September 10, 2024

The violence of weird

There are far more accurate and better words to use than weird to describe these people, this party, and their priorities. Use them instead.

Today there’s a historic event taking place: the first public interview where an old white guy debates a not-old black woman for the job of President of the United States.

On one side: a blustery, bombastic buffoon with publicly, repeatedly confessions of fascist dictorial intentions & aspirations.

The other side: not that.

Interestingly enough, the thing that’s gotten under the skin of the inserrectionist party—now, repeatedly slung by the democratic because of it: being called weird.

Weird.

It’s not the inserrection that’s stuck.

It’s not the loss of basic human rights under a paid-for High Court.

It’s not the countless criminal indictments.

The thing that’s struck the public zeitgiest is weird.

When’d it start

I took a look at Google Trends, where you can look at Search Data across Google products by location, time, category, and context.

Can quickly see it traced to late July, 2024. Where from? An interview on MSNBC by—then, Minnesota Governor; now, running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris—Tim Walz.

“You know there’s something wrong with people when they talk about freedom: freedom to be in your bedroom, freedom to be in your exam room, freedom to tell your kids what they can read. That stuff is weird”1

It quickly became the word of the moment. From talking points to talking heads, it’s being held onto tightly.

Perhaps not as much in searches, but it’s enough to continue getting under the white nationalist party leader’s skin.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

Some lies hide in plain sight.

This playground saying is a popular one.

Words hurt.

Weird is one of those words that others have called me throughout my life. From an early age, kids would come up to me asking “why are you so weird,” or saying loud enough to be overheard, “don’t talk to the weird kid,” or relationships ended without notice, “he’s too weird.”

It’s one that’s also taken a long time to begin to own, embrace, and realign my associations with the word.

I had even started predicating applications and cover letters with it, “Hi, I’m Jonathan. I’m one of the weird ones; my career path and history is very different than others applying.”

But then, this happened.

Why does it matter?

For me, it’s one of those words that’s explicitly Othering. Countless words that have been culturally left in the past becuase of their ableist slur meanings, i.e. dumb, crazy, or spaz.

By using ableist language, we are perpetuating violence against people who experience mental or psychological disabilities. Using this language perpetuates those systems and language of harm, regardless of our intent. — Impact of ableist slurs from Self Defined2

What’s interesting that weird is the thing that caught on is the deep seeded ableism that’s present in society. It’s not all the other things that is convincing people to turn away from the cons and grifters. It’s not talking about the civil and legal court cases that’ve repeatedly been brought and lost—paying out more than $5-million for sexual abuse, $83.3-million for defamation, while still trying to escape liability.

It’s that people are comfortable calling others weird.

It’s acceptable to call someone weird for being different.

It’s part of the in-group language of the neuronormative majority who have never been labeled with that particular moniker.

But, it means more than that

Weird has many more meanings than as a slur itself:

• Suggestive of the supernatural

• To warn solemnly; adjure.

• Of or pertaining to fate; concerned with destiny

• Deviating from the normal3

I get that.

Yet.

Everytime I hear weird being used to describe the orange scam artist or his running mate, the couch’s John—internally, I wince. Each time brings back remnants of past hurt. Each time brings back recent moments it’s been used to hurt.

That said, I don’t have a shred of sympathy or empathy for Putin’s puppet or the venture capital eligist.

If this is what “works” to keep them out of institutional Power: fine.

It sucks for all the people that have been labeled weird throughout their lives.

The relationships lost.

The friendships avoided.

The opportunities missed.

There are far more accurate and better words to use than weird to describe these people, this party, and their priorities.

Use them instead.