Cackle

[Anonymous]

Is this now a forbidden word in the politics forum?!?

[jsteele]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Omg you are too funny!!

[Anonymous]

Jeff, thank you.

[Anonymous]

It’s super interesting, tho, that others can get called every name in the book, yet “cackle” is off limits.

And yes, I 100% get that this is Jeff’s website and he can do whatever he wants.

[Anonymous]

But Jeff if MAGAs can't complain about Kamala's cackle how are they going to be able to make a point :/

Seriously I love how their campaign strategy seems to be "Kamala has an annoying mannerism. You shouldn't vote for her. Vote for the guy who has a lot of annoying mannerisms because personality doesn't matter!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s super interesting, tho, that others can get called every name in the book, yet “cackle” is off limits.

And yes, I 100% get that this is Jeff’s website and he can do whatever he wants.

There's more to "cackle" than just being a word. There is an unspoken element of sexism -- it's hard to think of it used in a context where it's not about a woman or, if used against a man, intended to imply something about that man in regards to being "like a woman."

I'm not going to go through a series of questions here about what you wean, mostly because Jeff doesn't need the hassle. But I will point out that words like "weird" are actually fairly neutral descriptions, and that words like "maggot" (re: version of MAGA) or other slurs are already off limits.

"Cackle" brings not-quite-spoken baggage. That's why describing it as something like "a grating laugh" isn't as satisfying for someone who wants to use it as an insult. Why must it be that word you use? (Probably because there is something specifically objectionable about that word. Let's not pretend otherwise.)

[Anonymous]

I’m confused? Isn’t a cackle just a laugh? Kamala clearly has a distinctive and annoying laugh that seems to be her nervous tick, and it’s accompanied by strange hand gestures and other strange mannerisms. It’s her tell tale sign when she doesn’t know what to say or gets flustered. It’s like she wants to be in on the joke when she is the joke. I wish she would stop doing it, but is it wrong to call her on it? Other politicians have them too, and they are heavily and frequently mocked in SNL and other satire shows. Why do we need to protect Kamala more than other politicians? I just don’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s super interesting, tho, that others can get called every name in the book, yet “cackle” is off limits.

And yes, I 100% get that this is Jeff’s website and he can do whatever he wants.

There's more to "cackle" than just being a word. There is an unspoken element of sexism -- it's hard to think of it used in a context where it's not about a woman or, if used against a man, intended to imply something about that man in regards to being "like a woman."

I'm not going to go through a series of questions here about what you wean, mostly because Jeff doesn't need the hassle. But I will point out that words like "weird" are actually fairly neutral descriptions, and that words like "maggot" (re: version of MAGA) or other slurs are already off limits.

"Cackle" brings not-quite-spoken baggage. That's why describing it as something like "a grating laugh" isn't as satisfying for someone who wants to use it as an insult. Why must it be that word you use? (Probably because there is something specifically objectionable about that word. Let's not pretend otherwise.)

OMG. That is some incredible twisting you’ve done to “explain” why c*ackle is offensive. Meanwhile, we have other descriptors such as “tub of lard,” (and far worse) being used to describe Trump. And “doughboy incel” to describe Vance?? But “c*ackle” is verboten? You people exemplify insanity, every single day.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused? Isn’t a cackle just a laugh? Kamala clearly has a distinctive and annoying laugh that seems to be her nervous tick, and it’s accompanied by strange hand gestures and other strange mannerisms. It’s her tell tale sign when she doesn’t know what to say or gets flustered. It’s like she wants to be in on the joke when she is the joke. I wish she would stop doing it, but is it wrong to call her on it? Other politicians have them too, and they are heavily and frequently mocked in SNL and other satire shows. Why do we need to protect Kamala more than other politicians? I just don’t get it.

Exactly. Reminds me of the poster who was so very offended that Kamala Harris’s fashion choices would be discussed in the fashion forum - just as all of the Trump women, Jill Biden, etc. are discussed. You are right that there is this weird compulsion by some to shield KH from the criticism that *every other candidate and person in the public eye* receives on this website.

Also, plenty of men cackle. Tucker Carlson comes to mind - so the idea that the word is somehow “sexist” is ridiculous.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused? Isn’t a cackle just a laugh? Kamala clearly has a distinctive and annoying laugh that seems to be her nervous tick, and it’s accompanied by strange hand gestures and other strange mannerisms. It’s her tell tale sign when she doesn’t know what to say or gets flustered. It’s like she wants to be in on the joke when she is the joke. I wish she would stop doing it, but is it wrong to call her on it? Other politicians have them too, and they are heavily and frequently mocked in SNL and other satire shows. Why do we need to protect Kamala more than other politicians? I just don’t get it.

You don't need to get it. I could explain it to you, but that would change nothing. So I won't waste my time. All you need to know is that is the way that it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s super interesting, tho, that others can get called every name in the book, yet “cackle” is off limits.

