Weird is good. Own it.
this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2024
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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?
Weird can be good...sometimes, depending on the context.
This is how all words become squanch.
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.
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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".
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.
Eccentric Al Yankovic just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Skibidi Yankovic
This concern feels unnecessary.
Yup. A lot of feelings are unnecessary yet are there anyway for us to deal with them.
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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.
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.
'Quaint' is a delightful word for the positively weird
It usually implies it's weird in an old-fasioned way though.
Quirky
Eccentric, unusual, unique, interesting, intriguing. IDK check any thesaurus.
Sorry for hijacking the post, but I don't think people get why this usage of weird bothers some people. It's not that we (several kinds of weird we) are not used to be called weird or similar. We grew up and found people who were like us and understood our quirkiness. Weird was the weapon of the bigot and we took that away from them. Until our friends, or community at large, started acting like the people that hurt us in the past. We could deal with the bullies and ignorant using it against us, but this new situation was unexpected.
I don't like comparing struggles, but I'll use examples to, maybe, make things clear. Using queer instead of weird would have bothered them the same, although I don't believe it would have worked the same way, but more people at our side would see the issue. And the next one might be much more personal, but reading "good weird, bad weird" sounds like "good negro, bad negro" to me. You don't get to judge or qualify me.
Also, even in a discussion that completely accepts and is understanding of people using weird as a weapon to the point of trying to find another word to be used in a positive way, there are comments that invalidate the feelings of those who are affected. If you believe words have power, why can't you see the collateral damage?
Honestly, I'm trying to endure it until election season ends there in the USA, but I'm starting to feel the need to talk about all the wonderful things I like using the word weird just to counteract the negativity.
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Just call yourself a silly goose.
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
I use "funky" a lot to mean weird in a good way
"Delightful".
A little peculiar.
A tad perplexing.
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.
Honestly I would just keep self-describing as "weird" if I were you. If it really is damΓ© to do so, then use a thesaurus; or if you're multilingual, be a little macaronic.
eccentric is the aristocratic weird. its my go to
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.
Odd?
Outlandish, bizarre, unusual, strange, unique, uncanny, queer (this one has extra connotations but has been reclaimed)
Zany
Oddball?
Good-weird
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.
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