Stop Calling Shit “Weird”

Why the W-Word is One of the Worst 

“Anyone hating any genre of music simply doesn’t know the context in which it’s meant to be enjoyed.” — Madeon, 19 year old French DJ

“EWW what the FUCK is this WEIRD hippie shit I HATE IT!!!” — former co-worker, about the ambient punk band Deerhunter

I am a prolific and violent curser.

I use foul language like Sriracha sauce, instantly spicing up whatever bland, tasteless quinoa sentence they are sprinkled in. Plus they are plenty fun to say. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!

However! There is one word that I am hesitant to ever utter. Even more so than the dreaded C-Word.

“Weird.”

Because to call something or someone weird is to dismiss them for being different without taking the time and effort to understand.

It’s being blissfully ignorant. Rejecting of change and new ideas. Judgmental. Close-minded. A scaredy cat. Cognitively dissonant towards discomfort. Or, you know: a plain ol’ shitty person.

Do you know how people grow? By putting themselves in uncomfortable situations. Exposing themselves to the foreign, unknown and the bizarre. Then having the right attitude about what’s in front of them by taking the time to learn and understand without passing judgment immediately. It’s how they become more cultured. More sensitive. More empathetic. More understanding. More worldly. And a generally better person.

I particularly like what provocative J-Pop artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has to say about the subject when asked to describe her life goal:

“I want to traumatize people out of the way they think.”

Now. I want to tell you guys about a fun game I like to play.

It’s called “The Miley Cyrus Litmus Test.”

(I know. We’ll stop talking about her soon. Bear with me.)

It’s very simple to play. All you do is walk up to somebody and ask them what they think about the “We Can’t Stop” music video. Then you listen to what they say. Especially to the adjectives they use.

(If Miley Cyrus is too tame for them, make them watch Die Antwoord’s “Fatty Boom Boom” music video. That’s pretty traumatic.)

Just by listening to the language they use, you can get a good gauge of what kind of person they are. Whether they’ll be willing to try Cuban food. Whether they’ll be accepting of crazy, out-of-left-field ideas in brainstorming or not. Whether they’ll support you if you end up coming out. And ultimately whether they’re your kind of people.

Language is funny: the kind of person you are affects what kind of language you use, but at the same time, the language you use affects the kind of person you are. So pop out that thesaurus and figure out which words you’re gonna use from now on!

Just ban “weird” from your vocabulary / vernacular. No good comes from its usage and you’ll be a better person for it.

(Fuck)