I thought the antagonism to "Kamala" was a bad idea, and I said so here.
But I switched to the "Harris" approach, as you can see in the previous post.
Then somebody asked me where I got the idea that to use the first name alone would make me look as though I were declaring my opposition to her. My aim is neutrality, cruel neutrality.
So I googled and found "'Harris' or 'Kamala'? Inside the debate over calling women by their first or last name/The vice president has enough support from delegates to assure her the Democratic nomination, but what name does Kamala Harris want to go by?" (Yahoo). Excerpt:
There's that "brat" crap again, with the fuzzy font and the intentionally repulsive green color.
And we're given this from a person who, we're told, is "an expert," Melissa Baese-Berk, a professor of linguistics:
Context, relationship and intent all matter when referring to someone by their first name, Baese-Berk told Yahoo News.
“There’s a lot of debate, in part, because there’s no ‘right’ answer about this. Lots of people feel that first names are used in disrespectful ways, or are used disproportionately for individuals from marginalized communities,” said Baese-Berk.
Someone may call the vice president “Kamala” because they feel she is relatable. On the flip side, someone could use just her first name as a way of being condescending, she added.
“But calling someone by their first name or their last name isn’t by default rude or polite. It all depends on the context,” she said.... “I think it’s great we’re having this conversation. It helps us think through how we use language the way we do.”
As I said, my aim is neutrality here. Call me Althouse.
86 comments:
Writing a thematic sequel to Moby Dick?
May we should start with her pronouns.
Linguistic professor excited to get a call from the media. A milestone in the lonely life of academics.
I thought someone posted that here the other day, "Kamala HQ," but I could be mistaken. TGIF
Like the unique names “Madonna” or “Cher”, “Kamala” would first denote a performer, to me. Hence, not a serious leader. On the other hand, she just wants to have fun, so who cares what I think?
I call her Kamalamadingdong. I mean it in an affectionate and familiar fashion, too.
I still prefer Ho Bag. Much more descriptive and supposedly Willie Brown's pet name for her.
Kamala Harris seems like a Kamala in the same way Dwight Eisenhower seemed like an Ike. It seems very friendly and relatable.
Good though they consulted an “expert”. And what was her analysis? “It depends”
Gee thanks…
I respected no leader more than Margaret Thatcher.
What if we went with Mrs. Emhoff?
I call her "Harris" because it feels more respectful, like I call you Althouse. If I am going to criticize her positions, which I likely will as soon as I learn what they actually are, but I can wait to find out, maybe I will be pleasantly surprised, but it will be about her positions, not her sex or her name.
Although "Kamala" was the name of the prostitute to powerful men in Siddhartha, but, like I said, now that she has the job, let's find out what she plans to do with it.
And, yes, Kamalamadingdong's (maybe dingbat is a better ending) own staff calls her Kamala on promotional materials- none of which now seems to indicate that she is the actual Vice President to President Shit For His Brains. I also note that Shelob's entire campaign title was Hillary!, much like Jeb!.
For decades, President Trump was "The Donald". The commenter above is like me- when I hear someone refer to themselves by their own first name or just use a singular name in promotional materials, I think entertainer/celebrity- definitely not a serious person.
Because the stakes are so low ...
In short (sorry for the triple post)- this attacking people for using "Kamala" is only directed at her critics and is a form of civility bullshit from people who have no problem calling Trump "the next Hitler".
If your name is unique enough, you can be identified by that as a branding tactic.
Hillary!
Jeb!
Does not work for:
Donald!
Ronald!
George!
Bill!
Joe!
Maybe not good for Barack because it evokes the wrong associations and Barry! not unique enough (Goldwater?)
Campaigns have a lot marketing because people vote for the trivial more than they vote for policy. First woman, first Asian, first black, "FUN!". It's like we are electing prom kings and prom queens, not leaders of the free world.
Should have added, we COULD use "The Donald"
"Kamala Harris seems like a Kamala in the same way Dwight Eisenhower seemed like an Ike. It seems very friendly and relatable."
Only if the one using it is a supporter. Otherwise, the user of the first name is mocking the candidate and that is a death penalty violation of social protocol, at least these days not the 1950s.
Of course no matter what you do regarding Kamala they will call you racist or sexist if they don't like you.
Then: Biden bragged about Kamala bringing "diversity equity and inclusion" to his team when he named her VP.
Now: Calling her a "DEI hire" is just like using the n-word.
