤪

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