# Proposal: Disallow disparaging nicknames in the debate forums **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 16, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063 "2019-05-16T15:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063/61 "2019-05-27T04:48:53Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I support RitterSport’s proposal, but along the lines of the “Barack Hussein Obama” question, it’s not uncommon to refer to politicians by their initials. Would “AOC” be allowed? If that, and GWB, and DJT (and HRC) are ok, then wouldn’t BHO have to be acceptable too? None of those are slurs. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063/62 "2019-05-27T15:18:58Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Apparently, it matters to the poster who proclaimed that Ms. should be the preferred form of address. If you are referring to me, I didn’t claim that. I just objected to the person who assumed she would prefer “Mrs.” My guess is that as a politician she accepts whatever appropriate honorific is offered, so I doubt there’s a cite either way. But I bet she prefers “Senator” to either “Mrs” or “Ms”. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063/63 "2019-05-27T15:37:06Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Because she’s the one I hear most often referring to President Trump as ‘45’. Well, she can’t really call him ‘Dolt 45’ as my wife does, and as many people I know online do. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063/64 "2019-05-27T15:42:52Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > She went by Hillary Rodham for some years after she got married. I’ll be pretty surprised if she’s never used Ms.; which started coming into use around when she was in her early 20’s. I’d forgotten about that. Thanks for the reminder! To pick up where you left off, when she was already married and still going by “Hillary Rodham” neither ‘Miss’ nor ‘Mrs.’ would have worked, because she wasn’t a ‘Miss’ anymore, and not being married to a Mr. Rodham, she wasn’t Mrs. _Rodham_. IOW, ‘Ms. Rodham’ would have been the only workable option. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063/65 "2019-05-27T15:51:01Z")
2 guys named George Bush were sometimes referred to/with their middle names. Guess why? (It has to do with the fact that they were both named George Bush) AOC is common, and so is HRC, and guess what again? None of those letters reference a middle name. Barack Hussein Obama. Sure, if the attempt is to differentiate this Barack Obama from all of theother Barack Obamas that could confuse… no one. So don’t pretend why anyone uses Hussein in this context. No one is fooled by it. I still say go ahead and use it if you must, it’s quite informative about the person that uses it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposal-disallow-disparaging-nicknames-in-the-debate-forums/834063.md?page=3)