Then: Biden said specifically he would name "a black woman" as his running mate.
Now: If you say she was "picked for her skin color" or "because she's a woman" you are both a racist and a sexist.
Then: Kamala was named the "Border Czar" by Biden and everybody referred to her that way until this week. (In fact Biden's prior "point person on the border" Roberta something quit in a huff in 2022 after Kamala replaced her.)
Now: The media claim Trump is lying when he referred to her as border czar. MSNBC called it a "smear job" in addition to claiming "there is no such thing as a border czar." (Technically that's true but they all used the term until literally yesterday.)
I look forward to the WaPo column on how gaslighting is actually good for our health and well-being.
The green color is perfect - it's the color of Hamas.
"The green color is perfect - it's the color of Hamas."
Yes- yes it is.
Besides "Donald" not being a terribly unique name, President Trump has verged into self-parody while putting his last name on anything that he rightfully owns, including an iconic private jet.
Kamala is trying to brand herself as "fun," but it's not going to make her look presidential in any respect.
kamalo, esperanto for camel.
Someone may call the vice president “Kamala” because they feel she is relatable. On the flip side, someone could use just her first name as a way of being condescending, she added.
You see, if Democrats call her Kamala, that means she's relatable and brat.
If Republicans call her Kamala, that means they're racists and haters.
She has the perfect name. She completely fits what our wretched society has become in the United States.
As long as we can call her Gone after Election Day.
During my 30+ years of professional work, men and women were invariably addressed by last name and there were no issues. First names were used too, but last name was the default it seemed.
Quemala
Cumlah. Emphasis on "cum".
Alternative House you are!
Sometimes I call her Kamala, sometimes I call her Harris. Harris is a very common name, so I only use it where it's clear I'm talking about the vice president; whereas I can say "Kamala" in any context and people will know who I'm talking about.
"May we should start with her pronouns."
Like she/it?
I keed, I keed.
Kamala is a folksy one name. Democrats love this. JFK, LBJ, FDR. "Give 'em hell Harry". And Obama or Hillary. Carter was "Jimmy" Carter.
Eisenhower was "Ike". But Trump, Reagan, and Nixon were on a last name basis. I've heard libtard's call Reagan "Ronnie", but it didn't stick.
Anybody who objects to Kamala, will have to explain why Hillary is called "Hillary".
Harris is unlikable. Kamala is an attempt to make her more accessible.
She's branded herself as Kamala; too late to change now.
Kamala is a rare name in the US.
Harris not so much.
Her campaign should go with Kamala.
Hilary wanted to separate herself from Bill so she went with her first name in campaign propaganda.
W used his Dad’s name to bolster his thin resume and distract from his profligate life.
Jeb went with Jeb because W ruined the Bush name.
Ya doesn't has to call her Ray.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCqh5ROtQRg
I spent years in the graphics and font business.
That graphic is ridiculously bad. Confusing, unfocused (literally!), repellant, unmemorable.
Are they sure they hired a friend?
"As I said, my aim is neutrality here. Call me Althouse."
Ann goes all Sidney Poitier on us. "They call me Mr. Tibbs!"
Yes, there's an amazing coincidence upon coincidence upon coincidence that not just the colors but the official logo/design for "Kamala HQ", the Brat marketing campaign, and the Hamas flag are so similar. Psychological convergence and conditioning.
Yamcy:
We also call her Kamalamadingdong here at the von Berlichingen estate.
Althouse:
When does cruel neutrality become stupid or
self-defeating neutrality?
MfG
Goetz von Berlichingen
Some commenter here rattled about because I used "Bobby" instead of "RFKJr".
First of all, "Bobby" is a lot easier to type. Second, he's shared personal YouTubes that invite friendliness.
For now, she's "Harris" to me.
Anybody who objects to Kamala, will have to explain why Hillary is called "Hillary".
The rules only last until they aren't useful then there's new rules, no explanation needed or forthcoming. They don't have to explain shit. They take their orders and run with it, just like denying in unison that Kamala is the border czar or ever was.
I’m not going through this again. We did it with agony over Barack Hussein Obama. But nobody agonizes over what to call Donald or Trump or Drunpfnor Joe ! Or Biden or Brandon
We don’t need to walk on eggshells about what we call someone who wants to lead this country
If people start calling her Harris, the dems will lose a talking point about bigoted right-wing mispronunciation.
