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Former U.S. President Donald Trump and then-Republican candidate for U.S. Senate JD Vance greet supporters during the rally at the Dayton International Airport on November 7, 2022 in Vandalia, Ohio.
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Good, The Bad, and... The Weird
If this narrative about why the Republican Party is just "weird" helps us defeat the dangerous threat of Trump and Vance, fine, I'm in. But a society in which we fight over who is “normal” while we “point and laugh“ at the weirdos is a dangerous society.
Aug 07, 2024
If this “weird” thing helps the Democrats (and the rest of us) to beat Trump (and to keep the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and their billionaire patrons at bay), I will, reluctantly, endure it. Whatever it takes.
A recent Salon headline reads: "’Pointing and laughing:’ Democrats leaned in on ‘weird’ and experts say it's working.”
OK. But I don’t like it. In fact, it troubles me quite a lot.
Most of the people I love best are “weird.” I aspire to be weird, and I worry that I should have the nerve to be weirder, and I dream of living in a country where “weird” is OK. I’ve spent most of my life criticizing and lamenting the ways in which our society shames people into “normalcy.”
Jimi Hendrix was weird. Bob Dylan is weird. Frida Kahlo was weird. Bernie Sanders is weird. Abe Lincoln was weird. My favorite students are weird. My best friends are weird. And there are millions of weird people doing incredible, liberating, mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting, care-taking, creative work that will make our lives better and richer because they are weird enough to see beyond “the way things are supposed to be.”
This is not to say that Trump, JD Vance, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Stephen Miller are not weird. They are. But way more importantly, they are hateful, racist, narcissistic and anti-democratic.
And of course, in a country with a long history of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, Christo-fascist notions of “normalcy,” everyone who isn’t a straight white christian boy is in serious danger of being ostracized as “weird.”
A society in which we fight over who is “normal” while we “point and laugh“ at the weirdos is a dangerous society.
This is not to say that Trump, JD Vance, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Stephen Miller are not weird. They are. But way more importantly, they are hateful, racist, narcissistic and anti-democratic.
I oppose racism, sexism, homophobia, violence, mass incarceration, tax cuts for the rich, violent borders, climate change, hate, lying, the glorification of wealth, meanness, narcissism, war, the glorification of war, shitty food, the deregulation of rapacious opportunistic corporations, the fascist supreme court, voter suppression, and efforts to hide and deny our violent racist history. As far as I can tell, the GOP is enthusiastically in favor of all of this.
But I am not opposed to weirdness. In fact, it’s a cherished value.
So, I hope we can find a different and better narrative. In the meanwhile, let’s be very careful.An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Tim Koechlin
Tim Koechlin holds a PhD in economics. He is the Director of the International Studies Program at Vassar College, where he has an appointment in International Studies and Urban Studies. Professor Koechlin has taught and written about a variety of subjects including economic, political and racial inequality; globalization; macroeconomic policy, and urban political economy.
If this “weird” thing helps the Democrats (and the rest of us) to beat Trump (and to keep the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and their billionaire patrons at bay), I will, reluctantly, endure it. Whatever it takes.
A recent Salon headline reads: "’Pointing and laughing:’ Democrats leaned in on ‘weird’ and experts say it's working.”
OK. But I don’t like it. In fact, it troubles me quite a lot.
Most of the people I love best are “weird.” I aspire to be weird, and I worry that I should have the nerve to be weirder, and I dream of living in a country where “weird” is OK. I’ve spent most of my life criticizing and lamenting the ways in which our society shames people into “normalcy.”
Jimi Hendrix was weird. Bob Dylan is weird. Frida Kahlo was weird. Bernie Sanders is weird. Abe Lincoln was weird. My favorite students are weird. My best friends are weird. And there are millions of weird people doing incredible, liberating, mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting, care-taking, creative work that will make our lives better and richer because they are weird enough to see beyond “the way things are supposed to be.”
This is not to say that Trump, JD Vance, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Stephen Miller are not weird. They are. But way more importantly, they are hateful, racist, narcissistic and anti-democratic.
And of course, in a country with a long history of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, Christo-fascist notions of “normalcy,” everyone who isn’t a straight white christian boy is in serious danger of being ostracized as “weird.”
A society in which we fight over who is “normal” while we “point and laugh“ at the weirdos is a dangerous society.
This is not to say that Trump, JD Vance, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Stephen Miller are not weird. They are. But way more importantly, they are hateful, racist, narcissistic and anti-democratic.
I oppose racism, sexism, homophobia, violence, mass incarceration, tax cuts for the rich, violent borders, climate change, hate, lying, the glorification of wealth, meanness, narcissism, war, the glorification of war, shitty food, the deregulation of rapacious opportunistic corporations, the fascist supreme court, voter suppression, and efforts to hide and deny our violent racist history. As far as I can tell, the GOP is enthusiastically in favor of all of this.
But I am not opposed to weirdness. In fact, it’s a cherished value.
So, I hope we can find a different and better narrative. In the meanwhile, let’s be very careful.Tim Koechlin
Tim Koechlin holds a PhD in economics. He is the Director of the International Studies Program at Vassar College, where he has an appointment in International Studies and Urban Studies. Professor Koechlin has taught and written about a variety of subjects including economic, political and racial inequality; globalization; macroeconomic policy, and urban political economy.
If this “weird” thing helps the Democrats (and the rest of us) to beat Trump (and to keep the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and their billionaire patrons at bay), I will, reluctantly, endure it. Whatever it takes.
A recent Salon headline reads: "’Pointing and laughing:’ Democrats leaned in on ‘weird’ and experts say it's working.”
OK. But I don’t like it. In fact, it troubles me quite a lot.
Most of the people I love best are “weird.” I aspire to be weird, and I worry that I should have the nerve to be weirder, and I dream of living in a country where “weird” is OK. I’ve spent most of my life criticizing and lamenting the ways in which our society shames people into “normalcy.”
Jimi Hendrix was weird. Bob Dylan is weird. Frida Kahlo was weird. Bernie Sanders is weird. Abe Lincoln was weird. My favorite students are weird. My best friends are weird. And there are millions of weird people doing incredible, liberating, mind-blowing, paradigm-shifting, care-taking, creative work that will make our lives better and richer because they are weird enough to see beyond “the way things are supposed to be.”
This is not to say that Trump, JD Vance, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Stephen Miller are not weird. They are. But way more importantly, they are hateful, racist, narcissistic and anti-democratic.
And of course, in a country with a long history of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, Christo-fascist notions of “normalcy,” everyone who isn’t a straight white christian boy is in serious danger of being ostracized as “weird.”
A society in which we fight over who is “normal” while we “point and laugh“ at the weirdos is a dangerous society.
This is not to say that Trump, JD Vance, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Stephen Miller are not weird. They are. But way more importantly, they are hateful, racist, narcissistic and anti-democratic.
I oppose racism, sexism, homophobia, violence, mass incarceration, tax cuts for the rich, violent borders, climate change, hate, lying, the glorification of wealth, meanness, narcissism, war, the glorification of war, shitty food, the deregulation of rapacious opportunistic corporations, the fascist supreme court, voter suppression, and efforts to hide and deny our violent racist history. As far as I can tell, the GOP is enthusiastically in favor of all of this.
But I am not opposed to weirdness. In fact, it’s a cherished value.
So, I hope we can find a different and better narrative. In the meanwhile, let’s be very careful.We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.