After nearly a decade of being forced to take Trump seriously, Democrats increasingly call BS on the whole charade
Sure, Donald Trump is a threat to democracy — a would-be dictator on day one who has called for terminating the U.S. Constitution so he can hold onto power even after losing a free and fair election. But while draped in the rhetoric of populism, Trump and his MAGA movement are not actually popular; the man himself has never won more votes than the person he ran against, a majority of Americans twice rejecting him and his off-putting cult of personality. That he was ever president is more or less because a few thousand swing voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania thought it would be fun.
President Joe Biden won in 2020 largely by promising to a return to normalcy and baseline competency. In 2024, Democrats are making a similar argument but more forcibly: They’re pointing, laughing and dismissing Trump and his circus as a total freak show to which we can’t return.
When reactionaries tell you to stop something it’s because it is effective.
If they cry and foam at the mouth you should go even harder.
They’re a minority of weirdos and should be reminded of such at every opportunity.
I might even go as far as calling them dumb.
So my buddy and I were bored in the car yesterday and I made up a game called “let’s bet how many minutes it will take me to scan through AM radio and hear that the immigrants are invading.” I was really sad when I won in, I shit you not, less than 3 minutes. But before he got to that when I first tuned in he was going on a whole rant about being butthurt that the orange one was being called a weirdo. It really upset the guy which was just absolutely hilarious. Oh and he managed to slip a transphobic pronoun joke in the middle of the rant. Remember all of this happened within less than 3 minutes of me starting at the bottom of the AM dial.
I love in the south and the radio is a fucked up place. It’s mostly all Christian or Republican talk radio. They tell people how they should think. like some random dude on the radio has all the answers.
My experience driving thru Indiana has been about the same. And that was some 10 years ago
Im glad they finally found something that sticks but sometimes I wish Kendrick just came out one time to call Trump a certified pedophile. Id laugh so hard I’d piss myself and possibly even someone else.
“they not like us” [photo of Trump and Clinton with Epstein]
Yep. Watching the Republican cult of personality be exposed this way has given me genuine hope for the future.
It’s been ten years since that freak started remaking the Republican party in his own image. Ten years since his face and voice started dominating the news cycle for no good reason (and lots of bad ones). Ten years of his clown show.
But now, at long last, I have hope that it will finally end. That the name “Donald Trump” will fade from our political vocabulary, and be spoken in shame and disgust when spoken at all.
The Republican Party eagerly embraced him. They wanted this.
This needs to be repeated over and over. Remind everyone when Trump is gone. He isn’t the threat people, he is a threat.
That the name “Donald Trump” will fade from our political vocabulary, and be spoken in shame and disgust when spoken at all.
Don’t forget the part where all the Republicans pretend they never really supported him in the first place.
Yep. Gonna be big “I was part of the civilian resistance” post-WW2 vibes in the aftermath of all this.
I’m prepared to remind every smug boomer I know until the day they die, and I relish in the opportunity.
Yep. I look forward to that day, but we need to remind them of the truth when they try to pull that.
Just like the origins of the “tea party”, just like how they called themselves “teabaggers” (no matter how much they insist now that it never happened), just like they swooned over both W and Romney, but pretended they “didn’t know her” when W’s war on Iraq was obvious to even the lowest of low-info that it was a clusterfuck, and when Romney lost to the Blah guy.
This.
Never let anyone who identifies as or admits to voting republican get away with this. Always remind them they had a convicted criminal rapist pussy grabber who stole from from a kids cancer charity running the show. Not just a candidate, he ran the whole clown show.
Doesn’t matter if it’s an uncle, dad, mom, grandpa or grandma; always be relentless with this message and have no room for sympathy or forgiveness. Be the bigger person? Time to ‘heal’? No, no, no. These people wanted to destroy America and you have to throw that into their face relentlessly.
