About this "weird" talking point that's circulating amongst dems...

[diva77]

I like to think of dems as being accepting of people who seem a little different. Aren't we supposed to embrace diversity? I prefer the term "deviant" for rethugs -- seems more accurate. Pres. candidate Harris likes Venn diagrams -- I would say that wherever "weirdness" intersects "deviant" is the object of the "weird" talking point. Apologies to all non-deviant weirdos.

deviant /dē′vē-ənt/
adjective

1. Differing from a norm or from the accepted standards of a society.

2. Deviating.

3. Having behavior or characteristics differing from that which is normal or expected, especially in an undesirable or socially disapproved manner.
"deviant behavior"

ETA: This post is my opinion only; not meant as a lecture. I don't understand why some of the posts directed at me are so mean and resentful. Oh well. There is no pearl clutching. Just someone who wasn't in on the purpose of the weirdness talking points. Enjoy your day, everybody

[mcar]

1. ...

[LeftInTX]

2. I think it's OK for a short burst. But beyond that it becomes sophomoric.

And like you said, it can eventually devolve into other stuff.

[Marcus IM]

5. Sophomoric propaganda works. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse.

The proof is in the American pudding.

[Torchlight]

10. That souns just like something someone else once said. Interesting...

lol

[ecstatic]

3. we're just going with the flow. And it's getting under trump's skin

I like weird people but not when they're rightwing, racist thugs. That's a bad combination.

Also, we've had a deep and complex argument against trump which has not worked. Sometimes, you just need to keep it simple.

[Irish_Dem]

4. The term "weird" is better.

Deviant has a sexual connotation and the Dems don't want to go in that direction for the time being.

"Weird" is a softer term, not malicious or mean minded sounding.
But gets the point across.

Yes Dems are very tolerant and accepting.

However we are in a damn war for the survival of this country, with much at stake.

We are going to have to be more aggressive and fight back hard.

This is what happens in wartime.
Some of the polite niceties will have to go by the wayside temporarily.
This doesn't mean we give up who we are.
It just means we have to win or lose our country.

[orthoclad]

56. We only need it for a few months

Then we can talk about class struggle.

[Irish_Dem]

58. I think we should switch it up every 2 or 3 weeks.

We don't want things to get stale.

[orthoclad]

60. I'm thinking until the election, then

maybe til Jan 20, 2025.

But you're right about attention span and word fatigue. Consider, though, how MAGA has held on.

"MAGA" is such perfect propaganda. A short punchy imperative sentence with a positive message and strong wording (GREAT! like Tony the Tiger), but reduced to 2 easy syllables, one of which is the universal "ma" sound. They have great propagandists, very skilled.

Let's see how it goes with "weird".

[Irish_Dem]

61. After the election it is a whole new ballgame.

Time to start governing and effecting needed change.
So that will be the marketing campaign.

And unifying messages are necessary.

Yes the MAGA propaganda has been very effective.

[orthoclad]

63. Governing doesn't start

til Jan 20, 2025. Look what happened last time.

[Irish_Dem]

64. Governing will start the second the vote count comes in.

Just like Biden had to make plans to make sure he would hold the inauguration.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. There is a difference between "hyperfocused on D&D" weird and "middle school kids need genital inspections before

they can play sports" weird. I'm pretty sure most people know the difference and worrying about this is a way to get lost in the weeds -- and I don't usually say that.

[yardwork]

13. You and I don't always agree, but when we do...

You nailed it.

Democrats are not suddenly turning mean and narrow minded. Instead, we're seizing a much-needed correction to American normalizing of weird people who want to be in our bedrooms, our doctor's offices, and our libraries. Everyone knows exactly what context of weird we're talking about. It's long overdue for people to start saying that about Trump.

[Sogo]

7. Don't over-think things.

It's just common, everyday language....

[Deek1935]

8. Please, let's not microsplit hairs. Trump is not just weird, he is FUCKING WEIRD. Yes, WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD!

[orthoclad]

9. I'm weird. Trump is weirder.

I surrender the crown.

[edhopper]

11. Oh for Fuck's sake

[Prairie Gates]

20. Unilateral disarmament always

Unbelievable.

[Sky Jewels]

37. So sick of all the pearl-clutching scolding.

JFC. Our very democracy is at stake.

[obamanut2012]

46. yup

[SWBTATTReg]

12. You have to remember who of all people they are talking about, tRUMP and his scumbags have long been

a pathetic source of any relevant information on literally any topic, since they don't have any in-depth knowledge of anything to contribute to the discussions going on via what our candidates support, etc.

All tRUMP does is insult, at the 5th grade level. That gets very old, and I am getting tired of it. I want substance, a legitimate and valid discussions on the issues of the day. like Vance mocking cat ladies...in what world is this contributing to issues of the day? All they are doing is insult after insult, w/ nothing concrete, nothing of any substance. Boring (and childish). Is that all tRUMP and vance consist of, insults and nothing else?

[diva77]

14. Weirdness aside, there are some mean sounding responses here - kind of surprising. Oh well. I don't have media

going all day and wasn't aware of the purpose of the weirdness talking point.

