Random Notes from a Crank

On a mainly weekday basis, I've been posting definitions from the Dictionary of American Slang, which was published in 1967, in alpha order on my FB feed. 

Today I was on the letter M in the alphabet, so I posted this definition from the dictionary:

"meatball meat ball n. 1. A dull, boring person; an obnoxious person; anyone regarded with disfavor, esp. one of flat or uninteresting character; a creep, a drip, a square, a wet blanket. 2. A tactical signal flag bearing a black dot on a yellow field; also, the Japanese national flag. #. A swelling of or on the face, cause by a blow in fighting. 4. In baseball, any pitched ball that can be hit readily by a given batter. v.t. 1. To strike someone with a fist. --ism n. 1. Anti-intellectualism; the state of willing ignorance or mediocrity. 2. A state of, or instance demonstrating, decreasing standards of integrity, ethics, intelligence, and individualism in culture, politics, education, and the like; democratic rule by an uneducated, non-thinking majority."

I'm particularly fond of the term "meatballism" because I think it properly describes the U.S. for quite some time. It's an anti-intellectual country, and it's been like that for centuries. 

The amount of willful ignorance is astounding, and the if you follow politics for any amount of time, the "decreasing standards" will make you depressed. 

I think the U.S. is currently engaged in "democratic rule by an uneducated, non-thinking majority." 

I guess there are glimmers of hope though with the Labour Party coming back into majority power in the U.K.: "How Ken Starmer Overwhelmed Britain's Conservatives."

And over in France, Macron's gamble to call an election turned out better than expected since left-leaning folks flocked to the polls and put down the right-wing idiots trying to take power: "France Electioin Results: Far Right's Rise Suffers Unexpected Blow as Left Surges." 

But what does this mean for November? 

At least if you're going by a flash poll by YouGov that I took today Trump hopefully is in trouble. At the time I'm writing this post, 36% of people polled think Moscow Don is mentally fit to be President, 5% think he was mentally fit to be president in 2020 but is no longer mentally fit to be president, and 54% believe he was not mentally fit to be president in 2020 and is not mentally fit today. 

At least on that last answer, Biden only clocks in at 31%. 

In better news, the people polled were asked about their opinion of the GOP's "Project 2025," and 53% have a very unfavorable opinion of it. 

The biggest challenge before Biden is that he has to hit the swing states hard since we still live under a system that relies on the idiocy that is the Electoral College.

Random Notes from a Crank

We got home late Saturday night from Florida. When I went to pick up the dog from the kennel on Sunday morning, I received the happy surprise that all of the sweet gum balls on my front yard were gone. Before we left for spring break, I mentioned to my neighbor that when I get home, I will be taking care of the scads of sweet gum balls covering my front yard. While we were away, he cleansed by lawn of them. I guess shoveling their driveway all winter has some pay-it-forward dividends. 

Jason Isbell will have a new album out this year. This interview on radio.com provides some insight about the forthcoming album and his songwriting methods. 

I'm about to finish reading Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World by Naomi S. Baron. If you're an educator or you're just plain interested in literacy, you need to check it out. 

In my previous Random Notes post, I linked an article about the upcoming presidential race. In a whole different direction, Alternet offers "The Six Most Evil Presidents in U.S. History." George W. Bush shouldn't be in the runner-up category. To me, he's gotta be somewhere in the top six. 

And here's "Seven Demented Right-Wing Moments..." on FoxNews. 

On a cheerier note, the U.K. created an enormous marine sanctuary in the Pacific. 

Predictions: Presidential Names

Back when I was in Iowa, I went out to dinner with my sister, her husband, and their son. For whatever reason, we got into a conversation about how people sometimes name their kids with presidential last names. 

There are a number of presidential names that work quite well. For example, I know someone who has two girls who are named Madison and McKinley, which are great names. 

Per our conversation that night and conversations I've had with my family after that night, I'm predicting what I think will be some of the more popular presidential names for kids in the future, names that have little shot, and names that have no shot. 

But first I'm providing a rundown of presidential names that are in use right now:

• Madison
• Kennedy
• Taylor
• Reagan (Thankfully, this name seems to have declined in popularity.)
• McKinley
• Tyler
• Pierce
• Jackson
• Wilson
• Truman
• Harrison
• Carter
• Clinton
• Grant

There's not much to comment on here. However, Carter might have increased in popularity because of the character on ER, but that show's been over for a long time. Jackson is a popular name where I live. And I don't see Grant used as much as it used to be. 

Probable Names on the Rise

I'll explain these one-by-one. 

Hayes

It's an easy to say, one-syllable name. Hayes wasn't a distinguished president, but that hasn't stopped people from using Carter, Grant, Tyler, and Pierce. 

Jefferson 

Like people using Jackson and then calling the kid Jack, this name has potential because the kid's shortened name could be Jeff. In addition, TJ is one of the most beloved presidents of all time. As a three-syllable name, it doesn't take that long to say it. 

Monroe

Like Madison, Monroe has a strong sound to it, almost stately. 

Harding

He was a pretty bad president, but Harding is a distinguished-sounding name. The only problem I see with this one that no one with the last name of Johnson will call their son Harding because kids could shorter the first name to "Hard."

Buchanan

Yet another week president, but it's rich sounding, and I could see a couple sitting in a McManson in some suburb considering this name for their son. 

Lincoln

I'm surprised Lincoln has never caught on that much. He's easily one of the top-five presidents of all time, and it's an easy-to-pronounce, two-syllable word.

Taft 

Like Buchanan, this one has McMansion potential. In addition, over the supper I referenced at the start of this post, my nephew related he knew someone in college named Taft, a guy from a tony suburb of Chicago. The only detriment I see is that the dude was the fattest president ever. Then again, he was the only president to also become Supreme Court Justice, so that's kind of cool. 

Names with Little Shot

These names have some similarities to the ones above, but for various reasons I don't think they have potential

• Ford ~ It's strong sounding but old fashioned.
• Washington ~ It takes too long to say.
• Cleveland ~ Fans of Seth McFarlane might like this, but I don't see people naming their kid after a rust-belt city.
• Roosevelt ~ Same deal as Washington
• Arthur ~ It's very old fashioned.
• Johnson ~ Can you imagine the penis jokes? 

Names with No Shot

I'll explain these one-by-one. 

Adams

The high probability of annoyance will deter parents from this one. Just imagine the number of times someone would have to correct people on his name during his life: "It's Adams, not Adam."

Van Buren 

A two-word name? I don't think so.

Polk 

It sounds too much like "Pork." 

Fillmore

The name sounds affluent, but since it's a compound word of basic terms, there's too much potential for crude remarks.  

Coolidge 

The shortened version of "Cool" is humorous, but it's a weak-sounding name. 

Hoover

This reminds me of a joke: If you name your kid Trixie or Jeeves, you might be pushing them toward certain professions.

Eisenhower 

Too long. 

Nixon 

A kid named after "Tricky Dick"? I doubt it. 

Bush 

Don't get me started.

Obama

It's a bit phonetically unwieldy. 

Non-Sequitir: What this whole post leads me to is a concern that Christie will be our next president.