And yes, I 100% get that this is Jeff’s website and he can do whatever he wants.

There's more to "cackle" than just being a word. There is an unspoken element of sexism -- it's hard to think of it used in a context where it's not about a woman or, if used against a man, intended to imply something about that man in regards to being "like a woman."

I'm not going to go through a series of questions here about what you wean, mostly because Jeff doesn't need the hassle. But I will point out that words like "weird" are actually fairly neutral descriptions, and that words like "maggot" (re: version of MAGA) or other slurs are already off limits.

"Cackle" brings not-quite-spoken baggage. That's why describing it as something like "a grating laugh" isn't as satisfying for someone who wants to use it as an insult. Why must it be that word you use? (Probably because there is something specifically objectionable about that word. Let's not pretend otherwise.)

OMG. That is some incredible twisting you’ve done to “explain” why c*ackle is offensive. Meanwhile, we have other descriptors such as “tub of lard,” (and far worse) being used to describe Trump. And “doughboy incel” to describe Vance?? But “c*ackle” is verboten? You people exemplify insanity, every single day.
DP

Fascinating how the trumpers always out themselves with such simple language to avoid.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused? Isn’t a cackle just a laugh? Kamala clearly has a distinctive and annoying laugh that seems to be her nervous tick, and it’s accompanied by strange hand gestures and other strange mannerisms. It’s her tell tale sign when she doesn’t know what to say or gets flustered. It’s like she wants to be in on the joke when she is the joke. I wish she would stop doing it, but is it wrong to call her on it? Other politicians have them too, and they are heavily and frequently mocked in SNL and other satire shows. Why do we need to protect Kamala more than other politicians? I just don’t get it.

You don't need to get it. I could explain it to you, but that would change nothing. So I won't waste my time. All you need to know is that is the way that it is.

Could you please try to explain it to me? Because while we probably won’t see eye to eye, I will try my best to understand your logic. Because otherwise you comment sounds very much like a Kamala word salad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused? Isn’t a cackle just a laugh? Kamala clearly has a distinctive and annoying laugh that seems to be her nervous tick, and it’s accompanied by strange hand gestures and other strange mannerisms. It’s her tell tale sign when she doesn’t know what to say or gets flustered. It’s like she wants to be in on the joke when she is the joke. I wish she would stop doing it, but is it wrong to call her on it? Other politicians have them too, and they are heavily and frequently mocked in SNL and other satire shows. Why do we need to protect Kamala more than other politicians? I just don’t get it.

Exactly. Reminds me of the poster who was so very offended that Kamala Harris’s fashion choices would be discussed in the fashion forum - just as all of the Trump women, Jill Biden, etc. are discussed. You are right that there is this weird compulsion by some to shield KH from the criticism that *every other candidate and person in the public eye* receives on this website.

Also, plenty of men cackle. Tucker Carlson comes to mind - so the idea that the word is somehow “sexist” is ridiculous.

PP here. Good point. I actually generally like Tucker, but agree that he also cackles. He does it more when he is truly amused though, not when he doesn’t know what to say.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused? Isn’t a cackle just a laugh? Kamala clearly has a distinctive and annoying laugh that seems to be her nervous tick, and it’s accompanied by strange hand gestures and other strange mannerisms. It’s her tell tale sign when she doesn’t know what to say or gets flustered. It’s like she wants to be in on the joke when she is the joke. I wish she would stop doing it, but is it wrong to call her on it? Other politicians have them too, and they are heavily and frequently mocked in SNL and other satire shows. Why do we need to protect Kamala more than other politicians? I just don’t get it.

You don't need to get it. I could explain it to you, but that would change nothing. So I won't waste my time. All you need to know is that is the way that it is.

Could you please try to explain it to me? Because while we probably won’t see eye to eye, I will try my best to understand your logic. Because otherwise you comment sounds very much like a Kamala word salad.

Posters were not simply saying things like "Kamala Harris has a laugh that sounds like a cackle" or "Harris cackles". Instead, they were saying things like "Cackles slept her way to the top" or "The Cackling Idiot is too stupid to be president". "Cackles" was not being used as a simple descriptor, but as a term of denigration.

If you step back and look at the big picture, there is very little reason to talk about Harris' laugh given everything else that is going on. If people were just talking about her laugh, there would be no reason to block the word. But, given the way the word was being used, it was a signifier that the poster had other obvious issues — primarily being sexist and/or racist. Those are not posts or posters that I want here.

It is always so interesting that posters like you fixate irrelevant issues like whether or not you can say "cackles". Frankly, that is not important to me. I have bigger issues to deal with. There is one idiot who insists on using the N-word. That poster also routinely uses "cackles". Basically, those two words go hand in hand. So, sorry, you can't say cackles anymore.