I’ve seen some people getting genuinely uncomfortable at the recent discourse. Just wanted to point out there’s more than one kind of weird.
Weird Al: good weird Trump: bad weird
It’s not rocket science.
Weird just means unusual (with slight negative connotations already) . So to use “weird” as an unqualified insult is to say that being unusual is a negative thing in itself. Which echoes the sentiment behind things like xenophobia and such. That’s why people are uncomfortable with this line of political attack, imo.
To say “there’s good weird and bad weird” doesn’t say much more than that there are ways of being unusual that you view positively and those that you view negatively. But that’s obvious and doesn’t resolve the issue I mentioned before.
I disagree that weird automatically carries negative connotations. “Keep Austin Weird” comes to mind.
Also Weird AL or Hanson playing the song Weird.
I could see Weird Al answering the Witch of the North this question and being undeniably good. But why stop there? Great Weird!
The Great and Powerful Weird Al
Al, the Weird and Wonderful!
Imo, the neat thing about this current “weird” discourse is that only right-wingers could ever find it genuinely insulting. Any sensible, self-actualized human being who isn’t obsessing over the sex and genetalia of others is like “haha, yeah, I am kinda weird”.
But the right wing is built on the misconception that they are “normal” and everything else is a problem. They’re the only ones that could ever be bothered by being told they’re weird, because it deconstructs the very foundation of their beliefs. Without the core of “we are normal and everyone else is causing problems in our normal society” backing up their every decision to threaten others over the religon, sexuality or life choices of others, they instead have to face reality: it’s normal to be a little weird, and it’s normal for some of that weird stuff to take root and become normal. And to refuse it and obsess over it is, in its own way, kinda weird.
Hear fuckin’ hear!
The unease doesn’t come from the word itself being a grave insult but, for example, from being bullied for being “weird”.
Exactly, exactly! To keep it going, I think their whole worldview is based on what’s “natural” and how their shitty behaviour and policies and ideas are normal and natural, because they view stereotypes about human nature (esp re sex, gender roles, race, family structures, etc) like these unshakeable institutions that they’re powerless to influence in any way.
When really it’s like, nah it hasn’t always been like this, and it will continue changing, forever.
Further, we can do the very difficult work of trying to change it in a way that benefits more of us!
Boo Radley weird vs Bob Ewell weird
Yes
There are those who sing “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo,” and those who claim to be “the opposite of weird.”
Yes, yes I am.
I think I inspired this and I am thrilled.
I’ve heard it a few times recently, then saw something posted in i think the autism instance? Dunno, not sure which it was, but this popped into my head and thought it illustrated it neatly.
Unrelated but I just wanted to say thanks for giving me the word ‘instance’. Been struggling to find a word besides ‘subreddit’ 😖
I’m a fucking idiot: community is not a hard word lmao
Community and Instance actually have a hard meaning here. Communities are the equivalent of subreddits, while instances are the equivalent of reddits. Reddit only had the one instance of course.
I wonder if mastodon has communities. Or is there a more twitter thing they do?
I think mastodon is more akin to Twitter, but I can’t really say as I haven’t used it. Thanks for that clarification though, it is a pretty important distinction.
I, too, am an idiot. Community never crossed my mind.
I suspect it’s related to USA current affairs and have no clue what it’s referring to. Any hints for us outsiders?
The Dem VP pick, Tim Walz, started referring to the Repubs as “weird,” to which they responded by having conniption fits. Terrorists, rapists, pedophiles… all manner of names have been levied against the right, but a simple schoolyard taunt has them in tears. It’s pretty interesting.
Should be nice weird and creepy weird.
More offended by people using the word “discourse” to describe the relentless, terminally-online, America-centric shit-slinging.
Creepy weird vs quirky weird
Came here to say that. Quirky weird is wanting to wear a propeller hat as an adult because it’s fun and no one can tell you no. Creepy weird is wanting to wear a propeller hat to predate on children. They are not the same.
The right kind of weird
Weird Al should change his name to just Al so he’s not affiliated with those people.
Why should he change his name? They’re the ones that suck.
I am a weird Donald fan. What’s your favorite right he destroyed?
I think “scary weird” is an excellent clarification.
I heard it as if you’re fine being called weird, you’re the good weird. If you fight being called weird, then you’re weird weird.
o0o0 i like that
weird²
I just hope I’m a decent weird. I know I’m weird, because I use Lemmy, after all.
As the hatter told Alice, “we all weird here.”
I like this tale.
