My "Creepy Uncanny Vance Valley Hypothesis"
The term "creepy" has become particularly associated with Vance lately. Of course, the partner term "weird" has been applied to Trump and Vance for some time now. But here is one difference. The term "weird" brings to mind someone strange, disturbingly outside the norm, a person causing mental unease. The term "creepy", on the other hand, brings to mind repulsion, causing physical unease, that creepy, crawly sensation. Vance is creepy. In post-debate commentary on Vance, the term "creepy" appeared in The Guardian ("creepy little putz " ), in Reuters ("creepy, and yes, weird " ), Rolling Stone ("allegedly "creepy" weirdo " ), and in Newsweek, quoting Mary Trump, ("vile, creepy, cruel and violent " ).
So, why has Vance become the Creepy Candidate, perhaps edging out his running mate at present? The Guardian's review of his debate performance offers a hint. "...[Vance] had to try and seem kindly, empathetic, gentle. The resulting 90 minutes felt like watching a remarkably lifelike robot try to imitate normal human emotion." The Uncanny Valley Hypotheses may hold the key. According to Wikipedia, "The uncanny valley hypothesis predicts that an entity [such as a robot] appearing almost human will risk eliciting eerie feelings in viewers.... [Masahiro] Mori's original hypothesis states that as the appearance of the robot is made more human, some observers' emotional response becomes more positive and empathetic, until it becomes almost human, at which point the response quickly becomes strong revulsion." Vance's performance was so near to human, yet so detectably artificial, that, at some points during the debate, it crossed over into uncanny creepiness and revulsion.
The uncanny valley hypothesis applies to robotics, 3-D computer simulations, and lifelike dolls. Vance's creepiness, his ability to trigger revulsion, while imitating human kindness and empathy, deserves its own hypothesis. After all, he is not a robot imitating normal human emotion, but a human imitating normal human emotion. Sometimes Vance emoting seems genuine, but sometimes it just grates on the nerves, crossing over into the uncanny valley of viewer discomfort. So perhaps a new hypothesis should be the "Creepy Uncanny Vance Valley Hypothesis". With no systematic study yet in place, for now, each of us will have to monitor our own reactions, from empathy to revulsion, and draw our own conclusions as to what feels warm and fuzzy🧸, and what feels creepy and crawly🕷.
The Guardian article quoted was from Oct 2, 2024, entitled "JD Vance's Debate Lines were so polished you could forget they made no sense", by Moira Donegan.
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