The Man
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"The Man" is a slang phrase used in the United States to refer to figures of
authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
, including members of the government. Though typically used as a derogatory connotation, the phrase may also be used as a term of respect or praise. The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression, while the phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages
civil resistance Civil resistance is political action that relies on the use of nonviolent resistance by ordinary people to challenge a particular power, force, policy or regime. Civil resistance operates through appeals to the adversary, pressure and coercion: i ...
to authority figures.


History

In the Hebrew Bible, the Hebrew phrase "Ha Ish" (meaning 'the Man') is used by Joseph's brothers to refer to his position as the viceroy of Egypt. As an English language phrase meaning "the boss", the phrase dates back to 1918. In the Southern United States, the phrase came to be applied to any person or group in a position of
authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
, or to the concept of authority in abstract terms. From the 1950's onwards, the phrase was also a code word used among the American underworld for law enforcement in the United States. The term is used several times by
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
's eponymous character in the 1967 prison drama ''
Cool Hand Luke ''Cool Hand Luke'' is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison cam ...
'' and by
Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda. He was a prominent figure in the counterculture of the 1960s. Fond ...
's character in the Wild Angels in "We wanna be free to ride our machines without being hassled by The Man." The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their resistance to authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in the '' U.S. News & World Report'', had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine '' Easyriders'' which featured the tagline: " California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man." In the 1969 song " Proud Mary" by
Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...
, the singer finds protection from "the man" and salvation from his working-class pains in the nurturing spirit and generosity of simple people who "are happy to give" even "if you have no money." In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema. It was featured particularly prominently as a recurring motif in the 2003 film ''
School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. Bl ...
''. The film ''
Undercover Brother ''Undercover Brother'' is a 2002 American satirical spy action comedy blaxploitation film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and starring Eddie Griffin. The screenplay by John Ridley and Michael McCullers is based on the Internet animated series creat ...
'' had as a plot element a fictional organization headed by "The Man", an actual man in charge of oppressing African Americans. In January 2021, the GameStop short squeeze was primarily triggered to "fight the man" by users of the subreddit r/wallstreetbets, an Internet forum on the social news website Reddit, some of whom held anger towards
Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
hedge funds for their role in the 2007–2008 financial crisis, and the general democratization of the stock market coupled with the ability of retail traders to communicate instantaneously through social media.


Use as praise

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst their peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial. The phrase has also been used in professional wrestling to refer to the top stars in the business. Some notable examples include
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
, Stan Hansen, and Becky Lynch.


See also

* Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four'') *
Big man (political science) The terms big man, big man syndrome, and bigmanism, within the context of political science, refer to corrupt, autocratic and often totalitarian rule of countries by a single person. Generally associated with neopatrimonial states, where there is ...
* Ruling class * The Establishment *
Power elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...


Notes


References

* Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). ''Random House Dictionary of American Slang''. New York: Random House. {{DEFAULTSORT:Man, The English-language slang Stock characters English-language idioms Political pejoratives