Once upon a time, the unappealing sobriquet “Cali” appeared only on cheap merchandise sold in low-end tourist shops. Somehow, this unfortunate abbreviation has begun to catch on, mostly with non-Californians and certain unsophisticated, impressionable native Californians. Let’s identify this regrettable label for what it is - an unnecessary, demeaning, pandering sales tool - and stop it in its tracks.
The Great State of California wasn’t in need of new names or abbreviations. The name “California” sounds quite lovely and isn’t hard to say. Someone needing a written abbreviation could have opted for the widely-used “CA” (the official post office designation), or “Cal” (possibly suggesting both the lofty academia and freaky counterculture of UC Berkeley), or even “Calif” (the longtime unofficial post office designation).
Motivated merchandisers apparently disagreed. To stimulate sales at their low-end tourist shops, they dug deep and wide to find a viable new “t-shirt name” for California. Unfortunately, in inventing this appellation, these profit-centered folks came up with a bad spelling of a girl’s name (“Callie”), rather than a majestic term for an economically powerful, massively populous, diverse state. However, when they see it on t-shirts and tote bags, tourists don’t know that “Cali” isn’t a “thing,” so they go with it. (“Hmmm. This is different! I must be on the cutting edge of a new phenomenon!”)
Why is a touristy term getting some mainstream traction and slowly working its way into social media posts? I attribute the increasing usage to three factors: (1) the early adopters don’t know (or care) how the term originated; (2) the early adopters don’t know (or care) how silly or desperate or contrived this unnecessary new nickname sounds; (3) these early adopters like to be mavens at all costs, perpetually on top of the newest thing, no matter how foolish it may be. Unfortunately for these early adopters, this new label reeks of a desire to be noticed or different, merely for the sake of being noticed or different. What person would hop on this desperate “Hey, Look at Me!” express train to nonconformist conformity with - hello?! - low-end tourist shops?
The term “Cali” is objectionable to most true Californians. There’s nothing cute or cool or clever about it. To us, it sounds like fingernails being dragged down a chalkboard. Its feigned familiarity is as disgusting to us as the term “Frisco” is to San Franciscans.
Please join me in my campaign to discourage the use and proliferation of the term “Cali.” Refuse to patronize stores selling "Cali" merchandise. (Chances are, the store sells nothing you need.) Express your distaste for the term "Cali" to people who speak or write it. (Be like a San Franciscan bristling at the term "Frisco!") And, educate others by sharing messages like this one.
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