“Weird” has been catapulted into the public zeitgeist thanks to Democrats finally finding the courage to call a spade a spade. As a self-described weirdo, I fully support weird’s use in deriding the strange, pathetically obtuse oddballs that have overrun the Grand Old Party. I also understand why other self-proclaimed weirdos feel somewhat maligned – worried we’ll be wrongly lumped in with the ignorant and hateful.  

Weird has always been a pejorative; it’s why good-faith weirdos reclaimed and repurposed it into a badge of honor. The things we read and discussed labeled us strange by normal cultural standards. UFOs, ghosts, comic books and horror movies are weird things that many people enjoy. They’re also things that have, historically, gotten kids beat up during recess and turned adults’ heads. Growing up, the kind of music I liked and the games I played were both accused of perverting my mind.

As an adult, video games are over a $200 billion industry, and I spent the weekend attending North America’s largest power metal festival. Even my more bizarre interests are mainstream, thanks to shows like Ghost Adventures and The New York Times’ 2017 UFO reporting. There’s never been a better time to fly one’s weirdo flag – just ask the comic book nerds of yore.

Yet, the pejorative weird has resurfaced from the mouths of the usually toothless Democrats.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz can be thanked for coining the weird label haunting Donald Trump’s party. In TV interviews over the past few weeks, Walz used the word attackingly:

“We do not like what has happened where we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary …  [the hosts laugh] … Well, it’s true; these guys are just weird.”  – Tim Walz on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, July 23, 2024.

The Difference Between

When Walz talks about getting into a weird fight, he’s not talking about if Green Day is punk, how to best care for Sea-Monkeys, or if Goku could beat Superman in a fight (it’s Goku eight days a week, by the way). Those are fun, albeit weird, debates to have.

Walz is talking about hateful obsessions. Regarding Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance, Walz says, “They’re running for he-man women hater’s club or something.”

Therein lies the contrast between Walz’s weird and the self-described weirdo’s weird – morals vs. interests.

For example, it’s odd to go sky-watching for UFOs when Sunday Night Football is on. You’ll probably get at least one curious look from coworkers when you describe your weekend to them, but it’s harmless in the long run.

Then there’s discussing the genitalia of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif with your coworkers. That’s just weird, no matter how one tries to spin it. There is something not just morally odd but abhorrent about what has consumed America’s right-wing voting bloc – at least the most vocal parts.

Hate is at the heart of the issue. It’s been a powerful tool for politicians since, likely, the birth of politics, but for hate to be so openly displayed in 2024 harkens back to some of the darkest periods of human history.  There is an excellent reason to label these aberrations of society as weird.

It is condemnably strange to echo fascist-leaning sentiments in any form.

Conversely, I’ve found many self-identifying weirdos to be open-minded, warm and welcoming. Like any group, there are toxic people and attitudes among the weirdo population, but it’s not the norm. It makes sense for people with odd interests – believing in things like the paranormal or just enjoying outsider art – to be progressively minded, likely because it takes having an open mind to be interested in these areas.

The mental gymnastics required to be excited about alien disclosure and ready to embrace them in society while mistrusting one’s neighbor are too complex for many weirdos to comprehend. It’s weird if you can. 

The arrow of time progresses forward, and change is inevitable. Weirdos embrace this universal fact. That change may be in the form of ghost hunting or reading tarot. The change can be personal, such as how a movie by an auteur director can change a person’s outlook. Sometimes, this change is cultural, as in the case of the once lowly comic book being elevated to the grandest heights of pop culture.

Other times, it’s a little bit of everything – with the once seemingly impossible becoming a reality. Every major civil rights victory started outside the then-established boundaries of “normal.”

And yet, some want to fight against time’s arrow. They long for idealized versions of the world that never really existed. They have misgivings about the current state of things and point their finger every which way as they struggle. They’ve been wronged, fucked over, and are ready for blood if it means a return to better times.

Somewhere at their core, they know something’s not right with any of it. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t mind being labeled weird.

Wielded by the Democrats, weird exposes the weird – the morally off-kilter. Good-faith weirdos don’t mind being labeled strange because we long ago crossed the boundaries of normal. It’s like calling a resident of Ohio an Ohioan – it’s just what they are – why would they be upset?

These strange, pathetic bastards, on the other hand, can’t stand being labeled weird. Their entire identity is built upon the idea of normalcy. They long for a return to normal – whatever that means.

Can you imagine how it must feel to devote the time and energy some of these people do to dragging society backward toward their idealized sense of normalcy, only for society to label them weird? To have the finger pointed at them and the majority agree, “What you’re doing isn’t normal.” It’s got to be a blow.  

Luckily, I’m a just weirdo, so I’ll never understand.