Compare and contrast…
Nicknames:
PM Jacinda Ardern.
Ardern laughs when I bring up a recent opinion piece that called for people to stop calling her “Cindy” because it is sexist and belittling.
I sense she doesn’t like the name. She told The New York Times in 2018 she hated it.
But she’s diplomatic.
“I’ve had a range of nicknames over my time in politics and none of them particularly bother me.
“When people put ‘auntie’ in the front I always find it a term of endearment.”
So it’s not sexist?
“I’ve never given it much thought. I’ve had nicknames my whole life. Jacinda is just one of those names that’s easy to turn into a nickname.
“There’s some [nicknames] I prefer over others though.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12362963
National Leader Judith Collins.
National leader Judith Collins has opened up about her controversial nickname “Crusher” after it was coined more than a decade ago.
Talking to media at their methamphetamine policy launch in Hawke’s Bay, Collins revealed she initially thought the term was “dehumanising” and felt it had some rather negative underlying meaning.
But she has since warmed to the name and sees the funny side of the term.
“It’s not something I’ve never used myself. It’s funny. I’ve often thought it was used as a way of dehumanising but I guess after many years of it I’ve learnt not to worry about things I can’t control,” she told reporters.
“Sometimes people now say it with affection. If it’s said with affection, then okay, just don’t expect me to use it.
“I think that’s the way I felt about it [dehumanising] at the time.
“It’s been around for 16 years, it’s water off a duck’s back.”
[…] When asked if she found the name misogynist, Collins told media politics “isn’t for the faint-hearted” and is happy to be talked about.
“There may be [misogyny in nicknames]. People like Rob Muldoon was called Piggy Muldoon. I don’t think that was misogyny, I just think people chose to use that name.
“If you go into politics it’s not for the faint-hearted. You get used to this. I’ve been called everything.
“It’s like right, whatever, as long as they’re calling you.”
Despite warming to the nickname, she previously revealed she wasn’t a fan because it was “very one-dimensional” and is a “cartoonist’s dream, but it’s not me”.
As for Collins’ favourite nickname, she says it’s the name her husband refers to her by.
“My favourite nickname? My husband calls me Jude.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12362858
Another interesting difference worth bringing to your attention is the photos used in the two different articles published by the NZ Herald.
In the article about the PM Jacinda Ardern, they used not one but two flattering photos of her. In the article about National leader Judith Collins, they used only one unflattering photo of her.
Also look at the what the reporter focusses on most in each article. Which politician got the most positive coverage do you think?