[wnylib]

54. Trump is all about the middle school emotional level of being "cool."

That's why his followers are a cult. Everyone in the cult has to conform to peer pressure to be "in" with each other. Trump sets the tone for what is in and cool. Among the cult, it is cool to defy the law, to worship a convicted felon as a hero, to hate "the other," to claim victimhood in order to justify anger and cruelty as self-defense. The ultimate "cool" is to overturn the government, like adolescent rebels in middle school.

So, "weird" cuts right into the center of their peer pressured, middle school level of emotions. People cling to a "cool" cult out of insecurity. Calling their cult weird hits that insecurity and flips on its head the cult belief that they are "in" and everyone else is "the other." It defines their exclusiveness as "the other" and makes diversity the acceptable value.

In short, calling them weird reaches them at their own emotional level and makes them doubt themselves. It also makes them look bad to everyone else, which is a good thing when defending the country against a cult coup attempt.

[Quiet Em]

59. Yes. It's calling the bully weird.

I'm ok with that.

[FrankBooth]

15. I've been calling him a weird dude for years

And he is weird, and not in a good or lovable way, but a creepy 'please don't talk or sit next to me' way. He HATES this, so I love it. Fuck his feelings.

[Torchlight]

16. There is formal usage. There is informal usage. rarely the 'twain shall meet.

For examples, I often use the word 'guilty' in refence to people who have never been tried. I 'discovered' the Beatles in 1981, though I'm told they'd been around for 20 years or so already.

I think Vice Pres. Harris' staff believes that the media and RW-pushback on something so benign illustrates is a leading indicator of its effectivness.

[John Shaft]

17. Yeah

no.

[alarimer]

18. I think there's good weird and bad weird.

Good weird, like you were talking about, is like being non-conformist.

Bad weird is like an off-putting vibe, like Vance exudes.

I actually don’t think weird is the right adjective? Creepy, maybe?

[boston bean]

21. Creepy weird is the vibe. That is what is meant.

[democrattotheend]

19. I agree with you

I'm autistic and I was called weird a lot as a kid and I learned to embrace it, but I really don't like seeing Democrats use it as a derogatory term.

[diva77]

32. Thank you for your post, democrattotheend. I am sorry you have had to endure name calling like that. Good for you for

speaking up!

[ibegurpard]

22. JFC enough with the scolding

Better get used to it because you're going to be hearing it a lot... especially about weird old Donald.

[MaryMagdaline]

23. We've got to denormalize their BS. Trump's insanity has been normalized for too long.

[SalviaBlue]

24. It's weird not to be accepting of others.

MAGA is weird.

[DFab420]

25. Give us a fucking break with the "we 're better than this" pearl clutching

Wake up and realize we’re in a knife fight for our democracy

[Think. Again.]

26. Yeah, those rightwing deviants sure are weird.

[BlueTsunami2018]

27. This is the kind of shit that keeps us losing.

Weird is a term everyone understands. Deviant isn’t in average Joe’s everyday vocabulary. We have to keep it simple and relatable.

We’re still the good guys, our policies are right but there’s nothing wrong with getting a little dirty. And this isn’t half of what we should be doing.

Surely we can suck it up and realize we’re not going after the downtrodden. This is punching up.

Do we want to win or what? Let’s get in there, this is effective.

[kentuck]

55. There is a good type of "weird" and a bad type of "weird"...

You are right. "Deviant" may be a better word to describe them but "weird" is a better word for them to understand.

I do think we need to be careful not to over use it. We need to use it strategically for it to be most effective.

[Blue Owl]

28. This isn't about us

It’s the MAGA numbskulls who don’t like “weird” or the idea of weird. If they’re told to think tRump is weird, then he’s in big, big trouble…. the host will reject the parasite

[Doc Sportello]

29. I think creepy works better

Creepy infers agency on their part. Weird includes those who don't fit in.

[Music Man]

30. I'm glad you said this.

I hope it doesn't become too much of a theme. Yes, it often takes the simplest, stupidest things to reach people, but being "weird" is something I've long thought is a virtue, because mainstream thought is often so shallow. It's the artist in me.

Just ask Weird Al

I get that we're saying what's weird is specifically fascist tendencies, trying to control people's sexuality, reproductive choices, etc. Those points of view come from a disturbed psychologically, indeed. But a part of me dies when political rhetoric is silly.

[BluesRunTheGame]

31. I think it'll work to get us past the DNC.

If he swaps out his VP we can switch to “desperate” and Trump has a “turnover problem”.

[TygrBright]

33. It seems like it's incredibly effective at triggering MAGAts.

I'm assessing this by the amount of "concerned" discussion that seems to be developing about it.

If it wasn't really getting on their wick, we wouldn't see the troll brigades mobilizing to sanctimoniously point out how unbecoming it is of us nice liberal progressive folks to use such biased and derogatory language that might inadvertently insult people we would never dream of insulting.

As someone who's been proudly weird pretty much all my life, I do get the whole "Wait, you say it like it's a BAD thing...?" vibe. But I know words and their meanings can shift rapidly depending on context and application.

