What's the meaning behind the nickname that "the board" has for David?

Question

In Vanilla Sky, Thomas Tipp tells David that the board (a.k.a, the seven dwarfs) has a nickname for David -- "Citizen Dildo".

I've seen this film many times and the only curiosity I'm always left with is the meaning behind this nickname. The only thing I can think of is maybe it's related to how David doesn't take his work seriously, and/or all he does is try to please everyone [and therefore is being used by others for pleasure/entertainment].

Is there a concrete meaning behind this nickname? Is it maybe a play-off of some other phrase / common nickname?

Answer 1

It's a reference to his philandering ways among "commoners". David is heir to a fortune, yet he spends most of his time having sex with women who aren't in the upper crust of society. In effect, he is a "dildo" to "citizen" women.

I have to admit, at first I thought it was a play on "Citizen Kane", but there really aren't any similarities between Charles Kane and David Aames beyond the fact that they both inherited their fortunes.

Answer 2

Honestly, I think it’s Cameron Crowe just throwing an Easter Egg from his film Singles where the band was called “Citizen Dick”