A political phenomenon has been happening these past few weeks that has both fascinated and amused me. Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, offhandedly said in an interview regarding the Republican presidential nominees, “These guys are just weird.”
It stuck. It spread. These far-right assholes can’t stand it. And I love every second of it.
If many of you are like me, you’ve been called weird more than once in your life. It was meant to be an insult but you embraced it as a badge of honor. It came to help define your quirky personality and interests, as they were likely outside of what was considered normal or mainstream. You were proud to be The Weird Kid and, if you’re like me, still take pride in being Weird as an adult! I know I do!
But these bullies and fascists have never been defined as “weird.” To them, weird is for the outcasts. Weird isn’t something you fear or respect. Weird is something you laugh at in derision. Weird is something you mock. Weird has no power because you’re supposed to be ashamed of it. And boy do they hate being called weird.
Those of us who oppose far-right reactionary ideals have been calling them all the wrong names all these years! Fascists, authoritarians, dictators, tyrants; all those terms have fear and power attached to them. The cinematic ideal of the all-powerful ruler is regal, clad in finery and gold, with zealous armies ready to do their bidding with nothing more than a word.
But a weirdo? There’s no power over others in that.
It’s so amazing that we finally found the term that gets under their skin, but also frustrating that it was such a simple one that was sitting under our noses all this time! Despite my enjoyment of this, there’s an undercurrent of “why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?” in my thoughts. Still, better late than never, and I hope this doesn’t lose its effectiveness over these next few months.
And to anyone who says we shouldn’t call them names because it’s childish or taking the low road? These far-right monsters have been calling us god-awful names for years. If they can’t take it, they shouldn’t dish it out.
Weirdos.