Image: Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, better known as Catherine the Great.
“Oh, great…”
That was a common expression when I was a kid. “Oh, great…” Meaning, “Well, that’s going to be a total disaster…”
I think maybe that’s how the word “Great” was used in the late 1950s, when Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong launched a campaign to transform the country from an agrarian society into an industrialized society, through the formation of people’s communes.
The campaign was known as ‘The Great Leap Forward’. It led to the largest famine in human history, resulting in the deaths of maybe 30 million people. (Although no one was actually counting at the time.)
My point being, the word “Great” can mean different things, depending on the context.
Some Daily Post readers may have noticed that billionaire Elon Musk has taken to wearing a particular baseball cap lately? Emblazoned with the words, “Make America Great Again”.
Curiously, Mr. Musk’s baseball cap is not the standard red baseball cap typically brandished by MAGA fans. In fact, it might be the only black MAGA hat I’ve seen.
Since Mr. Musk joined the campaign, last year, to elect Donald Trump, he has consistently appeared in all-black clothing. Should we be worried? About someone who dresses all in black? Even wearing a black MAGA hat?
Maybe he’s subconsciously trying to send us a warning.
The term ‘black hat’ is used in the cybersecurity business to refer to a computer hacker with malicious intent. Not that this means anything about Elon Musk, necessarily. We’re talking about ‘black hats’, in general.
Back in the early days of Western movies, you could always tell who the bad guys were, because hey wore black hats.
The hero wore a white hat, and if possible, rode a white horse.
This rule didn’t always apply to the hero’s sidekick. The sidekick didn’t need to wear a hat at all. A simple brown headband could work just fine. And a brown horse was okay.
One of the most popular films from the movie industry’s early days was titled The Great Train Robbery, released in December 1903. Another interesting use of the word, “Great”.
One of the things I love about the English language. A simple word can mean so many different things.
Like, Alexander the Great. What did people mean by that?
FAROUK: Alexander and his army are approaching from the west!
ABDUL: Oh, great…
Or take Catherine the Great, for instance — the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. How did that feel to the Russian patriarchy? Not too great, I bet.
So many ways to use the word “Great”. The Great Divide. Great Danes. The Great Escape. Great Balls of Fire.
And how about the Number 1 hit by the Platters, in 1955. “The Great Pretender”, with Tony Williams on lead vocals.
My personal theme song.
Yes, I’m the Great Pretender
Just laughing and gay like a clown
I seem to be what I’m not, you see
I’m wearing my heart like a crown
Pretending that you’re still around…
Buck Ram, the manager of the Platters, said that he wrote the song in about 20 minutes in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in order to have a follow-up to the Platter’s success of “Only You”. Ram had boasted to Bob Shad that he had an even better song than “Only You”… and when pressed by Shad for the name of the song, Ram quickly replied “The Great Pretender”.
He said the song would be a hit, even before he had written the song to go with the title. But it’s a great song.
Then we have The Great Depression, a decade-long economic disaster that put millions of Americans out of work and waiting in line for free doughnuts and coffee.
Makes a person wonder what the word “Great” means, when it appears on Elon’s black hat.