Kamala is great marketing.
It sounds young and fresh and rolls off the tongue. Even better, it has a similar sound/feel to Obama.
Finally, it was the Biden-Harris administration, so switching to Kamala! lets her distance herself from the fact that 1. She helped enact some of the disastrous policies and 2. She was part and parcel of the coverup about Joe being non-functional.
She needed a rebrand to compete.
Related and interesting to me; I really believe that Democrats will want to cement the legacy of having the first woman President, so Harris will be President before January 21st. That would make her the 47th President.
Trump has been selling himself as 45/47. That's similar to the Bush Presidents calling themselves, to each other, as 41 and 43. If Harris becomes 47, that will mess with some of Trump's campaign material.
As for using first and last names; I went through an ROTC program that required me to refer to people by last name until a relation was created to "drop handles" and refer to them in personal settings by their first name. In a situation with hierarchies in place or formality, I'll use last names. I do think using first name is more personable.
I think Harris would do better using her first name, the way many supports of Obama would call him Barack, which made it seem they were buddies. She needs all the buddies she can find, because I don't think she has the closeness with anybody that Barack had.
Does anyone else remember when it was racist to use Obama's middle name, Hussein, not alone, but just to include it when writing his full name?
Seeing the boss girl Kamala memes on my Dem friends' FB pages tells me that she has the AWFL vote all sewed up, at least until they tell them that they need to vote for someone else.
My favorite meme for its sheer stupidity is the stiletto heeled, red, white and blue FM shoe squashing an orange. But they are they are the smart, compassionate ones always reminding us of the importance of being kind.
How many name changes did Lord Zero execute before settling on Barack Hussein Obama?
Regarding the banner:
- All lowercase letters (small, like her accomplishments)
- fuzzy font (like her thinking)
- puke green (like her policy preferences)
And then there's the conflicting overlapping circle with "KAMALA HQ" in all-caps, bold, shadow type to add confusion - the placement looks like something used on an ad, such as "New and Improved!" or "As Seen on TV!".
Respect for what?
When did Eisenhower become "Ike"?
Was it a boyhood nickname? Was it a latter day career move to obscure his German heritage and avoid possible speculation that he was a German sympathiser?
I am pretty sure that close to half of America have no idea who this "Harris" character is.
It is like saying "Ciccone", but far less identifying.
Wasn't this triggered by Jennifer Rubin freaking out on X that using the first name loses elections, or some such nonsense? Rubin is a grifter and a stupid one at that, so why anyone takes her seriously is beyond me. This, of course, becomes a cause of the grievance brigade, who would be arguing the exact opposite if everyone was calling her "Harris" and will agree that anything is offensive because everything is offensive.
Again, Kamala Harris's own merch has "Kamala" on it. Maybe Rubin is right (LOL) and it is a mistake to use the first name instead of the last name, but when someone asks you to refer to them in some way it is generally not considered to be offensive to follow those instructions. If Jennifer Rubin wants to say that Kamala Harris is a political idiot to do this, who am I to argue with either of them. Kamala Harris is an awful politician. That's long since established.
Kamala has too many syllables to fit in the Shirley Ellis Name Game.
Harris, Harris, bo-Barris, banana fana fo-farris fee fi mo marris,
Harris!
Harris Faulkner might object.
Whiskeybum, good start on the counter-marketing of their official logo. Here are a few more. We should have a contest to see how many fit here. This is going to be brutal for their campaign to respond:
They agree, she's green (inexperienced, amateurish).
It's not just green, it's slime - a kid's toy.
She's not just against Israel, she's carrying Hamas's flag as her own.
any word on Drump or Trumpf?
Quite an imagination they have.
Kamala, karma-la's gonna get you.
[Kamala's] carrying Hamas's flag
She's a Hamasidol maniac.
That font is intentionally fuzzy? That's not just a bad screenshot? That's stupid. If she were a Republican the media would blame her for causing bad eyesight in millions of people.
The pettiness is off-putting.
Althouse's theme today seems to be Harris Is A Trivial Lightweight.
"Was I too quick to accept the pushback against calling Kamala "Kamala"?"
"They" can. You, and anyone not-them, can't.
It's the green of
“The sea, the snotgreen sea, the scrotumtightening sea.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses
Althouse Nation is great. Keep those Kamala HQ counter-marketing ideas coming.
How does she feel about Hock Tuah, the Cock-Sucking Whore?
