“He had skin in the game.”
So damned tired of hearing this. Uttered a few times by Obama and repeated by everyone and their brother. Same with “game-changer”....and then there’s the “Mother of all (fill in the blank)”, which started with Saddam Hussein in late 1990 or early 1991 when he referred to the “Mother of all battles” during the build-up to Desert Storm (Desert Shield). You might think it sounds cool and clever but it’s really kind of pathetic to echo these handy little catch-phrases. It’s starting to look (and sound) like the American people haven’t got an original bone in their body.
Oh, please!
Phrases like “skin in the game” are shortcuts that establish points of cultural reference without reams of tedious explanations (like this one.) Taleb’s point is well-taken and his communicative skills are ‘on fleek’ (another meme most people understand without reaching for strained ‘originality’.)
The comparison to the Messiah and Trump is appropriate on this weekend.