Post by Susanelizabeth28 on Apr 14, 2004 5:59:30 GMT -5
From thedailypress.com
Trump has earned the right to be 'The Donald'
Published April 14 2004
I've been thinking about Donald Trump. A guy who's got it all, right? Massive wealth, indestructible hair. And even in a country that's fretting about joblessness, millions of TV viewers love to watch him fire people. That takes a special gift.
Yet Trump has one possession that I'm ambivalent about:
The world's stupidest nickname.
"The Donald." What is it with that?
I know, that's what a former wife, a couple of marriages ago back in the 1980s, called him: "The Donald." What was she thinking?
Is there anybody out there named, say, Albert, whose wife calls him "The Albert"?
More to the point: Did anybody else, any of his friends, acquaintances, relatives, or business associates, ever call him that, then or now?
I can't imagine that. What I suspect is, the only people who refer to Donald Trump as "The Donald" are reporters and headline writers. That's what we're like in the news media, we get ahold of a thing and never let it go. One woman called him that 20 years ago, but he'll go to his grave in America's newspapers and magazines as "The Donald."
Not that "The," in and of itself, cannot be a valid nickname component.
For instance, there was Stan "The Man" Musial, the great baseball player. (Baseball, of course, also gave us Sal "The Barber" Maglie, Leo "The Lip" Durocher, Eddie "The Brat" Stanky and Harry "The Hat" Walker.)
But these baseball players were not known as "The Stan" or "The Sal."
I suppose you could argue that you'd call Trump "The Donald" because you meant "The Donald." As in, the distinctive Donald, the paradigmatic Donald, the greatest Donald ever. The Donald of All Donalds.
But then you'd have to argue that Trump is greater than, for example, Donald O'Connor, who I think was pretty great. Especially in his "Make 'Em Laugh" number in "Singin' in the Rain."
Even tougher, you'd have to argue that Trump is greater than Donald Duck.
You'd have an easier time arguing that Stan Musial was The Stan, despite the competition from all those other prominent Stans. You know, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan ...
I could see Stan Laurel getting some votes, though.
Put it this way: Is this the kind of nickname you would like to have?
I tell you how I'd feel if people started calling me "The Tony." At first I'd be flattered, I confess. But then a feeling of unworthiness would creep in.
Think about all the other Tonys who have a better claim on being The Tony. Tony Bennett. Tony Blair. Tony Curtis. Tony Randall. Tony Gwynn. Tony Stewart. Tony Kornheiser. Tony Danza. Tony Roberts. Tony Shalhoub. Tony the Tiger. Even Toni Tennille.
And even Greasy Tony, who ran a legendary sandwich shop near the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, N.J, in the '60s and '70s.
And even the Tony that Shirley Ellis sang about in her hit record, "The Name Game." You remember - Tony, Tony, Bo Bony, Banana Fanna Fo Fony, Fee Fi Mo Mony, Tony.
And if Tony Soprano decides he wants it, who's going to argue with him?
The best I could hope for is the nickname, "Some Other Tony."
One plausible use for a "The" would be for people who are so well known by their first names that there's no competition. You could call Cher "The Cher" without causing an argument.
And while there have been several famous Elvises, there's no question who "The Elvis" would be.
It could also work for people who have first names like nobody else's. You could call Dweezil Zappa "The Dweezil," no problem. However, what would be the point?
Finally, how about the guitarist with the band U2, who goes around under the name The Edge. Anybody ever call him "The The"?
Copyright © 2004, Daily Press
Trump has earned the right to be 'The Donald'
Published April 14 2004
I've been thinking about Donald Trump. A guy who's got it all, right? Massive wealth, indestructible hair. And even in a country that's fretting about joblessness, millions of TV viewers love to watch him fire people. That takes a special gift.
Yet Trump has one possession that I'm ambivalent about:
The world's stupidest nickname.
"The Donald." What is it with that?
I know, that's what a former wife, a couple of marriages ago back in the 1980s, called him: "The Donald." What was she thinking?
Is there anybody out there named, say, Albert, whose wife calls him "The Albert"?
More to the point: Did anybody else, any of his friends, acquaintances, relatives, or business associates, ever call him that, then or now?
I can't imagine that. What I suspect is, the only people who refer to Donald Trump as "The Donald" are reporters and headline writers. That's what we're like in the news media, we get ahold of a thing and never let it go. One woman called him that 20 years ago, but he'll go to his grave in America's newspapers and magazines as "The Donald."
Not that "The," in and of itself, cannot be a valid nickname component.
For instance, there was Stan "The Man" Musial, the great baseball player. (Baseball, of course, also gave us Sal "The Barber" Maglie, Leo "The Lip" Durocher, Eddie "The Brat" Stanky and Harry "The Hat" Walker.)
But these baseball players were not known as "The Stan" or "The Sal."
I suppose you could argue that you'd call Trump "The Donald" because you meant "The Donald." As in, the distinctive Donald, the paradigmatic Donald, the greatest Donald ever. The Donald of All Donalds.
But then you'd have to argue that Trump is greater than, for example, Donald O'Connor, who I think was pretty great. Especially in his "Make 'Em Laugh" number in "Singin' in the Rain."
Even tougher, you'd have to argue that Trump is greater than Donald Duck.
You'd have an easier time arguing that Stan Musial was The Stan, despite the competition from all those other prominent Stans. You know, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan ...
I could see Stan Laurel getting some votes, though.
Put it this way: Is this the kind of nickname you would like to have?
I tell you how I'd feel if people started calling me "The Tony." At first I'd be flattered, I confess. But then a feeling of unworthiness would creep in.
Think about all the other Tonys who have a better claim on being The Tony. Tony Bennett. Tony Blair. Tony Curtis. Tony Randall. Tony Gwynn. Tony Stewart. Tony Kornheiser. Tony Danza. Tony Roberts. Tony Shalhoub. Tony the Tiger. Even Toni Tennille.
And even Greasy Tony, who ran a legendary sandwich shop near the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, N.J, in the '60s and '70s.
And even the Tony that Shirley Ellis sang about in her hit record, "The Name Game." You remember - Tony, Tony, Bo Bony, Banana Fanna Fo Fony, Fee Fi Mo Mony, Tony.
And if Tony Soprano decides he wants it, who's going to argue with him?
The best I could hope for is the nickname, "Some Other Tony."
One plausible use for a "The" would be for people who are so well known by their first names that there's no competition. You could call Cher "The Cher" without causing an argument.
And while there have been several famous Elvises, there's no question who "The Elvis" would be.
It could also work for people who have first names like nobody else's. You could call Dweezil Zappa "The Dweezil," no problem. However, what would be the point?
Finally, how about the guitarist with the band U2, who goes around under the name The Edge. Anybody ever call him "The The"?
Copyright © 2004, Daily Press
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