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OT but why do people refer to him as Elon? I’m assuming you aren’t personal friends with him. So whenever I see someone refer to him as Elon, in faux “first-nam
by blowski 8y ago
OT but why do people refer to him as Elon? I’m assuming you aren’t personal friends with him. So whenever I see someone refer to him as Elon, in faux “first-name terms informality”, it immediately makes them look like they’re part of the fan club and reduces their credibility.
- fermienrico 8y agoIn my case, when I talk about "Barack Obama", I have always said "Obama". Whereas, if I am talking to anyone about "Elon Musk", I always say "Elon". Don't read too much into it. Edit: Not brevity, wrong word.
- blowski 8y agoFor brevity? Musk is shorter than Elon.
- asaph 8y agoIf you called him simply Musk, I might think you were referring to Kimbal. Elon disambiguates.
- dx87 8y agoBecause he's a person just like everyone else, isn't in a position of authority over anyone except his employees, and hasn't done anything to warrant using formal titles when referring to him in casual conversation. What do you think he's done that merits everyone treating him with additional respect?
- blowski 8y agoNormally, when referring to public figures, you use their first name or just their surname. So, Trump rather than Donald. Not out of respect, but it’s just more usual.
- michaelt 8y agoEh, we kinda just pull the convention out of thin air based on some combination of their name, other names they might be confused with, what they are widely known as, their preferences, and the rhetorical effect we're aiming for. I mean, not many people refer to Hulk Hogan as Mr Bollea, or Madonna as Ms Ciccone. But you might refer to Obama as Barack Hussein Obama if you want to draw attention to the fact his middle name sounds like a middle-eastern dictator.
- smallnamespace 8y agoInformality also can imply disrespect, e.g. using informal 'you' in many languages for insults.
- Razengan 8y agoI can't recall anyone referring to Steve Jobs as Steve in discussions. Did people do that?
- bennettfeely 8y agoPerhaps because Elon is a far less common name than Steve.
- blowski 8y agoI remember people on here and Reddit saying stuff like “Steve says that xxx”.