President Trump has verged into self-parody while putting his last name on anything that he rightfully owns, including an iconic private jet.
Yeah what an asshole. I mean, who else does that?
Besides
Willard Marriott
Conrad Hilton
Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Charles Walgreen
James Cash Penny
Theodore Fedders
"Lefty" Pearson
Bernard Kroger
Ramon Vorne
Walt Disney
Jack Warner
and about a million other entrepreneurs
And nobody puts the company name/logo on the company jet. Right?
John Henry
Does it work both ways?
If I call her Harris, will she call me Henry?
If she calls me John, can I call her Kamala?
John Henry
Shouldn't we call it GANG GREEN as a tribute to Antifa Rioters?
Ike?
Let's see.
The Supreme Allied Commander, a German sympathizer.
Yeah! That's the ticket!
Speaking of planes with names, Bill Boeing's name is not only on company buildings, trucks, planes, toolboxes and everything else. If you buy one of his planes, his name is on that. Even though it is your own plane. And even though he has been dead for 70 years.
Or Louis Chevrolet. He's been dead for a century yet many people are still driving cars with his name on them.
John Henry
She, Harris, was rated the most "Liberal" Senator. 100 out of a possible 100. I knew she, Harris, was far left but I figured the Fake Indian held that title.
I think she, Harris, is the proper call. But to me she will always be Kackling Kammy the Kommie from Kalifornia.
According to Carlo D'Estes' Eisenhower bio, Ike was first called "Little Ike" in high school, to distinguish him from his older brother Edgar, who was "Big Ike." It's not clear when "Ike" was applied to the first Eisenhower.
Quemala
QueMala Quemala Quemala
Bow-wow-wow-wow-wow
Quemala
Bow-wow-wow-wow-wow
Quemala
h/t Bow Wow Wow
I heard there was gonna be a press release today by... ummm I do not wanna say a name because I might get the pronunciation wrong, and I know there is a big flap about that now, and I do not want to get censored, or dissed, or shut out, or whatever they call it, or get my house windows shot out and fired from my job, 'cause these folks that do these demonstrations and protests are deadly serious about it these days, ready to do you serious physical and financial harm if you like do not pronounce a name the way they think is the right way, but y'all know who I am talking about here. I think. Doncha?
Kamala Chameleon?
And we're given this from a person who, we're told, is "an expert,"
Ahhh- an expert. That settles it, then.
The expert says there’s no ‘right’ answer about this.
There should be, because I bet there's plenty of wrong answers. And whenever they need to word-police or when it is to their advantage to let you know your'e wrong and probably racist, they'll let you know.
What would Madonna do?
Notice how the press is talking about her name, her color, her logo, her brand ... and not a single word about her positions and policies?
Wonder why that is.
Willie's Ho works just as well. Everyone knows who's who.
"Wonder why that is."
Because they suck? Her positions and policies, that is- everybody knows about her already.
Michael(Jordan and Jackson); LeBron; Larry; Wayne; Tiger; Donald, Beyonce, Cher.
If you are yuge enough they know who you are talking about, and it's no insult.
Also there's nobody else named Kamala, and lots and lots of people named "Harris" (first and last names--I am closely related to Harrises both by family and by marriage.
Jeez. I forgot about "Hilary."
I must be blocking.
Two-eyed Jack said...
“I am pretty sure that close to half of America have no idea who this "Harris" character is.
It is like saying "Ciccone", but far less identifying.”
When I saw “ Ciccone”, I first thought of Ciccolina, the Italian porn star turned politician.
And Harris is the actor Ed Harris to me.
Kamala is close to announcing a new KamalaOT!! If only she could get RFK Jr. to get on-board and lend his family's mystique to the effort. I predict one of her initial efforts after becoming President is a sharp confrontation with Cuba and Russia over Russian naval exercises off Cuba. But this time, unlike the Bay of Pigs disaster, KamalaOT will prevail!! It's possible as Democrat Presidents seem to always want to start or contribute to a war or two.
Quaestor said...
“How many name changes did Lord Zero execute before settling on Barack Hussein Obama?“
And you were racist if you mentioned his middle name.
That exact shade of bright green is the color used on flags by Hamas. It has specific relevance to Mohammed, and only those with a claim to be his progeny were once permitted to wear it. The color is also dominant in the flags of the old PLO, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, the execrable font and layout resemble the logo of a cheap and transient hamburger chain.
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