The Psychology of Bush’s Nicknames

[yurbud]

I remember Bush's very first press conference and was shocked that he goofed on a reporter for being bald (an early revelation of his fetish), and the guy of course could not respond in kind out of deference to the office.

The analysis makes sense but what I didn't know before was he refers to McCain as "Hogan." It took a minute for that to sink in--Hogan like Hogan's Heroes, the old sitcom about POWs. So here is this trust fund baby shitbag who ducked out of going to Vietnam goofing on John McCain who was a POW for years, tortured, and passed up an early release he could have gotten because his dad was an admiral, an escape clause Bush would have taken befoe the period at the end of the sentence.

The simplest explanation is that Bush has no regard for the feelings of others because he has never had to endure them fighting back. He has always had layers of servants to protect him and wipe up the piles of shit he left on the carpet.

When someone says something disparaging about him, like Helen Thomas accurately saying he is the worst president in history, he gets in a huff and freezes her out for years.

Therefore, the correct response for anyone called by one of these nicknames to their face is to respond in kind.

I know McCain won't do it because he made some kind of deal with the Devil with these pricks, but whenever Bush called him "Hogan" he should say "That's pretty funny, Mama's Boy. What's even funnier is I got to play Hogan as kid. You'll get to do after being president."

The Psychology of Bush’s Nicknames



EXCERPTS:

The President’s penchant for nicknaming both friends and foes recently grabbed headlines in his now infamous remark made to then FEMA Director, Michael Brown, during Hurricane Katrina: “Brownie, you’re doin’ a heck of a job!” But what lies behind the president’s habit of bestowing such monikers as “Stretch” (Dick Keil, Bloomberg News), “Frazier” (Sen. Diane Feinstein), and “Hogan” (Sen. John McCain)?

I believe that the explanation goes deeper than the “frat boy” attitude sometimes attributed to George W. Bush. (An article in Wikipedia opines that Bush may have picked up this habit during his days in “Skull & Bones”, the secret society at Yale that gives every member a nickname). I believe, rather, that to understand the President’s nicknames, we need to dig a bit into the nature of naming and re-naming, as an enduring pattern in human history.

Such naming rituals go back at least as far as the Hebrew Bible or Tanach, usually called The Old Testament. A change in name, in this ancient biblical context, usually signifies a change in spiritual status or moral character. In the Book of Genesis, we find that after Jacob wrestles with an “angel” or divine messenger, his name is changed to Israel—variously translated as “one who struggles with God” or “turns the head of God.” Notably, it is God who changes Jacob’s name, as is the case with Abram (re-named Abraham) and Sarai (re-named Sarah). There is a message in this: changing someone’s name is a sign of dominion over that individual. Our children do not name us (though they may use unkind nicknames behind our backs)—we name them. The knight does not “dub” the King, Sir So-and-So—it is the king’s dominion that allows him to christen the knight.

The rabbis of the Talmudic era were aware that, when mortals misuse such powers, the results can often be destructive. These sages were especially disturbed by the use of derogatory nicknames. The Talmud tells us, “All who descend to Gehenna will come up, except three…one who sleeps with a married woman; one who shames his friend in public; and one who calls his friend by a cruel nickname.” . Any child who has come home from school in tears, having been taunted with a nickname like “Fatso” or “Butthead”, understands the destructive power of such nicknames.

http://www.etalkinghead.com/archives/the-psychology-of-bushs-nicknames-2006-04-27.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. Yes, it's about control. FDR did the same thing. Folks didn't like it..

when he did it either, though FDR's knicknames were usually versions of the person's given name, rather than references to traits as Bush does.

And, of course, since the president is calling you by funny names, you can't reciprocate. So, he calls you "stretch" and you address him as "Mr. President."

A friend of Susan Collins told me that on a flight to Maine with the two senators, Bush dubbed Olympia Snowe "The Big O." Collins related that Snowe visibly bristled at this and Bush was completely oblivious to her reaction. What an idiot.

[yurbud]

6. It's time for formalities to die. DeTocqueville wrote about manners...

The reason why the South had better manners than the North was it was a way of acknowledging and reinforcing hierarchy, so a slave always had to call a White guy "Master or Mister Whatever," but the white guy could just call him by his first name or a generic name like Jim Crow or Sambo.

In an egalitarian society, those rituals of respect don't sit well with us, which is why they have died away in broader society and are only used with people you don't know at first meetings. If someone you have regular contact with insists on being called "doctor" or "professor" they are rightly considered dicks.

