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the intersubjectivity of "weird"
Kamala Harris's campaign sent out a press release saying, among other things,
That phrasing, with the question mark, is (per Gretchen McCulloch, internet linguistics expert), reads as more internet-y than we usually get from US Presidential candidates:
I'd say that "Old and quite weird?" counts as the internet style of question mark because it's indicating rising tone of voice/uncertainty rather than accompanying question syntax (wh word or do/is/etc at the beginning of the sentence)
I'm also struck by the informality of "this guy" and the choice of a comma rather than a colon for "we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?"
The "quite weird?" line has struck a chord with some folks (examples from Bluesky):
And some folks are thinking about the usefulness of the subjective word "weird", and its splash zone.
and
response:
I'm late getting ready for my day, but I want to mark how useful the intersubjective derogatory power of "weird" is. It's like "creep" or (per this Black programmer's experience) saying something is "uncomfortable". It's easy for a person with structural power to use "this makes people uncomfortable" to deflect accountability for a decision. But also the subjectivity of "uncomfortable" is why it has extra power for marginalized people, as Erynn Brook discussed on Twitter a while back.
I am not making the time right now to think about this in more detail, but, it's interesting.
After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?
Main takeaways Trump gave to the American people: ....
- Trump is old and quite weird?
- This guy shouldn’t be president ever again
I'd say that "Old and quite weird?" counts as the internet style of question mark because it's indicating rising tone of voice/uncertainty rather than accompanying question syntax (wh word or do/is/etc at the beginning of the sentence)
I'm also struck by the informality of "this guy" and the choice of a comma rather than a colon for "we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?"
The "quite weird?" line has struck a chord with some folks (examples from Bluesky):
There's absolutely nothing normal about anything he's done or said in decades! Finally, FINALLY it's the official messaging of the loyal opposition, and it's inarguable.
"Have you guys noticed that the emperor has no clothes? You're seeing this too, right?"
to me it reads as "... y'all see this too, right? why is no one else saying it?" incredulity + "this is maybe not 100% proper to say in a press release but I'm gonna say it anyway"
It's asking, "you guys see this too, right?"
"Have you guys noticed that the emperor has no clothes? You're seeing this too, right?"
to me it reads as "... y'all see this too, right? why is no one else saying it?" incredulity + "this is maybe not 100% proper to say in a press release but I'm gonna say it anyway"
It's asking, "you guys see this too, right?"
And some folks are thinking about the usefulness of the subjective word "weird", and its splash zone.
Last year I shut down the my family group thread by simply replying to their right wing banter with “WHAT A BUNCH OF WIERDOS OOPS WRONG THREAD”. Calling them dumb doesn’t work because that can’t *possibly* be true in their minds. Weird works. No one wants to be weird, and we (non-narcissists) all have at least a tiny voice inside us that wonders if we are. Feed that voice.
and
*I* am weird. Weird is GOOD.
Republicans are irrational, evil, ignorant, and ridiculous.
Calling them "weird" is an insult to the unusually reasonable people who have been called "weird" our entire lives.
Republicans are irrational, evil, ignorant, and ridiculous.
Calling them "weird" is an insult to the unusually reasonable people who have been called "weird" our entire lives.
response:
Words don’t have single meanings. “Weird” can mean “wonderful”, and it also sometimes means “creepy, offputting, and repellent.” Context matters. Words aren’t Lego blocks.
I'm late getting ready for my day, but I want to mark how useful the intersubjective derogatory power of "weird" is. It's like "creep" or (per this Black programmer's experience) saying something is "uncomfortable". It's easy for a person with structural power to use "this makes people uncomfortable" to deflect accountability for a decision. But also the subjectivity of "uncomfortable" is why it has extra power for marginalized people, as Erynn Brook discussed on Twitter a while back.
I am not making the time right now to think about this in more detail, but, it's interesting.