[Dixielandjazz] AARP - No longer an acronym

[Bill Gunter]

Hi listmates

In response to the question, "What does AARP mean?" someone submitted:

> > Probably .... American Association of Retired Persons

Mike Logsden added"

>Correct, until a few years ago.  I read with amazement in its magazine,
>*Modern Maturity*, that since so many for so long had come to know it
>simply as "AARP," it at that point officially changed its name to
>exactly that: AARP.  No longer an acronym, that is, as in "It USED to
>mean....,"

At first I was inclined to dispute Mike's position that it was no longer 
"American Association of Retired Persons" but then I looked up the AARP 
website and, after a careful perusal, I was unable to find the words 
"American Association of Retired Persons" anywhere on any of the pages I 
looked at.

Apparently AARP has decided that this word (AARP) is to be the official name 
of the group.
I imagine this change has come about partly because AARP probably has as 
many members who are NOT retired as it does actual retirees. The thing that 
attracted me to the organization was the fact that membership in AARP 
qualified one for nice discounts in many venues (restaurants, hotels, etc.).

I will, however, dispute Mike's assertion that AARP is no longer an acronym. 
The definition of acronym is: A word formed from the initials or other parts 
of several words.

Even if AARP wants to pretend that the name is not an acronym, it still is.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "Thimbles" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com

ps - question of the day . . . Is DJML an acronym?

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