Sober Sobriquets

Employing epithets with due respect and good will

John 1:35-42 John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah," which is translated Christ. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas," which is translated Peter.

          Do you know what a “sobriquet” is? Well, it’s the same thing as an “epithet”! Now, do you know what an epithet is? It’s basically a nickname. Someone who had a proclivity for using nicknames was President George W. Bush, whose own sobriquet was simply, “W.” He enjoyed employing epithets for his White House staff. For instance, “the Blade” was the Office of Management and Budget Director, Mitch Daniels. The budget director often makes “cuts” so he’s aptly called “the blade.” Or, the nickname “Brother George” was applied to CIA Director George Tenet, referring to “Big Brother is watching you” from Orson Well’s novel, 1984. “W” also had nicknames for other politicians. For example, he referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as “Pootie-Poot,” and California Governor, Arnold Schwarznegger as “Conan the Republican.” The president’s penchant for nicknames reflected his jovial and jocular nature: he enjoyed joking with and teasing friends and colleagues.

          But knowing someone’s name – and much more so giving them a name, even a nickname – carries a more subtle dynamic: it gives you a certain power over that person. I see this when I visit our school. If a child misbehaves and I say, “Susy, please don’t do that,” she immediately sits up straight and stops. But if I say vaguely, “Hey, you, please don’t do that,” she may simply ignore me. To know someone’s name, or even to bestow a sobriquet, exerts a certain power and influence over that person. Knowing another’s name means wielding great power, and “with great power comes great responsibility.”

          In the gospel today, we see several examples of epithets and sobriquets, and the ensuing power of knowing and bestowing that name. Andrew announces to his brother, Simon, that “’We have found the Messiah,’ which is translated Christ.” Andrew knows Jesus’ essential epithet, that he is the “mashiach” the Anointed One of God. And that knowledge of Jesus’ identity gives Andrew the power to be an apostle to Simon. Next, Jesus looks at Simon, like “W” looked at his staff, and said, “’You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas,’ which is translated Peter.” But unlike President Bush’s sobriquet’s, which empowered the president, Jesus’ nickname empowers the person who receives the name, revealing his or her deepest identity and their ultimate destiny. Knowing a name, and even if it’s nothing but a nickname, carries great power, and great responsibility.

          I learned this lesson about the power of names when I wrote my first book of homilies. Archbishop Peter Sartain, who wrote the Foreword, also reviewed the book and gently advised me about mentioning people by name, even as an epithet. He suggested that I only use a person’s name with their permission, and always speak of people in a positive light. What an ideal rule of thumb whenever we speak about other people by name. Do we have their permission – even tacitly – to use their name or nickname? And when we do utter their name, do we do so in the most positive light possible? After all, wouldn’t we want others to treat our names with the same respect and good will? Wouldn’t you want someone to mention you in the best possible light if you appeared in their book?  In other words, every sobriquet should be somewhat sober.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!