When Tim Walz called Donald Trump and his worldview “weird,” it got terrific, immediate attention. It also launched a thousand memes. I suspect it may have also got him the job of Kamala Harris’ running mate. As a rhetorical specialist, a guy who’s always asking why some words and ideas work and other’s don’t, I was extremely curious about why “weird” worked so very well.
To no surprise, that brilliant Columbia linguist, John McWhorter, weighed in on the answer in a NYTimes article. He pointed out that, historically, the term has been around for several centuries and over time it has changed its meaning. In Shakespeare’s use of the term it meant “ghoulish” and “frighteningly odd.” Today it just means “peculiar.”
“Weird” is a part of the language that isn’t taught in our schools, but should be. The novel is usually omitted in grade school. That’s one of the reasons it stands out. It wasn’t in your grade school vocabulary lists. It’s like one of my favorite terms that new Americans don’t understand—“duh.” A word that’s used when something is said or written that’s disgustingly obvious—and often a take-down. Any fourth-grader would know that, but a new immigrant wouldn’t get it.
McWhorter points out what I suspect is the real power of the term “weird.” There’s no workable comeback, other than “no, I’m not weird.” And as you peobably know, some denials just don’t work.
Denials, which both Trump and J. D. Vance have used for the term, are usually recognized immediately. They are the most commonly used defense mechanism. And they work only for a very, very short term. In fact, they’re denigrated by most people as just a “defense mechanism.” A human weakness. Overall, denial suggests the person is deflecting personal responsibility for a situation. When someone engages in denial, even the ordinary Joe understands they’re refusing to accept reality. It just continues to backfire.
So “weird” is a terrific “gotcha.” It unleashed terrific power and attention for Tim Walz and the Democrats and it just goes on and on.
Here’s McWhorter’s full article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/opinion/the-hidden-grammatical-reason-that-weird-works.html