It's slowly trickling up with how we treat politicians too, but hasn't made it to the White House. The president is not chosen by God, with the divine right of kinds, but is the first among equals (when we get lucky).

I would call FDR, Ike, and JFK "Mr. President," Clinton "Bill" because I feel like I know him and he'd prefer it, and Bush, just "Bush" at most. He deserves no special respect.

Reporters should follow whatever ground rules they agree to, but give him no more deference or awe than anyone else.

Of course if they followed my advice, they would die in car accident, plane wreck or double shotgun blast suicide within the week, but they would have died to make a good point.

[Lin]

14. as w/ gangsters & mafioso- it's an "I'm the boss" thing

[Captain Hilts]

15. I talked to someone who'd met Prince Charles on several occasions...

he doesn't want formality at all. It bores the daylights outta him. She said she was unintentionally rude to him and apologized and he told her it was absolutely no problem at all.

She said the same of Andrew and Anne. She said they're all swell folks who would prefer not to have to deal with all that.

Royalty aren't as snobbish as we are.

Isn't it interesting that just about no one addressed FDR and ER as 'Franklin' or 'Eleanor'. Not even folks rumored to have had affairs with them. Different mores in different times.

[Lisa]

18. one of my employers visited Prince Charles once ...

And as you say, he came away with the impression that his host would rather have been puttering around in rubber boots and a rain slicker, than dressed up in a suit. He insisted that everyone stay to lunch (heritage vegetables that he'd grown in his private garden) and was completely at ease, talking about tomatoes and cucumbers, and asking everyone what varieties they thought were best for the area!

My employer grew up in England and is really down on the aristocracy in general (he's really a small "r" republican verging on socialism), but now he figures Charles is okay. He got the impression that the Prince didn't dress up for his visitors in order to "put them in their place", but because they were guests and he wanted to show he respected them (being old-fashioned that way is totally in character for him).

[yurbud]

23. When FDR died people cried real tears too, like that famous photo

of the black guy playing an accordian.

When Reagan died, Fox had to lie about people showing up at his library to mourn him.

When Bush or his dad die, it's a toss up whether their own family will cry or just go through their pockets looking for loose change.

[madame defarge]

2. Interesting...

this theory fits very well with the whole patriarchal view of the Republicans that George Lakoff discusses. However, I think Clueless George isn't intellectual enough to have picked up on that aspect of it consciously or subconsciously, but does it because he has never grown beyond his school yard bully days.

[oldtime dfl_er]

12. Maybe, but

there's more than a little bit of hostility in his nicknames. I agree with the writer that these nicknames are a way of establishing control and dominion over others by diminishing them with monikers. It's cheap and hostile and un-gentlemanly. It's more evidence of his sociopathic nature.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/1386797

[Turbineguy]

3. There seems to be a challenge

implicit in this:

Think up a flattering new nickname for Bush.

Sorry, I can't.

[yurbud]

4. Bulldog Knocker? Gannon Catcher? I'd just call him Barbara

"Hey, you know, you look a lot like yur ma. I'm just going to call you Barbara. Or maybe Baby Barb, er Barbette."

[Briar]

5. "the guy could not respond in kind out of deference to the office"

I much prefer Helen Thomas' attitude to the person holding the office: he is a public servant. Enough with this deference to the office - what better proof does one need that conferring absolute power on the titular head of state is a dangerous and foolish thing to do.

[Virginia Dare]

7. It's another coping mechanism for him...

to deal with his debilitating insecurity. Right along with the drugs and alcohol.

On a related note, I was talking to an acquaintance recently who previously had been somewhat ambivalent about the Chimp. This person informed me that they no longer had any positive feelings about him at all because of the way he constantly talked down to people.

It occurred to me that this could be in part one of the reasons for the falling poll numbers. He becomes shriller in tone by the day. He has completely lost his relaxed "folksy" appeal, and now just sounds like a marginally intelligent self-important bully.

Most of us here already knew that though!


;-)

[yurbud]

9. sadly, I thought GOP turned a new leaf when they told Quayle not to run

I didn't realize they were clearing the deck for a retard who unlike Quayle, didn't know and didn't care that he was retarded.

