Which Societal Change is the Bigger Deal? No One Has A Nickname Anymore? Kosher Salt Became the Default Salt? Paper Straws Are Out & We Return to Plastic? Zac & Don Debate.

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When we use nicknames with people we don’t know—calling Eisenhower “Ike,” for example—it imports a fondness or intimacy to the relationship, as if they are part of the family. Boys, in particular, get nicknames from their teammates, their roommates, their fraternity brothers, their co-workers. They are a common aspect of close-knit, bonding culture: You can expect a nickname in a military unit, for example. Nicknames are, by default, affirming. For a nickname to be negative, it has to be explicitly so, designed to counter our positive expectations of nicknames: Tricky Dick Nixon, for instance.

I am thus concerned about the disappearance of nicknames. As my five children have grown up—they span from age 6 to 18—I have noticed with regret that not one of them has been given a nickname. And they aren’t some sort of weird outliers: None of their friends have nicknames, either. Varsity jackets that, 30 years ago, would have been emblazoned with bespoke names indicating affection and belonging—Spike, Junior, Scooter, Cheech, Rocky, whatever—now have proper, unshortened Christian names: William, James, Kristen.

This essay comes from the Wall Street Journal. The essay is titled: "Where Have All the Nicknames Gone?" The author is Mark Oppenheimer. You can read the full article here: Where Have All the Nicknames Gone?

Zac & Don examine three recent changes that are happening in American society and wonder which is the bigger deal? The changes are: the lack of nicknames, Kosher salt becoming the default salt, and Paper Straws going away.

Zac & Don reference the following articles when talking about Kosher Salt & Paper Straws:

The Great Salt Shake Up (Atlantic)

Under Attack Paper Straw Fans Fight Back (Wall Street Journal)