Teflon (nickname)

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Teflon is a nickname given to persons, particularly in politics, to whom criticism does not seem to stick. The term comes from Teflon, the brand name by DuPont of a "non-stick" chemical used on cookware.

Uses [edit]

  • The nickname "Teflon" was first used in reference to Ronald Reagan, who would become known as "the Teflon President".[1] It was coined by former US Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder while cooking eggs in a Teflon pan as she reflected on how scandals surrounding his Presidency seemed to have no effect on his individual popularity with the public.[2] Succeeding US politicians have also been given the nickname "Teflon," notably Bill Clinton.
  • It was applied to mafia boss John Gotti, called The Teflon Don, who managed to escape being charged or convicted of crimes for over a decade, despite being the very public leader of a New York crime family.[3]
  • Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was often referred to in the press as Teflon Tony.[4]
  • Ben Caspit, a reporter for the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv, once said that then Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon "drags around a paltry list of achievements, but the failures don't stick to him. The father of the nation, the ultimate Teflon, is sailing calmly toward a second term. Who would have believed it?".[5]
  • Ralph Klein, long-time premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, was often referred to as a "Teflon" Premier.[6]
  • Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (known as the Teflon Taoiseach) as scandal after scandal failed to have any lasting effect on him,[7] until he was forced to resign in 2008.
  • Teflon Johnny has been coined to describe Prime Minister John Howard. Other Australian public figures that have been called "teflon coated" include Queensland Premier, Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen and Prime Minister, Paul Keating.
  • Russian President and later Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been referred to as a "Teflon leader", although the 2008 Russian financial crisis had some effect on his image among the public.[8]
  • Spanish Formula One racing driver and double World Champion Fernando Alonso earned the nickname Teflonso following his exoneration from involvement in the Renault F1 Crashgate controversy.
  • Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China, has also been widely described with this metaphor as a person on which nothing seems to stick, and criticisms, scandals and mess-ups were easily and frequently shrugged off. Although the trademark "Teflon" is generally not used among the Chinese-speaking population to describe the product as a whole so it's not used to describe Ma either, people do describe Ma using the nickname that the society actually uses to describe Teflon-enhanced-cookware - a "non-stick pan" ("bu zhan guo").
  • TV bloggers appropriated the nickname "Teflon Tim" for American Idol contestant Tim Urban, who appeared on the show's ninth season and repeatedly survived elimination votes despite receiving stinging criticism from the judges.
  • Teflon Charlie is a term used in ICT Enterprise Architecture to indicate a person to whom no task, action or responsibility can be made to stick. Teflon Charlies are often found at the upper tiers of Enterprise Architecture.
  • In leaked US diplomatic cables it was revealed that German chancellor Angela Merkel is called Angela 'Teflon' Merkel by the staff of the American embassy in Berlin because criticism just bounces off her.[9]
  • French journalist Franz-Olivier Giesbert once compared presidential candidate François Hollande to a Teflon pan following an interview given on TV programme Des paroles et des actes.[9]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Schroeder, Patricia (June 6, 2004). "Nothing stuck to 'Teflon' president". USA Today. Retrieved 18 February 2012. 
  2. ^ Thomas, Evan; Christopher Ogden, Sam Allis (June 18, 1984). "Tackling the Teflon President". Time. Retrieved 5 October 2010. 
  3. ^ "'Teflon Don' jailed for life.". BBC. 1992-06-23. Retrieved 2007-09-25. "Judge Leo Glasser's sentencing brought to a close the long quest to convict the man nicknamed the "Teflon Don"." 
  4. ^ Riddell, Peter (November 10, 2005). "The collapse of Teflon Tony.". London: The Times. Retrieved 2007-09-25. "Yesterday's defeat in the Commons is a serious blow for Labour's credibility as a governing party." 
  5. ^ "Sharon Beats Netanyahu in Likud Primary". Fox News. 2002-11-28. 
  6. ^ "Bush, Kerry (and Ralph Klein) on Latin America: The bi-partisan offensive against Cuba, Venezuela.". Seven Oaks. Retrieved 2007-09-25. "It turns out Klein recently submitted a paper on Chilean history, as part of a communications course he’s taking at Athasbasca University. It also turns out that large portions of the essay are copied from articles on the internet, without proper citation. The plagiarism may or may not hurt Klein’s popularity, given the Teflon Conservative’s long record of debauchery, including a drunken night of poor-bashing at an Edmonton homeless shelter." 
  7. ^ Patterson, Henry (2006-10-01). "Teflon Taoiseach's brilliant career loses its well-polished shine.". London: New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-25. "So why has the so-called Teflon Taoiseach, who was relatively untouched by the disgrace of his former close political allies, Charles Haughey and Ray Burke, been left looking so vulnerable?" 
  8. ^ "Putin's Teflon Image Takes Hit". The Moscow Times. December 23, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-23. 
  9. ^ a b "US-Depeschen über Deutschland: Im Netz der Denunzianten". Der Spiegel. 28 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 

External links [edit]

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