Sure, have a family dinner or some party with family and friends but the moment politics comes up, you hammer this message home and tell them the discussion on politics is over because they have been proven not to be trusted at all when politics is involved. Uncle Bob want to talk fishing lures? Sure, no problem. Uncle Bob wants to talk politics in any way, shape or form? Be very, very fucking brutal in cutting the traitors of and shut them down. They have lost any and all admission to discuss (or, in my opinion, be part of) politics.
Doesn’t matter if it’s an uncle, dad, mom, grandpa or grandma; always be relentless with this message and have no room for sympathy or forgiveness.
Uh, no. It’s not popular to admit this, but being nice is much more persuasive with people who already like you. If you go nuts on them, they will just think you are crazy.
If you say “I think trump is too old and crazy / weird” they will listen. If they ask “Do you like trump?” just say “no” and laugh at the very idea of voting for him. That’s why “He’s weird” is working.
The seeds of his “movement” were planted by 4chan and other terminally online far right trolls long before he ever took the reins. It’s been brewing since the mid-to-late-2000s but was mostly contained to their own corners of the net. Until one day it wasn’t. Some people recognized it as just controversial bigoted/racist humor, others took it seriously and turned it into a lifestyle, and gave birth to the alt right.
My impression is that Something Awful was largely filled by people who saw the problems with 4chan “humor” and wanted nothing to do with it. But I could be misremembering.
The only problem I have is I’m weird and I think weird is cool, I like weird people and I love towns that have a motto that is like keep Portland weird. I celebrate weird, but I guess it’s time to normalize the weird I’ve been supporting and ostracize the truly weird
You are overthinking this and make it about you. This is meant to get under their skin because they are weird and cannot handle the phrase.
We expect you to not be so easily irked and intelligent enough to realize wat the spiel is here…
Weird is a loaded phrase. It was a gamble to see if it can track but in this way, against Trump, its working. I agree it was always my preference to be weird then be cool when I was young but this isn’t that kind of weird.
Weird is neutral on it’s own, it’s context and tone and stuff that gives it positive and negative weight
Weird as in countercultural is cool. Weird as in talking about wanting to date your daughter is not so cool.
That’s disgusting, not “weird”.
It’s also weird. Normal people don’t want to date their daughter.
No, it’s not “also weird”. Use a more descriptive word. We can’t have one word be equally applicable to people that are slightly awkward and people that want to groom their children. Blindly grouping them together normalizes the latter and demonizes the former.
Also, “Normal” is a term used to make people feel othered. Consider what normal has excluded in the past (race, sexuality, gender, etc) and how disgusting we see that was now. Again, there are better words to use that don’t contribute (intentionally or not) to binding truly vile behavior to benign characteristics.
It is also weird. Weird is a pretty broad and neutral term. It encompasses quirky and creepy.
I find it so odd you’re strongly against the concept of normal while so gung ho about keeping weird as a thing. Weird is used just as much for othering.
I’m aware as you use it repeatedly for exactly that. I’m also aware that many people embrace their weirdness to take the power back from bullies and bigots. They should get to keep that without worrying about the term becoming a synonym for pedophile or fascist.
The kind of weird you embrace isn’t the kind of weird he is. He’d hate it even worse if we said he was your kind of weird. When he’s gone we can make weird great again.
“Don’t worry, we’re only gonna do this shitty thing for a little bit, we swear!” That’s not a reassurance, it’s just an excuse.
Calling out the weirdness of an objectively weird (and creepy, and megalomaniac, and venal, and abusive and dangerous) old man, who’s weird by choice and despite all his privileges, isn’t shitty.
It’s the hope that his brand of weirdness becomes irrelevant and forgotten that I was referring to, not saying there would ever be a time to stop naming it what it is, or feeling obliged to make excuses for it.
