I’ve quite recently had a lot of intense feelings and thoughts about nicknames. I can’t remember why. Maybe it was because Corona Virus used to be the name of the you-know-what. Then it became Covid-19. I dunno. Anyway, I was wondering what it would be like to have a cool nickname. Then I wondered to myself if “Feisty” could be considered either a nickname, or a cool nickname. I don’t think so on either count. While I think the quality of “feisty-ness” is fabulous (obviously, since I chose it for this blog), I’m not sure it works well as a nickname. I am simply feisty. It’s an adjective. I don’t think calling me “feisty” somehow makes it a nickname. If it is, it’s sort of lame. It’s not like “Killer,” or “Gargoyle.” “Skull Crusher” is a great nickname, too, but it sounds too violent for my taste. If your nickname were “Skull Crusher” do you think you would more frequently be a suspect in murder cases where people’s skulls were, actually, um, crushed?
I didn’t have a cool nickname in high school, either. One friend called me gal, and I returned the favor. (Hey, gal! Thanks for reading!). Another called me “Dude.” Two of my close friends called me, “Dork,” which is apt, if not particularly kind. It was true, though. I was a dork. (I still am). Those same two friends also led me skiiing super fast down an icy slope. They were both great skiers. I am not. Not surprisingly, I seriously crashed and burned, or at least scraped off part of my face via the ice. Ouch. Skull crusher just took on a whole new dimension.
To return to the rise and fall of nicknames. Specifically, I’m referring to my alma mater, California State University, Sacramento, which became “Sacramento State” several years back. Well, not “several,” as it changed in 2004. That goes quite beyond several, doesn’t it? “Several” is old people speak for “Seems like a few months ago, but it’s really 16 years.” My 16 year old niece turned 17 last week (or was it the week before?) so that gives you a sense of time and its lightning speed for me. Yikes!
The name “Sacramento State” is wrong for several reasons, not least of which is that Sacramento is not a state. It’s a city. Worse, this abberation escalated years after that, and the College itself adopted its own nick name. “Sac State!” Honestly! “Well, I never!” (Please read that with a Southern Belle type of accent. If you prefer, you can also substitute “My word,” “Heavens!” –or even “Gracious, me!” for the same effect. Adopting “Sacramento State” to replace the much more formal (and more appropriately so) California State University, Sacramento, or even just CSU Sacramento is, quite frankly, wrong. The institution “California State University, Sacramento,” is worthy of an earnest, substantial name. It suggests a degree of scholarly achievement and noble effort. It’s a real college, a real place. Compared to California State University Sacramento, “Sacramento State” sounds like a throw-away. Even worse than that, then, was the University’s subsequent adoption of its own nickname, ‘Sac State.’ “Oh, honey, don’t forget to buy some ice cream and Kleenex on your way back from ‘Sac State.’ You might as well pick up your degree while you are there, too. Oh, and a pizza; don’t forget to pick up a pizza, please.”
As far as nicknames go, it is one thing to fondly refer to all “facial tissue” as Kleenex regardless of its actual type or brand. That choice is understandable: Kleenex is the original bad ass, the facial tissue of all facial tissues. However, it is quite another thing to re-brand an entire academic institution, one that is part of a larger, state-wide educational system and minimize it to a lowly nickname: Sacramento State. It was bad enough when California State University, Sacramento (with all the implied elegance it rightfully deserved) was carelessly downgraded to “Sacramento State.” Really, then, to go even further and reduce it to “Sac State?!” How dare “they?”
Even Wikipedia seems to recognize that this reduction might be taking it too far. It has a qualifier in its discussion of the previously dignified institution of higher learning, “or, informally, Sac State” says our friend Wiki. Kleenex has an excuse, because it’s the bad ass who started it all. What’s “Sac State’s” excuse? Did they run out of letters? I’m quite sure if that were the case, they could just borrow some letters from what used to be called “Sunny Delightful.” Now that “Sunny Delight” has become its own abbreviated version of itself, calling itself “Sunny D,” it probably has letters to spare! (I don’t know if Sunny Delight was ever actually named Sunny Delightful, but for the purpose of this statement, I like to pretend so.) Regardless, reducing California State University, Sacramento to “Sac State” (or Sunny Delightful to “Sunny “Sunny D”) is simply wrong. These kinds of abbreviations are lazy, informal, and far too casual. Frankly, I’m offended. OMG!
