We’re talking about the sweaty uncle you can’t leave alone with the kids weird; inspect the kids’ genitals before the ballgame weird; track women’s menstrual cycles in a state database weird; calling teachers “groomers” weird; calling books with gay characters pornography and banning them weird. You know what it’s about and you don’t actually think it’s good.
So the upshot here is: intolerance is the historical norm and wide-ranging tolerance of weirdness is rare and fragile and essential to human flourishing. We are damn lucky to live in a time and place when murderous authoritarians, theocrats, misogynists etc are figures of fun instead of just being the unchallenged ruling establishment. And we had better defend that luck with everything we've got against the far right scum who want to drag us backwards. Even if that means calling them a bad name occasionally... like, say, "weird."
In my hometown, there was a guy who wore a feathered cap. He walked around all the time. We all knew him as “feather hat guy.” We loved him. Someone painted a mural of him, named a beer after him, and even made an action figure of him.
But I am pretty glad he was never in a position of political power.
We’re talking about the sweaty uncle you can’t leave alone with the kids weird; inspect the kids’ genitals before the ballgame weird; track women’s menstrual cycles in a state database weird; calling teachers “groomers” weird; calling books with gay characters pornography and banning them weird. You know what it’s about and you don’t actually think it’s good.
So the upshot here is: intolerance is the historical norm and wide-ranging tolerance of weirdness is rare and fragile and essential to human flourishing. We are damn lucky to live in a time and place when murderous authoritarians, theocrats, misogynists etc are figures of fun instead of just being the unchallenged ruling establishment. And we had better defend that luck with everything we've got against the far right scum who want to drag us backwards. Even if that means calling them a bad name occasionally... like, say, "weird."
Right?
Good SEO to help Harris campaign. Bravo.
In my hometown, there was a guy who wore a feathered cap. He walked around all the time. We all knew him as “feather hat guy.” We loved him. Someone painted a mural of him, named a beer after him, and even made an action figure of him.
But I am pretty glad he was never in a position of political power.
Thank you.
Weird post
Happy for all these people to keep well away from the machinery of government. Especially Cummings and the other messianic guy
The true gift is the capacity to imagine everyone of all political persuasions equally naked behind the lectern.
I like a lot of your essays. But what was the point of this one?
I dunno for sure but several of the examples at least were a hoot! Itself something in short supply at this point in time.
That JD Vance is good.
lol no, that can't be it. What's next?
"Tangerines, sunsets, and basketballs are all orange - and delightful. Therefore: orange man good. QED."
If so, bringing up the kid toucher Michael Jackson probably wasn't a good idea.
The point is in the title - being weird isn't inherently bad. Recent events show certain people have forgotten this.
All those people, personalities, and legacies were normal in a world where anti-fascism is the norm. Everything else is…weird.