It absolutely is shitty. You’re not “calling out” trump & co. for some objective characteristic - you’re lumping everyone that’s ever been derided for being “weird”, bullied, and generally othered in with them for cheap political points. Your excuse that it’s only temporary is a hollow promise I expect even you don’t believe. The damage is to more than just one person, and that doesn’t get undone as soon as you decide you’ve had your fun and go home.
To someone who is conformist being “weird” is the worst thing. If you aren’t being weird is a badge of honor and people wear it proudly. This is why it works so well right now.
Y’all know the story of Hitler coming into power? Right?
Trump is not a normal opponent who one should (or can) engage in a high-minded debate about tariffs and industrial policy. He’s a clown: scary, but often sad and ultimately a joke.
This is exactly what most German people thought about Hitler, and why they thought he could never come to power. Fascism is weird, but also weirdly appealing to a very determined and violent subset of people, and they’ll do what it takes to coerce others to go along. You’re right we shouldn’t be too confident that sanity will naturally win.
This is exactly what most German people thought about Hitler, and why they thought he could never come to power.
I mean, I bring up Hitler, but this is also exactly what people thought about Trump first time around too.
Fascism is weird, but also weirdly appealing to a very determined and violent subset of people
Some people crave a King. They want to be ruled. That’s the structure that makes sense to their brain.
This is also the tactic employed in major hiphop feud Kdot v. Drake
How’d it work out for the weird guy with rumors of pedophilia who is hated by the majority of people who worked with him?
The reason it works is because there is no refuting it other than, “Nah uh!” It’s almost the equivalent to repeating someone’s argument back to them in a tone to sound stupid. HOWEVER, this tactic works when arguing with a kindergartner, so it works here too.
It’s also a primal fear for narcissistic men to be called ‘weird’ or ‘creepy’ by attractive women.
Actually narcissistic people don’t care about that, because narcissistic people aren’t sexually attracted to anyone. Narcissus rejected everyone who made moves on him. That’s why, at 16, he was put to death by the gods for not loving anyone.
amazingly confident in incorrectness.
Narcissus wasn’t put to death. His own self-absorption killed him.
Some one, therefore, who had been despised by him, lifting up his hands towards heaven, said, “Thus, though he should love, let him not enjoy what he loves!” Rhamnusia74 assented to a prayer so reasonable. There was a clear spring, like silver, with its unsullied waters, which neither shepherds, nor she-goats feeding on the mountains, nor any other cattle, had touched; which neither bird nor wild beast had disturbed, nor bough falling from a tree. There was grass around it, which the neighboring water nourished, and a wood, that suffered the stream to become warm with no rays of the sun. Here the youth, fatigued both with the labor of hunting and the 104 III. 413-445 heat, lay down, attracted by the appearance of the spot, and the spring; and, while he was endeavoring to quench his thirst, another thirst grew upon him.
Rhamnusia made him fall in love with his reflection. It’s right there in the text.
Narcissism is not a sexual orientation. You can be a narcissistic asexual. But being a narcissist does not mean you dont experience sexual attraction in the colloquial form of the word.
I think they read the story of Narcissis and assumed that narcissism is a one to one translation of meaning.
Like others here, I gotta say it’s super weird that this comment is focused on Narcissus the character’s specific death rather than the actual disorder. It’s like getting caught up on Oedipus’s platonic relationships. The disorder references the character but does not demand that every detail of the story is relevant.
NPD is diagnostically defined in the DSM-5 (APA 2013; pages 669-672) as a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, with interpersonal entitlement, exploitiveness, arrogance, and envy. Five out of nine of these criteria need to be present to meet the diagnosis of NPD.
(The nine can be found online from many sources. None mentions sexuality.)
There’s good reading on sexual selfishness or sexually addictive behavior from narcissists. One from the American Journal of Psychiatry, emphasis mine:
In addition to the grandiose and vulnerable subtypes, there is a healthier group of individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, described as “high-functioning,” “exhibitionistic,” or “autonomous.” These individuals, illustrated by Mr. A, are grandiose, competitive, attention seeking, and sexually provocative, while demonstrating adaptive functioning and using their narcissistic traits to succeed.
