Weird is good. Own it.
this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2024
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Weird can be good...sometimes, depending on the context.
This is how all words become squanch.
For real. Keep using weird.
I'm tired seeing politicians talk about everything but their actual policies. Hope they actually say stuff of substance like oh I don't know their policies?
Agreed.
"weird" is an effective way to shut down right-wing nutjobs because they care too much about conformity, and are likely to change their behaviour if they believe they are going against the will of the herd. it undermines their whole 'silent majority' schtick.
all this to say, i'm autistic, i'm weird, and i don't think that this new strategic use of the word in politics should mean you shouldn't use it in other ways too.
Yeah, that makes sense. It's not so much that they are labeled weird, but that they are shocked thinking they were not...
I'd argue that weird isn't being used as an insult, but to state that the bullies are in fact not representing the norm. They are outside the norm but pretend to be normal, they insist on being normal - which makes it weird. It's not an insult to us, but it is an insult to them. Which makes it funny.
Fascists believe in inequality based on identity, while we kinda thought we had this already sorted that we all believe in equality now. Like all people created equal. But their need to define an identity as superior and then attacking anybody outside the norm is being used against them. And it IS weird to do that, most people simply don't care if you're a little weird. We still have to learn to be more tolerant to more weirdness and not react with biases or irrational emotions. Respect weirdness.
So weird isn't being used as an insult but as a way to rob them of their power - their attempt to define a new normal. And their arguments and attacks against anyone else are becoming increasingly bizarre, less founded in reality, absurd claims. Comical. Weird.
There is the metaphor about slowly cooking a frog without him noticing, shifting the overton window. Weird sort of resets that. It is more an attack on what they DO than what they are.
Nice, that makes sense. I'll keep using weird.
Very well said
Quirky, unique, eccentric, remarkable, mystifying, fantastic, unconventional, offbeat.
if you're referring to yourself I'd prefer 'quirky' because it has less of a self-aggrandizing quality to it. More neutral per se
Eccentric, mystifying, unconventional, and offbeat all have varying levels of 'polite judgment' or condescension inherent to them so should be used carefully when referring to others.
Unique, remarkable, and fantastic are the more complimentary versions.
I think "quirky" as a self-descriptor got pretty heavily stigmatized during the 2010s, though. Like if someone self-identifies as "quirky", the first thing that comes to my mind is the *holds up spork* copypasta. I actually personally really like offbeat, as long as you use a modifier like "a bit".
Eccentric Al Yankovic just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Skibidi Yankovic
I don't see why it can't be an insult for them and a compliment for me. Just like gay was for years. I'm weird and I'm proud.
Absolutely. They can't use it back.
This concern feels unnecessary.
Yup. A lot of feelings are unnecessary yet are there anyway for us to deal with them.
No. All feelings contribute to you in some way or another.
Quirky
I'm still quite happy using weird in a positive light. I feel context is always important for a word. Plenty of words have double meanings depending on context.
Are you literally going out of your way to deliberately remove any positive connotation from a word in order to try and artificially manufacture a slur?
Pretty weird.
Go Victorian with it. Perfectly Peculiar.
- Eccentric
- βA wide variety of interestsβ
Eccentric is a good alternative.
Great discussion about this topic here: https://sopuli.xyz/post/15705393
β¦ if someone is called weird and they agree with you, they are the good weird, but if you call them weird and they get defensive/aggressive they are the bad weird β¦
Hehe, I'll have a read on that thread.
'Quaint' is a delightful word for the positively weird
It usually implies it's weird in an old-fasioned way though.
Quirky
Quirky is definitely the best fit, if you are worried about an ambiguous context using a descriptor.
Still, don't discard weird as a word altogether like a slur so quickly. "Keep Portland Weird", "Weird Al Yankovic", still describes stuff that are a little unusual but cool to be around, and the fact that this word comes up in the context of US politics shouldn't remove one of the word's many meanings.
A guy at a bar who always shows up with round sunglasses and a tie dye shirt, ordering a glass of milk is the cool kind of weird. A guy who spends all their time talking about themselves are the annoying antisocial kind of weird. Someone who sits next to a washroom staring at the ass of every person going in and out of it is the creep kind of weird.
I was just thinking about "quirky" because my sister-in-law recently used it to describe her daughter. Her contrasting word (for her son) was "straightforward."
Personally, I fit the former even though I've learned to "pass for normal." NOT my words. That was a direct quote and it was meant as a compliment. Weird is definitely meant as an insult in the US Midwest.
I use "funky" a lot to mean weird in a good way
There is good weird and bad weird, no harm in calling someone good weird. If you really want alternatives: Quirky, Unusual, eccebtric, interesting. However and such word can also be an insult in the right context
Just call yourself a silly goose.
Eccentric, unusual, unique, interesting, intriguing. IDK check any thesaurus.
"Delightful".
No need for a new word. Weird means "out of the norm" , which one can wear as a badge of honor at the same time as using it to point out that MAGA does not align with everyday Americans.
A little peculiar.
A tad perplexing.
eccentric is the aristocratic weird. its my go to
Good-weird
Odd?
Idiosyncratic works as well. Maybe better in some instances. But it also has a bit of an upright or pejorative quality that weird refreshingly lacks.
Zany
Oddball?
Outlandish, bizarre, unusual, strange, unique, uncanny, queer (this one has extra connotations but has been reclaimed)
If something is positively weird I typically just call it "interesting" though it won't work in all instances.
Difference enthusiast is fun.
As someone who has identified specifically as 'weird' or a 'weirdo', I'm happy to keep using the term. I don't think anyone's going to confuse my queer-esque anti-heirarchical neurodivergency for whatever the fuck is wrong with those fascist assholes.
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