WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NICKNAMES?

Mark Oppenheimer, a writer for “The Wall Street Journal,” thinks that nicknames are going extinct. He says he has five kids, ages six to 18, and none of them have been given nicknames by their friends. And none of their friends have a nickname either. He points out that there aren’t many young people who go by initials, like “J.D.” or “A.J.”; no “Junior,” no “Billy” for William or “Red” if they have red hair or “Marky” or “Tex” or “Curly” or “Crazy Legs” or “Teddy.” The writer thinks it’s sad because, he says, nicknames are almost always a positive thing, or a sign of affection. He thinks they are less common now because we’re more worried about offending people.
* So that’s what Brainiac here thinks. (to your co-host) What do you think, four-eyes?
* Nicknames haven’t gone extinct. They’ll just all been grabbed by rappers.
* Oh, I call a lot of people nicknames, mostly when I’m driving and alone.
* Anyway, it’s nice of the Wall Street Journal to be concerned about this instead of keeping an eye on our cratering economy.
* Now, here’s a song by Jelly Roll.
* PHONE TOPIC: Do you have a nickname? Do you like it?