No. 193: What's in a name?
⁂ Nashville's Alt-Daily ⁂ Names · Tract Houses · Olympic Racers · By the Numbers · A New Tale · Much More!
Good morning, everyone.
When omicron first hit shore in the US, this writer would frequently hear people dismissively refer to it as the omni-cron variant. A deliberate mispronunciation meant to convey one's lack of concern for the latest variant du jour. This is a rhetorical trick you see all the time. Enemies of the Orange Man would refer to him as Drumpf, and if you stick around certain bars long enough, you'll hear a number of variations on Kamala Harris' name from Camel to /Kæm/-ala. It's all in good fun, of course. To some.
A piece in Fast Company at the beginning of the pandemic penned in a collection titled 'Workplace Evolution' asserts aloud that "The act of mispronouncing someone’s name can be interpreted as bullying or harassment within the workplace." It goes on to give a list of ways you can avoid mispronouncing your colleague's name — namely by asking them how to pronounce it. Another piece in The Independent dons the headline 'My name is Yewande: Mispronouncing or changing people’s names is just another form of racism' wherein the writer posits that pronouncing her name correctly is part of her identity. This writer can relate.
I go by Davis which is often misheard as David. I know the pain of having to issue corrections and assuage offenders that "No, it's not a big deal. It happens all the time." I also understand the frustration of receiving arbitrary nicknames when people call me "Dave" or "Davy" or "Big D" or, in the worst cases, even "Davy Crockett". The struggle is real. Here's how I've learned to respond to this injustice.
Every attempt to Judaize my name from the Welsh Davis to the Hebrew David is met with a swift and curt correction. I used to cower when introducing myself for fear of being misheard, but now I ensure that I lash the -s to the end of my Christian name as strongly as a snake's hiss — sharp and fast and unmistakable. You can hear the whip and fervor of the sssss across the room announcing the utter absence of Davids and the full presence of a Davis.
If my adversary bends his ear to ask, "Sorry, is it David?" or parrots back to me, "Good to meet you, David," I pounce. I use the opportunity to educate them on the cultural origins of my name and why it is distinct from the Biblical Dawid (דָּוִד) which came from the Hebrew dod (דּוֹד) meaning beloved. No. My name, Davis, is of Welsh origin and is a corruption of the coastal region Dyfed which is where, if you go back far enough on the family tree, some distant ancestor of mine once wandered. Of course, there was Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1238–1283), the last independent Prince of Wales from whom I inherit my spiritedness, and Dafydd ab Edmwnd (1450–1497), a Welsh poet from whom I inherit my charm. It was here on these lands — to which I've never been, incidentally — that the genesis of my name lies. To call me by the dastardly and debased David is to bastardize me from my rightful heritage, and any offenders who defame my name will be put to the Sword just as my Welsh forbears would have done.
It may also mean "son of David" — in the Christian sense, of course — but even if it did, my father's name is Davis, and his father's name was Davis, and his father's name was Alexander, and his father's name was John Smoker. So no, you pay me no honor by misnaming me David. I am not his son and neither was my father nor his father nor his father nor his father.
A word to the wise: don't call me David. I'll educate you in public and write passive-aggressive "think pieces" about you if you do.
Carry on.
Today, we look at tract houses in drag, talk with a former Olympian, peer at some numbers, and join the Doc in his latest story from his ongoing "Tales from the ER" series.
And finally, don't forget to sign up to win two tickets to the Tedeschi Trucks Band show at the Ryman on Wednesday. More info below.
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Thanks for reading.
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The latest installation in the “Tales from the ER” series by Doc Paracelsus. These tales are based on real cases. Identifying information and certain medical details have been altered to protect privacy.
Doc Paracelsus
FROM THE ARCHIVE
- Tales from the ER #5: Poisonous Poinsettias & Toxic Show & Tell (Read)
- Tales from the ER #7: Awkward Interactions with Boomers Prompt Reflections (Read)
- Tales from the ER #8: VA Stories (Read)
- Tales from the ER #9: ER Rhythms: Why and when things get busy (Read)
- Tales from the ER #10: Gypsy Curse (Read)
▲ TRACT HOUSING IN DRAG ▲
Our continued exploration of the new style of home building that has taken Nashville by storm. Read our introduction to the series here.
HEADLINES
- Fort Campbell soldiers deployed to Europe overnight (Channel 5) It's happening in order to help North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and partners in the region as a potential Russian military invasion of Ukraine looms. Fort Campbell soldiers had been on standby for about a month until they were deployed around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
- Report: Titans discussing building new stadium (Post) The Titans and Nashville Mayor John Cooper have been in talks for the better part of a year regarding a possible lease extension and upgrades to Nissan Stadium, but according to a report from Nate Rau of Axios, the idea of building an entirely new stadium is also on the table.
- TPAC in discussions with state over James K. Polk building (Main Street) The state is seeking to lease the James K. Polk building, which houses the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, to a developer, but neither entity has publicly indicated what, if anything, might become of the latter.
AROUND TOWN
- Food truck El Dollar Numero Dos is numero uno (Main Street) The best taco truck you’ll ever go to is the first one you see as you travel down Nolensville Road.
DEVELOPMENT
- Midtown-area nonprofit fetches $3.75M for property (Post)
- Rutledge Hill hotel project progresses (Post)
- East Nashville site eyed for project sells for $3.9M (Post)
﹅ Doping: The Other Form Of Russian Collusion
We sat down with Anthony Watson while he was visiting Nashville to talk about the Beijing Olympics and politics. You might recognize Watson from the work he does with TPUSA and PragerU, but he is also an American-born skeleton racer who competed on behalf of Jamaica in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
We jumped right into Russian doping. Watson suggested watching Icarus (available on Netflix), a documentary released in 2017 exploring doping scandals and the Russian scientists behind it.
