That's what one disgruntled reader recently called me after I wrote as a guest contributor on a well-known, well-written and well-read Hamilton blog site known as Unquestionably Questionable. Me? A "nattering nabob of negativism"? Ouch!I did not even know what a "nabob" was so I went to the Internet for clarification. Here is what I found:
na·bob (noun):
- A governor in India under the Mogul Empire. Also called nawab. (That can't be it)
- A person of wealth and prominence. (Wealth...no. Prominence...I don't think so!)
- A rich, powerful, or important man. (Definitely not)
I decided to seek enlightenment at the next most likely site to have an answer: Henderson's Cafe & Coffee Shop in Wenham.
For those unfamiliar with this hot spot of community culture and local politics, it's next to the Hamilton Shopping Center (aka: The Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing) on, as they say...the "other side of the tracks". If you really want to take the pulse of our two towns, you have to visit Henderson's where opinions are never in short supply and politicians that dare to enter can always find answers to their pressing problems.
Which is why I asked several members of what I call Henderson's "Breakfast Club" if anyone knew what a "nabob" was...as in "nattering nabob of negativism".
Wouldn't you know it? A couple of the attendees were familiar with the phrase and explained where it originated, even as a third member of the group looked it up on his Apple iPhone. It seems it is one of the most popular phrases associated with U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew who served under Richard Nixon until resigning in October 1974, after pleading no contest to charges of tax fraud. He is the only Vice President in U.S. history to resign because of criminal charges. Agnew, who had a particularly acrimonious relationship with the press, used this term to refer to the members of the media, whom he also deemed "an effete corps of impudent snobs."
Although the phrase "nattering nabob of negativism" is often credited to Agnew himself, one of the breakfast club members, Phil Stearns, knew that it was actually written by William Safire, the legendary columnist for The New York Times, who was a speechwriter for Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.
So...Let's get back to one person's view that this blogger is a "nattering nabob of negativism".
Thank you for that description! Now that I know the phrase was used by an ex-vice president who resigned as a result of charges of fraud to describe the press corp that helped identify and report on those charges, I am quite pleased that you referred to me this way. I can only hope that my blogging will help identify similarly guilty individuals who need to be exposed and written about, for the betterment of our community.
If you think about it, negativism is actually quite important. We need it in order to know what is wrong so that we can correct it.
Perhaps once that is accomplished I will turn into a "Prime Pillar of Positiveness".
Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham
Scan my QR Code contact information to your cell phone:
I love nnons. You go Jay
ReplyDeleteGreat piece JayBird!
ReplyDeleteAlthough politically, Agnew was just slightly to the right of Stalin and probably in league with the Devil, he was smart enough to get his snarks from the best. As Mr. Stearns suggests, the phrase was writen by Nixon speach writer, conservative thinker and author of the NY Times Mag's long-running "On Language" column, William Safire.
Safire died back in September. If he hadn't, this rememberence by a bunch of snooty, East-Coast Liberals would have done him in!
GOOD JOB JAY!
ReplyDeleteHi Jay, Too bad about Officer Marchand. Bad things happen to good people sometime. I think its great you bring Negative issues to light. I actually get paid to do that myself and people say BOY you are so negative….. So…I’m with you buddy …lets be Nabobs.
ReplyDeleteJay,I did not know what a nabob was either. However, I never thought of you as a nattering nabob of negativism. I do think of you as an effete impudent snob when you bash poor Sarah Palin though...lots of people have problems with geography. ;-)
ReplyDeleteJay, as alays you are a good man and can take heat and tell truths. I know that the town has just been told by the state it WILL have a 5 member BOS, despite the BOS not wanting it for clear reasons. I know you will be there, name in full print, telling all your opinions. Nice work my friend!
ReplyDeleteJay, I always thought you were a NABOB or was it KABOB? Anyway keep up the good work as it gives people the opportunity to voice their opinions.
ReplyDeleteRoger