3 ms·

Every time I see "the former guy" I read it as "he who must not be named." What is the origin of this and why do people do it?

JohnWhigham 5y ago
Infantilized milliennials co-mingling fantasy universes with politics because it's their only frame of reference for understanding the world.
ModernMech 5y ago
> What is the origin of this Joe Biden originally said it to highlight that Trump is the former President, at a time when Trump and his supporters were insisting that Biden's victory was fraudulent and Trump is actually still president. I imagine people are still saying this because Trump and his supporters continue to insist the election was stolen, and Trump is the rightful occupant of the White House. “I’m tired of talking about Donald Trump. I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” Biden said Tuesday night during a CNN town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “For four years, all that’s been in the news is Trump,” Biden said at another point. “For the next four years, I wanna make sure the news is the American people.” “You had the former guy saying that, ‘Well, you know, we’re just going to open things up and that’s all we need to do.’ We said no, you’ve got to deal with the disease before you deal with getting the economy going,” Biden said. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/biden-steers-clear-of-trump-the-former-guy-in-covid-relief-pitch.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/biden-steers-clear-of-trump-...
fencepost 5y ago
I'm not sure where I picked it up, but others have noted the likely origin of the phrase. I actually almost never use it because it's pretty rare for me to need to refer to the former president, but there's a definite element of response to the reality-detached individuals[0] who've somehow been convinced that he's still president and is simply laying low until somehow he magically resumes office through some as-yet-unexplained mechanism. I remain quite relieved that I no longer need to be concerned on a day-to-day basis which individuals, countries, ethnicities, companies, planets or star systems our president has insulted, mocked or outright attacked in word or deed. [0] originally "wackjobs"

JohnWhigham 5y ago

Infantilized milliennials co-mingling fantasy universes with politics because it's their only frame of reference for understanding the world.

ModernMech 5y ago

> What is the origin of this Joe Biden originally said it to highlight that Trump is the former President, at a time when Trump and his supporters were insisting that Biden's victory was fraudulent and Trump is actually still president. I imagine people are still saying this because Trump and his supporters continue to insist the election was stolen, and Trump is the rightful occupant of the White House. “I’m tired of talking about Donald Trump. I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” Biden said Tuesday night during a CNN town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “For four years, all that’s been in the news is Trump,” Biden said at another point. “For the next four years, I wanna make sure the news is the American people.” “You had the former guy saying that, ‘Well, you know, we’re just going to open things up and that’s all we need to do.’ We said no, you’ve got to deal with the disease before you deal with getting the economy going,” Biden said. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/biden-steers-clear-of-trump-the-former-guy-in-covid-relief-pitch.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/biden-steers-clear-of-trump-...

fencepost 5y ago

I'm not sure where I picked it up, but others have noted the likely origin of the phrase. I actually almost never use it because it's pretty rare for me to need to refer to the former president, but there's a definite element of response to the reality-detached individuals[0] who've somehow been convinced that he's still president and is simply laying low until somehow he magically resumes office through some as-yet-unexplained mechanism. I remain quite relieved that I no longer need to be concerned on a day-to-day basis which individuals, countries, ethnicities, companies, planets or star systems our president has insulted, mocked or outright attacked in word or deed. [0] originally "wackjobs"