To the editor: While philosophy professor Eric Schwitzgebel takes offense to former President Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) being called “weird” because he identifies as having been an odd kid who liked shellfish, I appreciate how the word shifts our paradigm.
After nearly ten years of talking too much about Trump, words like “liars” and “authoritarians,” which Schwitzgebel recommends instead of “weird,” have lost their force. Even “fascist” and “Hitler” no longer carry much weight and don’t really address the moment.
Most of us live in a world where diversity and differences are a given. And that is why Trump and Vance, with their anger and their “us versus them” insults, with their desire to control our lives and bodies, our air and water, seem ridiculous, abnormal, unbalanced, definitely anti-rational and anti-constitutional.
They are not good Golden Rule Christians and, frankly, they are weird.
Pamela Kelly, Long Beach
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To the editor: I agree with Schwitzgebel that labeling Trump and Vance as weird is a bad move. He is absolutely right that many people define themselves as weird to emphasize their uniqueness and individuality.
A much better and more appropriate label for them would be “creepy.” People would never refer to themselves as creepy, because that only has negative connotations.
And Trump and Vance are really creepy, in the most horrible, dangerous way. They're like that character in a thriller movie who everyone thinks is a great guy, but you know he's a cruel, slightly creepy sociopath.
So from my lips to the ears of Democrats: let's say “creepy.”
RM LaCarr, Mount Washington
