Job loss during the pandemic has disproportionately impacted young people, as the industries they tend to work in (like retail and dining) have been among the hardest hit. As she points out, research has shown that the pandemic has had a greater impact on the mental health of younger people.Īnd it’s no wonder. Unsurprisingly, pandemic nicknames have surfaced mainly among Millennials and Zoomers, but Brigham doesn’t think that’s only because we’re Extremely Online. For example, she discourages the use of nicknames with racist undertones, like “Panda Express” - particularly considering the heightened racism and violence against Asian Americans that’s in part thanks to Donald Trump recklessly blaming the pandemic on China. While Brigham supports doing what you need to cope, she emphasizes that it’s also important to be intentional about the nicknames you choose and consider how others might interpret them.

Plus, she notes, the nicknames help us create distance from this thing that’s destroyed so much, which makes talking about it easier. But now, the pandemic feels familiar and ubiquitous - kind of like the scary boss you might nickname “The Micromanager.” “I think in general, people are tired, and they just want to find something to laugh about,” Brigham says. Part of it, Brigham suggests, is that so much remained unknown a year ago, when many of us were still in shock and denial. The hosts of My Favorite Murder, for instance, refer to their fans as “murderinos,” while the True Crime Obsessed hosts describe people as “garbage” and “non-garbage.”īut the pandemic nicknaming trend - the success of which the New York Times credits largely to a space that has shaped many a trend, Black Twitter - didn’t start until several months after the initial lockdowns. But those of us who nickname the pandemic probably do so “as a way of just making something lighter that has been so difficult and heavy,” she says, noting it’s not unlike true crime podcasts that infuse heavy subjects with lightness while remaining respectful of victims. We tend to nickname other people to form bonds with them, she explains. It makes sense, psychologically, according to San Francisco-based therapist Tess Brigham. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that while nicknames I use with my nearest and dearest help me feel closer to those people, “panorama” and “pandemonium” actually distance me from a pandemic that’s been pretty much all-consuming. If I call you by a nickname, you hold a special place in my heart - which is why I was confused when I, like many others, started referring to the coronavirus pandemic as the 'Panera Bread,' the 'panettone,' the 'panini' (my personal favorite), the 'panny', and pretty much any word beginning with “pan.” After all, I have zero sentimental attachment to the pandemic.

I’m not much of a nickname person, and when I do use them, they're reserved for immediate family members and close friends.

Funny words for pandemic