[Stanchetalarooni]

8. I disagree. These nicknames are purely for mnemonic reasons.

I am embarrassingly bad at remembering peoples names. I can easily remember an individuals voice, their character, their facial expressions, their non-verbal language. But ask me to remember their name and I draw an embarrassing blank.
However, if I create a mnemonic device, a word association that I can pair up with the persons name then I can remember their name.
I generally do not call the person by the mnemonic device as Bush does but have done so on occasion. Generally as an endearment.
As far as Bush goes I think that he also uses these terms as mnemonic devices but continues to use them solely as a moniker for the individual rather than just as a memory device.
Lazy frat-boy he is it must remind him of his Yale days with his old kegger pals....Stinky, Fuck-head, Jerko and all the rest.

[yurbud]

10. that's not even memory--it's looking at people and describing them

"you in the plaid pants" aint exactly a talent.

[Lisa]

17. because Bush is rather childish and likes needling people ...

... it makes sense that the names which would stick in his memory would be juvenile and insulting ones! I have a bad memory too, and I bet the "hooks" which both of us use are rather more respectful than Bush's. (For example, mnemonics based on associations with people's hobbies, hometowns, the fact that s/he wrote a book or just got a graduate degree -- rather than referring to someone as "Baldy", "Snake", "Turd Blossom", etc.!)

[katty]

20. bush is the poster brat for arrested development

[yurbud]

22. I tried to remember a students name was "Clara" by hooking it to the

city "Santa Clarita." I accidentally said it out loud and she stormed out and never came back.

that wasn't even meant to be insulting, but it's the response Bush would get if he did that at the only job he's qualified for, cart collector at Walmart.

[peacetalksforall]

11. and Bush was completely oblivious to her reaction

Not only is he juvenile, he is dense.

Thanks for posting this quote:

" The Talmud tells us, “All who descend to Gehenna will come up, except three…one who sleeps with a married woman; one who shames his friend in public; and one who calls his friend by a cruel nickname.”

I disavowed the Ten Commandments in the last couple of years because of the complete contempt that conservative christians obviously hold for them - by way of their cheering deaths from war, cheering filthy crimes of their leaders, furthering and inflaming bigotry, etc..

The Ten Commandments are not their rule, obviously.

I transferred emphasis to the Beatitudes.

Thanks for this excerpt from the Talmud. Very practical. I'm saving this. Post more.

Now do I turn the other cheek while these criminals destroy my country?
Or do I find forgiveness before they stop destroying it?

[yurbud]

13. I don't know more Talmud, it's from the article, but I'll see if I can

sign up for Hebrew school, or at least watch Fiddler on the Roof again.

[peacetalksforall]

16. You're right, got so involved in my 'contempt' that I forgot that you

were linking for us.

BUT.... :o) if you do make it to school, share with me. Thanks.

I'd like to hear Falwell or Robertson or Phelps or Bennett re-interpret that wisdom from the Talmud.

[katty]

19. saw a 'rehearsal' tape of Letterman show w/bush around

time he was announcing his run for the WH (Letterman aired this rehearsal tape once on his show-I taped it) it was amazing, bush was sitting on the Letterman couch (his mood was quiet arrogance)during rehearsal right before the taping and one of the stage managers (a woman)walks up to straighten up some items on Letterman's desk...
bush is holding his glasses and 'grabs the back end of the stage managers light cotton jacket and starts: cleaning his glasses off WITH HER JACKET! (obviously anyone near or on stage would have been able to see this)The stage manager was so busy, she didn't know it was happening, then he stopped, she turned around and walked into audience area.
To see bush do this was so disgusting, his attitude spoke volumes-an arrogant, rich, entitled little prick.

[yurbud]

21. that's what he's done his whole life--wipe his ass with other people

[CBHagman]

24. What I don't believe has been mentioned yet is...

...the following:

1. George W. Bush's general air of resentment and vindictiveness. For someone who enjoys a nearly unmatched degree of good fortune, power, and affirmation, it's curious that there's a marked degree of hostility and defensiveness.

The nicknames don't strike me as the product of social deftness and lack of pretension but rather, as someone observed above, thinly veiled attempts to control and trivialize.

2. His air of condescension (such as having to openly compliment the intelligence of the German chancellor, as though she were an 11-year-old spelling bee champ).

3. The cult of Bush approbation indulged in by the press, such as plaudits for his supposed sincerity, steadfastness, good humor, faith, compassion, etc. Yet his deeds don't necessarily match the description, so I must wonder why the press has been so adamant in their praise.

[Cha]

25. And bush will always be

"fuckhead" to me.