Ask The Bunion is a periodic column offering expert guidance to our readers. Questions are welcome at BunionBerkeley@gmail.com This week’s columnist is prison psychiatrist and footwear model Archie Payne.
I received this e-card with a non-invitation to the event of the season. I’m terribly disappointed but also confused. The card says “It’s a wierd time indeed.” What does “wierd” mean? Is it an innocent typo? Could it be a new Gen Z flex? Or is it some shibboleth to separate the Berkeley elite from the filthy peasants?
— Weirded Out By Wierd
Dear Weirded Out By Wierd,
Berkeley is indeed a minefield full of shibboleths and wierd is definitely one of them. Now on one hand, you got the e-vite to the Humbug Potluck, so you made it past the velvet rope and are part of the in-crowd. But you can’t decode it, which suggests that you are not in the innermost circle, where it’s “bottles and models” until the sun comes up.
As a (foot) model myself, I am uniquely qualified to break it down for you. “Wierd” is a portmanteau word combining “weird” and “wired,” which sums up 2020 pretty well. It IS pretty weird trying to work online all day and while you might be wireless, most of us are eager to unplug, if only for a few days. At least the people in the pods of the Matrix didn’t know they were wired in!
Happy holidays to you, Weirded Out! See you in the VIP section on December 18, 2021!