For a more contemporary comparison, it’s like seeing the trope of the Starscream and insisting that for the archetype to fit, they must be disintegrated by the guy they backstabbed reborn and renamed. The disorder is named after the self obsessive behavior, not the less important particulars.
Naming an ego disorder after Narcissus is ridiculous. The boy’s core character trait was his lack of interest in relationships with other people. The self-obsession isn’t his character trait, it’s a punishment inflicted on him by the gods. It would be better to call it Nemesism. Nemesis is the god who inflicted the self-obsession. If you’re talking about Narcissus, the asexuality is why he was killed. The asexuality is the trait the Greeks saw as evil.
I mean maybe, but I assume that by the time it was named, people mainly remembered the staring at oneself until death thing. The story is old enough that it’s been simplified many times, I’ve heard it more without the curse bit than with. The authors aren’t really around to correct the record.
I’m curious, were you more familiar with the particulars of the story than the actual disorder, and just applied it? I’m confused about the point of the orignal comment. It feels like you’re more interested in Greek myths than the actual discussion that was happening.
Which is fine— there’s a place for that, even if that wasn’t the way to introduce the subject. I’d have been (and really, still am) interested in other not-entirely-faithful myth inspired names. But by beginning with an inaccurate take on the contemporary term narcissist, it mostly just led to confusion.
I was extending the benefit of the doubt. If we’re all speaking Greek, and disagree on whether Trump is asexual, well that’s a very weird conversation to have but it could result without malice. However, if someone is throwing around ableist slurs and saying Trump’s evil is the result of neurodivergence, then they deserve to be punched in the face.
Not that I’m an expert but sexuality is independent. Also, narcissists understand power dynamics and need to be on the top in every regard.
Hey look it’s misinformation spread by someone who’s scared of people who are different
Get out of my brain.
I was literally just wondering why it’s so effective and I think it’s this.
Most liberal “insults” are draped in facts and figures, to the point that Republicans just close their ears and say AlTeRnAtIvE fAcTs.
I think the simplicity, and it’s fact-less insult cuts through their reasoning brains (which there wasn’t much of) and hits them in the emotional centers.
I mean…it took Democrats 6 years to figure this out?
Better late than never but happy we’re finally hitting below the belt.
There is no reasoning, it’s just emotion and identity. This hits both.
Democrats finally learn how stupid undecided voters are
Democrats need to meet people where they are. Most people want to be manipulated and told what to think and do.
Honestly, that’s how are brains are wired. The group is more important than the truth.
That might be part of it, but the Republicans tried a similar attack against Biden and it mostly didn’t land. It only works when it’s true in the sense that the average person genuinely finds the position or behavior in question disturbing.
queue up the Faith No More song Kindergarten
Look, I’m sorry I didn’t vote in 2016 but I’ve voted every time since then and started paying attention to local politics. Now I have a protected bike lane next to my neighborhood and the roads aren’t full of holes
Good job. That’s all we should ask of you. You made a mistake, learned from it, and vow not to do it again. As long as you uphold that, you’ll be an outstanding citizen, and that’s all we should ask for.
I like protected bike lanes and roads without holes in them too!
I don’t know who thinks “weird” is some kind of effective attack. IMO just happens to coincide with the wave of feel-good associated with Biden stepping aside and Harris stepping up. Personally I find it pretty lame. stick with dishing back what the republicans threw at Biden - trump is old, he can’t form coherent sentences, question his health, and show everyone he wants a hereditary dictatorship that subjugates women and fellates the ultra wealthy so the US can be just another shitty kleptocracy.
If you say so. Weird Al Yankovic is a fan favorite of many old people. I can perfectly see people wearing “Old and weird” purposely. There’s no shortage of old people wearing edgy T-shirts, specially in the Trump crowd.