So I'm inclined to keep giving "weird" a pass, as long as it keeps triggering the right people.

tolerantly,
Bright

[Efilroft Sul]

34. The word "weird" is a stab to the heart of white males airing grievances, especially when women call them that.

I think the word takes these chumps back to their adolescent or teenage years, when they first exhibited that they have zero game, and were called weirdos by the pretty girls who rejected them. As they grew older, they were probably called "creeps" by objects of Matt Gaetz's desire, but "weird" and "weirdo" drew first blood and made them feel small.

I'm not sure if the word "weird" was carefully analyzed for opposition research purposes or if it was stumbled upon and we noticed it got an unusual reaction, but if it ends triggering the Biff Tannens in the GOP, so be it. Fucking weirdos.

[TheKentuckian]

35. It is time for the messed up assholes to stop being allowed "default" status

When what they are is just mean, chaotic, disrespectful, creepy, tiresome, and very weird.

Your "weird" and value in it in no small part tied up in just not being like those fucks.

Have you considered that their "normal" is the unnatural and off kilter and that continuing to allow them "regular" status is a set up for oppression and othering the decent and interesting folks?

[Ferrets are Cool]

36. I LOVE the use of weird. It's getting under their skin. That is fantastic.

[edisdead]

38. Don't overthink it.

They are weird. They are not normal people.

[edisdead]

39. Good lord....

Only on DU.

[XanaDUer2]

65. Lol

[summer_in_TX]

40. My favorite rhetorician, Professor Jennifer Mercieca, says it's an important strategy to "weirdify" Trump, Vance,

and their MAGA followers. Behavior that has gotten normalized over time gets denormalized.

They'd much rather have us scared of them, than to feel like we just think they are weird in the creepy beta male sense.

We are using the language of dominance to undermine the image they try to project. Up until Biden decided to drop his pursuit of the nomination, their side was able to effectively use the language of dominance about Biden's age and cognitive abilities (false or exaggerated as they were). I can't remember where I read about studies showing that fascists rely on the language of dominance, maybe Mercieca or perhaps Ruth Ben-Ghiat. I think "creepy' or "weird creep" could also be effective.

I follow her at @JenMercieca on Twitter. She frequently demonstrates best practices in rhetoric. BTW, she suggests flooding the zone of the larger accounts dissing Kamala (for smiling, laughing, DEI hire, etc.) with love and positivity about her and then debunk their disinfo. Avoid amplifying negative messages from small accounts since few will ever see those unless they get amplified.

[LostOne4Ever]

41. I rather call Trump et al Assholes

That is what I think of when I hear or see MAGA supporters in the news.

[Voltaire2]

45. Sure and then somebody will point out the sexual aspect of the term 'asshole'

and they won't be wrong.

[jalan48]

42. I see it as a way to mitigate Trump's labeling and demeaning of other people who question or oppose him.

Shapiro said today that Trump's hugging the flag, "Is a weird thing he does, right?" I think it's an effective way to call attention to Trump's behavior while diminishing him at the same time.

[GaYellowDawg]

43. OMG. IT'S WORKING.

We need to grab at anything that's working, and don't need to throw it away because of a quibble with making sure we have exactly the right word that will offend Republicans without possibly offending anyone else.

[strauberry]

44. the word can be changed; the strategy needs to go harder

dems have found a winner with this strategy. for years we have been sounding the alarm to the rising fascism among r's, and that (while important) gave their ideology air. the mockery, the insults, it works and it works well. the right has been having a collective meltdown on twitter for the last few days over simply being called "weird". it doesn't matter the word used though: creepy, icky, etc. we've been giving them oxygen to their fire by validating them as a threat, and now that we're biting back with their insults all they can do is holler. i say keep going, even if "weird" isn't the best word

[Brainfodder]

47. Gloves are OFF, and they are FUCKING WEIRD!

I am weird, but I am self FUCKING aware!

[Bonx]

48. I just don't like it. It feels awkward and forced.

[Chakaconcarne]

49. The whole RNC Convention looked like a gathering of Lizard People

They've all had work done to hide the scales...

Yeah, they ARE weird....not weird like different, weird like creepy.

[newdayneeded]

50. And still ANOTHER

be nice to donny post

[NoSheep]

51. Language is VERY important. That's how they got ALL the power they have.

[Basso8vb]

52. Weird post.

[Keepthesoulalive]

53. I don't think people are being mean

But they are getting tired of bringing a toothpick to a gun fight. We must use all legal and rhetorical means at our disposal to win this fight otherwise game over. We’re seeing all over the internet don’t say things because trumpets might get offended. I say let’s offend the hell out of them.

[ProfessorGAC]

57. Not Meant As A Lecture?

That's not obvious to the reader.
It seems very much like a priggish & pedantic screed.

[Bucky]

62. It's funny, but like the couch & dolphin thing, it doesn't increase our support among voters

We need to talk more about middle class benefits of Bidenomics and the fact that Trump delivered on no promises he made to voters except the billionaire tax cut. And he has ZERO plans to fix any of the problems he's complaining about.

Now he's attacking the middle class and social security. Pete Buttegieg explains it better. But it's more important to move the needle than it is to just out-do the Republicans at name calling