Crash Course: What does "weird" even mean? Why the vagueness works — and why it's driving MAGA nuts

The "weird" discourse is turning MAGA-style doublespeak against itself — and it's totally working Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNzcxY3Y0bzBucS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). ~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdmoxNnllbnNleC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvb2o2aHNpenByOC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcGdxY2I3OGkzdy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMXY4dGF2cWd0OC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsva3dtdXdqYjNtcS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~ What does "weird" even mean? Why the vagueness works — and why it's driving MAGA nuts From Amanda Marcotte: "Weird" can mean so many different things, it baits those who feel attacked into dumb definitional debates. These kinds of arguments over terminology can get ugly quickly, but what's unusual in this case is that they're redounding to the left's benefit. When conservatives attempt to respond with "No, you're the weird ones," gambit, they invariably cite the good kind of "weird," often with fun and life-affirming examples: drag shows, or the way [Harris laughs at dopey mom jokes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZjZsZXJsNG13cC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). Right-wing "weird," in contrast, tends to be creepy and obsessive, and centers on things like shaming women for being unmarried and having cats, or on whether Kamala Harris' ancestry fits with [Donald Trump's bizarre conceptions of racial purity.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMmQwOTcwZ2xoYi8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcW9taXU2M2txZy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). ~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsveWQwMDJsbjR4YS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOTVsejY5d2Y1cy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZmI5c25wd2h0di8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNzlkNTd1NzFpeC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~ Rep. Cori Bush faces media smears, torrent of AIPAC cash, for speaking truth about Gaza From Norman Solomon: Bush supposedly became unfit to keep her seat in Congress because, after three weeks of methodical killing in Gaza, she [tweeted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvOWNkcGxyeDVrNy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~): “We can’t be silent about Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign. Babies, dead. Pregnant women, dead. Elderly, dead. Generations of families, dead. Millions of people in Gaza with nowhere to go being slaughtered. The U.S. must stop funding these atrocities against Palestinians.” Former New York Times reporter Melinda Henneberger's response was hit-and-run. She wrote a hit piece. And then she ran. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZ3ByZGowbDFqMS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Subscribe to Salon today](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdThqZmFpZmJ4aC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) and unlock more benefits! Up Next ... - This [Bourbon Iced Tea](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvb3h3d2hvNDhmMy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) is the perfect cocktail for summertime "porch sittin’ and afternoon sippin" - Trump "doesn't know how to handle Kamala Harris" says "[Daily Show](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcWcxY3c5bDNubi8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)," mocking his racist lies at NABJ - Why ["Real Housewife" Melissa Gorga](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvcGx1NW9mejEzby8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) believes "all good meals start with olive oil, garlic and onion" - Trump and allies double down with [racist attack on Harris](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdzZjMTZzaXFyNi8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~), claiming confusion over biracial identity - [Kamala Harris](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvaWlkZmJzZnY2ZC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) turns the GOP into the gang that couldn’t shoot straight Before you go ... Simone Biles and the "twisties": How the mind affects physical performance According [to Cleveland Clinic](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvc3V4c3JmbG1yaC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~), the twisties are defined as “a mental block that creates a dangerous disconnect between mind and body while gymnasts are airborne.” As one can imagine, it can be very dangerous; Biles has previously described the condition as getting “lost” in the air. The mental health condition led Biles to withdraw from multiple events during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRoj0E9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdjg1MGh3enp1bS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9OW45aGtxOTFoOSZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmqz68rGa5Hl2RUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). 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