There is a media blog called Media Nation, written by a smart, concerned, informed Boston professional named Dan Kennedy. I have mentioned it before, and it is (almost) always worth reading.Today Media Nation focused on Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, dealing with Patrick's continuing deflation in the public eye after a high rolling beginning. That appears, certainly, to be true. But it not what this is about.
This is about the comment section so commonly available at the end of blog posts (including mine).
In the case of Kennedy's piece about Patrick I noticed that the large majority of those posting comments called the Governor by his first name only. So it was Deval this and Deval that. And Kennedy, in his header also calls him Deval.
I wonder whether, even the most anti-Bush people would write about him in public as George? Or refer to Cheney as Dick (without the obvious joke)? And though Hillary Clinton wants to be known as Hillary only, that's clearly to differentiate (and distance) herself from her husband.
So why do it with Governor Patrick? Just as a certain group have taken to using Barack instead of Obama. And does it, just perhaps, have to do with the fact that they both happen to be Black?
Just asking.