This year, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine. Despite the scandal, Valieva was still allowed to continue competing - though she ended up placing 4th in the Olympic Women’s Figure Skating competition Tuesday while the investigation continued.
Watson actually benefited from a doping scandal before the 2018 Winter Olympics. After a Russian Skeleton Racer was banned for doping, a spot opened up and allowed Watson to compete in the Olympic games on behalf of Jamaica. (Worth Noting: Given that his father had been born in Jamaica, Watson was eligible to compete on behalf of his father's native country.)
Watson echoes the same sentiments of other Olympic athletes who find cheating and doping disheartening. He also expands on how it’s outright unfair, depending on what country you’re competing for.
“[The Russians] have a controlling share in a lot of the funding that goes into putting these events on… that’s why their athletes will get suspended indefinitely. They just say, ‘athletes have been suspended’, and then a month or two later - or even just a couple of weeks later - the investigation will be over and an announcement will be made. The investigation will be over and this person’s back in.”
During our conversation, he continued on and referenced the Olympic swimming scandal in Rio De Janeiro circa 2016. He also expanded on how other countries that have doping scandals will get suspensions of up to 4 years.
❒ BY THE NUMBERS: POTPOURRI
Gumshoes Chicago police clear (roughly, "solve") around 45% of murders. By comparison, London police solve around 98% of murders. (@AmesCG)
Trust the Science Overall, 29% of U.S. adults say they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public, down from 40% who said this in November 2020. (Pew Research)
Cut the Cord Netflix’s market share has been declining steadily and has now fallen below 50%. One estimate claims that the company’s share of consumers fell more than 30% in a single year. (Ted Gioia)
More on Homes Households earning between $75,000 and $100,000 could afford to buy 51% of the active housing inventory in December down from 58% in December 2019, the second-biggest decline among all income brackets, behind households earning between $100,000 and $125,000, where affordability slipped 8 percentage points to 63% of the listed homes. (WSJ)
Drunk Driving After lowering the legal BAC level to .05% fatal car crashes in Utah were down 5.1% in 2019 from the year before the law went into effect. Nationally, fatal car crashes fell 2% in the same period. Fatal crashes in which alcohol was detected dropped to 38 from 56 in 2019, the first time such crashes declined in three years. (WSJ)
⚔ MISSIVES ⚔
- 🇷🇺 Russia has expelled the second-most senior American diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as tensions between the two countries continue to rise over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the State Department said Thursday.
- ✈️ Texas is challenging the federal airport mask mandate. The state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R., Texas) on Wednesday sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alleging the agency exceeded its authority in requiring face masks in airports and on planes.
- 🇨🇳 The Biden administration faulted China for failing to meet its commitments to purchase U.S. goods under the 2020 trade deal and said it was prepared to take further action to level the competitive playing field with Beijing.
- 🏫 The Education Department will discharge another $415 million in student debt held by borrowers who said they were defrauded by for-profit schools that misrepresented their graduates’ employment prospects or otherwise swindled them, federal officials said Wednesday.
THINGS TO DO
View the full calendar here.
🖌 At the Cheekwood, Spanning the Atlantic, The Arts and Crafts Movement, an international trend in the decorative arts that originated in the British Isles during the 19th century.
TONIGHT
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
⏳ Antique Show @ The Fairgrounds, 9a, Free, Info
🎻 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ Best honky tonk in Nashville
🎥 Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) @ Full Moon Cineplex, 7p, $8, Info
TOMORROW
⏳ Antique Show @ The Fairgrounds, 9a, Free, Info
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
🐖 Charlotte farmers’ market @ Richland Park, 9a, Info
🐖 Franklin farmers’ market @ Franklin TN, 9a, Info
🎸 James Carothers @ Music City Bar & Grill, 5:30p, Free, Info
+ Honky tonk classics and originals
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ Best honky tonk in Nashville
🎸 Red Feather & Black Moon Mother @ The End, 8p, $7, Info
+ Heavy psychedelic rock
➤ The Pamphleteer will attend
SUNDAY
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
Get ‘em while you can
🎸 Tedeschi Trucks Band (Feb 22, 23, 25, 26) @ The Ryman, 7p, $40+, Info for the 22nd, 23rd, 25th, and 26th
🔆 Jordan Peterson (03/22) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $40+, Info
🎸 Buddy Guy (03/26) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $80, Info
🐷 Primus a Farewell to Kings tour (05/09) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $55+, Info
🌕 Full Moon Cemetery Lantern Tour @ Montgomery Bell State Park, 7:30, $10, Info
NEW THIS WEEK
Edward Landstreet
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Doc Paracelsus
William Harwood
Jerod Ra’Del Hollyfield
Edward Landstreet
Around the Web
✪ Inside South Korea’s incel election Young conservatives claim to be victims of feminism
➫ The Racist Joe Rogan How the blue stack created the false impression that one of its COVID enemies also happened to be a vicious bigot
☤ Medical Nemesis Doctor Death: Why medical care isn't responsible for the historic decline in mortality
Political Theater Highlight Reel
- Jewish MP demands apology from Trudeau after Canadian PM accuses her of standing with ‘people who wave swastikas’
- Charlie Munger: “Inflation is a very serious subject. You can argue it’s the way democracies die.”
- Trudeau's Justice Minister on convoy supporters: “If you are a member of a pro-Trump movement who's donating... you ought to be worried” about your bank account being frozen.
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Words of Wisdom
“It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.”
W.C. Fields