I’m no psychologist, but the irony of praising being called “brat” while touting calling the opposition “weird” makes me feel like I’m back in preschool. These lowered bars, man … definitely on our way to surpassing Idiocracy.
I’ve always prided myself on being weird…how can ‘weird’ be such an insult? I’m going to have to test this out on a couple conservatives before I believe this.
You said it at the end there. Conservative means status quo. Which is not weird.
That’s the dictionary definition perhaps, but not what they’re pushing for. Conservatives talk about small government etc, but really it’s about rewarding the ingroups and punishing the outgroups.
They want to revert reproductive rights, with the government tracking periods and investigating women’s bodies. That’s weird af. They love the police state and mass surveillance, recording people’s messages and web activities is hugely creepy. It’s weird if a person snoops on you like that, and it’s weird if the government does it. They care way too much about what’s between your legs and which gender you sleep with, again, weird.
Edit: also just to add there is good weird and bad weird. Good weird is being yourself despite what the mainstream does, bad weird is forcing your viewpoints on others
There’s “wear an animal costume to the nightclub” weird and there’s “have 23 kids, homeschooled all of them, and cover up the oldest son’s molestation accusations all while being the most self righteous bigots in Arkansas” weird. Now, Trump doesn’t have nearly that many kids, but he’s definitely closer to the latter than the former.
I think the term “creepy” would also be effective.
Yes. Honestly, what’s wrong with being weird? maga weird == creepy
For sure, and it is absolutely true.
I just like “weird” because it only works one way. For people who value individuality and diversity, it doesn’t necessarily have a negative connotation. For people who value conformity, it’s a devastating insult. Apparently Ben Shapiro went on Megyn Kelly’s show to cry about it, which is great.
Keep $City Weird is a classic embrace of the term.
This makes a lot more sense than weird. Old and weird is something one could put on a T-shirt or on a lemmy nbio and enjoy displaying it. It’s basically a Weird Al Yankovic T-shirt.
And the meaning of brat really hasn’t changed except in some limited social circles, just like the close association between coconuts, monkeys, and primitive tribal connotations. It’s as if someone was leading the Democratic marketing campaign by selling it within the bubble but in such a way that it is ultimately ineffective and easily twisted, and it’s giving me serious 2016 vibes. I really hope I’m wrong and just out of touch.
ok, i’m eating crow now, for criticizing the “he’s weird” strategy. #happyiwaswrong
they really are mentally 5 years old
I think it is really, really effective when women are calling Republican men creepy weirdos. I don’t know if it would work to have Biden call the likes of MTG and Bobo creepy weirdos (even though it’s obviously true), though.
I think I just saw a viral type post pushed on reddit r/TwoXChromosomes with the subject of, paraphrasing “If you support Project 2025 by voting for donnie, I’m cutting you out of my life. No exceptions.”
GOOD
i actually had to go back to reddit to check that out. here it is for anyone interested
Some folks don’t grow up they just get bigger
“When I look at myself in the first grade and I look at myself now, I’m basically the same. The temperament is not that different.” -Donald Trump https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/opinions/president-trump-six-year-old-with-nuclear-weapons-dantonio/index.html
Omg… I hadn’t heard of this before. Parody dies in the wake of Trumps giant fucking stupid diapered ass
That’s why I added the link. I thought anyone reading who wasn’t already familiar with the quote would just assume it was a joke, I know I would.
It makes sense. You can’t reason with it, you can’t use descriptive accurate language because they might not understand, or fail to understand why it applies to them.
Weird - to them - means “non-conforming” and that is a terrible, terrible thing for a conservative.
More than just non-conforming generally too. They super quickly embraced that non-conformist image when it came to the masks.
But it feels like just calling them weird triggers a primal fear within them that they’re not really part of the “in-group” after all. It works where other insults don’t because they can’t easily write it off as their enemies simply being jealous of how cool they are basically.
Well then maybe they should stop being such weirdos.
