INDCJournal: Recasting "Moonbat"

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January 21, 2005

Recasting "Moonbat"

Posted by Bill

Frankly, I'm sick of the word, and Scylla & Charybdis tries to nudge the alternate term "Foil-Hat" into wider circulation by offering a concrete definition. This portion is perfect:

2. A political activist of any philosophy who accepts without factual support the assumption that any person who disagrees with any of the activist's political positions is necessarily part of a pervasive, nefarious yet hidden conspiracy to harm society.

But I'm not sure about this:

3. A political consumer typically (but not always) of a lower socio-economic class, who forms a strong brand loyalty to a constantly-changing smorgasbord of political images and movements, seemingly assembled around a core belief that the current societal paradigm is designed primarily as a form of spectator sport called "3rd world infanticide."

There are quite a few foil hatters in the middle and upper classes, and some that are just filthy rich. Otherwise, a dead-on definition.

Posted by Bill at January 21, 2005 12:35 PM | TrackBack (4)

Comments

The only problem with this term is that it is already taken. Tin-Foil Hat is term for someone who is really paranoid about something, usually the government or big corporations. This term is used often on Slashdot.

Posted by: Hans Mast at January 21, 2005 12:50 PM

He and I are fully aware of the term, he was just refining the definition.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at January 21, 2005 12:59 PM

Call 'em whatever you want, just please tell me you got a camera full of them from yesterday's DC infestation and the Professor is preparing the suckers for our consideration!

Posted by: TC-LeatherPenguin at January 21, 2005 02:14 PM

Nope, not in town.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at January 21, 2005 02:19 PM

Always thougtht tinfoil hat mean brainless as the tin man in 'The Wizard of Oz."

Posted by: erp at January 21, 2005 02:47 PM

My first thought is that the foil hatters are, in fact, more middle and upper class than not. They spend an inordinate amount of time in what is normally considered economically non-productive activity (e.g., constructing giant puppets.) Certainly not activity anybody would *pay* for. Yet a great many foil hatters are able to enjoy a reasonably well-off existence, since mommy's paying for their rent and food expenses.

Posted by: David C at January 21, 2005 03:49 PM

They spend an inordinate amount of time in what is normally considered economically non-productive activity

Like blogging!

Posted by: Bill from INDC at January 21, 2005 03:54 PM

Sheesh. Everyone knows that tinfoil is really not effective. Aluminum is the correct material.

Posted by: Roberts at January 21, 2005 04:52 PM

well, "foilhat" has almost a sorta benign image attached... the wacky aunt with 30 cats who believes her fortune cookies..

she kinda looks like this gal

Q: what's left to parody when the aging hippies of OR parody themselves??

Posted by: Darleen at January 22, 2005 02:10 AM

What, exactly, is the etymology of "foil hat" (or "tin hat", which seems to be a related expression)? Is it a comic reference to a hat that is supposed to assuage the paranoid's fear of mind control?

Posted by: betalune at January 22, 2005 12:39 PM

Yes, exactly. Blocks the rays.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at January 22, 2005 01:17 PM

"Always thougtht tinfoil hat mean brainless as the tin man in 'The Wizard of Oz." "

I think the Tim Man was a little more intelligent than the average tinfoil hat wearer.

Posted by: Bill M at January 22, 2005 01:38 PM

ok. you got a new term. where are the foil hat pics?

Posted by: mlah at January 25, 2005 11:52 PM