By Jason Menard
The old adage states that it’s hard to find good help these days. So why should we set limits in politics if voters deem that someone is doing a good job?
As part of the run-up to London’s municipal elections, candidate Joe Fontana has suggested that he’ll only sit for one term as mayor, if elected. Council, as a whole, continues to debate the merit of setting term limits. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
It’s too bad that so many people use the term free speech when it’s clear that they have absolutely no understanding that it isn’t, in fact, free — it’s paid for through responsibility.
Not to vilify the Internet, but the anonymity it provides gives people a sense of invincibility — emboldening them to say things they would never, ever say in public, with their faces and names attached to their commentary. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Language is a wonderful thing. The very thought that you can string together completely random symbols and not only have them form a very real image in your mind, but all share that image with someone else is absolutely awe-inspiring.
After all, I can write c-a-t and you’ll probably have a fairly solid idea of the animal to which I’m referring. I can write those letters in seconds, yet convey a fully formed image. My other option would be to try to draw that animal. Maybe you’d get it right — chances are you’d be saying, “What’s that? A giraffe? A mongoose? A cowboy eating a hamburger on a pogo stick?” Continue reading
I’d like to welcome you to the M-Dash — my new Web site dedicated to exploring the best and the worst of business communications, sports, politics, and everything else life has to offer!
I invite you to check out the “Categories” section to view an archive of over 300 columns from my previous Web site, Menard Communications. You can also keep up-to-date with my work on Hockey’s Future and the corporate blog North of the 49th.
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You can call it a blog. I won’t be offended. But these curiously long posts are less bloggy and more columny in nature. No matter what you call it, I hope you find something entertaining, informative, evocative — or, preferably, all three. And you can click on the “About” link to learn more.
Thanks for joining me!
By Jason Menard
A name can be a powerful thing. It can serve as a calling card for generations to come. It can serve to intimidate one’s opponents – either on the field of play or in battle. And it can be a definitive statement about one’s prowess.
Or you can be ‘Useless’ Ulysses Gomez.
The other night I was absent-mindedly watching TV while working on another project. In the background, some mixed-martial-arts competition was playing. I didn’t pay attention to the match – it was serving largely as background white noise for my work. That is until I heard the ring announcer name one of the match’s participants. And that’s when I heard the worst nickname in all of sports – Useless.
Useless. Really? Nicknames in sport are supposed to intimidate – the only way this name could aid Gomez’s chances of winning is by incapacitating his opponent with laughter.
I learned early on about the importance of nicknames. It was during high school when we were preparing for a Latin banquet. Our role was to provide entertainment in the form of a mock gladiator spectacle. We had everything choreographed and I was to serve as the announcer. And that’s when it happened.
My friend came up to me and said, “Jay, I think I’ve got the perfect name for my gladiator.”
“OK,” I replied, “What is it [name withheld to protect the not-so-innocent. Or bright.]?”
“I want to be called The Beast of Bestiality.”
Pause.
Longer pause to gather myself.
Pause while I considered allowing him to go through with this.
One more pause while I considered how much trouble I’d get in if I actually let him go through with this.
“Uhm, listen [Beast of Bestiality], I really think you should reconsider,” I said. “You do know what bestiality is, right?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “It means being savage. Fighting your opponent like you were a wild animal.”
“Uhm, no,” I explained. “It means you like to do unspeakable things to furry animals.”
And a crisis – and a potential moment of comedic gold – was averted.
Nicknames are important. I can rattle off a few and you’re likely to know to whom I’m referring: Dr. J, The Chicoutimi Cucumber, Sweetness, and The Flower come to mind. There are also nicknames that can only be held by one person: The Great One and Air. Other nicknames have usurped the person’s actual name as a way to identify them: Magic Johnson and Tiger Woods are examples of that.
Unfortunately, nicknames are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today’s athletes don’t put in the effort that they used to. Now it’s simply a matter of adding a ‘y’ or an “ie” to the end of their first or last names: names like Chelly or Burnsie.
It makes me miss the days of Chocolate Thunder, Charlie Hustle, and Crazy Legs. That said, I may be part of the problem.
After all, I put the kibosh on The Beast of Bestiality.
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 