Well, that explains it. Seems like US has a lot of these inside jokes that don't make sense to someone who only sees snippets of the whole historical timeline.
Seeing the origin stories in this thread I'd actually argue that "let's go Brandon" is not really a cheap joke. (I guess, really, that it's at least not as cheap as "tiny hands".) The "tiny hands" joke exists for the sole purpose of making fun of a particular politician and the "let's go Brandon" joke at least speaks to a certain bias in presenting information. It seems a lot like a reporter "misheard" "Fuck Joe Biden" as "let's go Brandon" because the reporter didn't want to report that people were chanting "Fuck Joe Biden".
At a time when "rightists" commonly complain about media bias, this exact sort of bias happens. Then people use it as a dog-whistle for calling out media bias; it's not surprising. As with all polarizing issues, it's best for every individual to consider their own bias. I have found that I frequently don't give a person's opinion a fair shake because I've already concluded that I disagree. Generally, I only do that when I'm not interested in learning.
Anyway, they may both be cheap jokes but this seems a bit like a false equivalence or otherwise misunderstands the argument being made.
Actually the "Let's Go Brandon" phrase has an interesting origin of a reporter trying to say the crowd was cheering for a Nascar driver named Brandon while they were clearly chanting "Fuck Joe Biden". So it became a euphemism for the actual phrase they were cheering and a callback towards that event that shows the media's biased coverage.
So yes, I think that phrase is a bit deeper than saying someone has tiny hands? over and over for a decade.
Sure I know the back story of the Brandon joke, I just don't see how that's any different from the tiny hands back story. Both started out from one otherwise unimportant interaction that happened to become popular and taken out of context.
I don't disagree that the tiny hands joke is old at this point, but really what is the difference when they both have some origin story and become a political meme aimed at a particular politician?
You make a fair point. He’s actually a very reasonable person with a nuanced yet coherent policy platform, but those darn lefties just can’t get over his hands. As you said, they don’t have anything else; there is absolutely no other criticism that these folks have for Trump.
You don’t want me to find it funny that you worship a guy sooo insecure about himself that he can’t get over a throw away comment made about his hands decades ago (the full quote was small fingered vulgarian and it was made nearly 40 years ago)? It’s either find it funny or sad - has nothing to do with political beliefs.
Support Trump or claim to want to elevate the level of political discourse and complain about repeated "petty" insults, I don't particularly care, but geez pick a lane dude.
To be fair, after the explanation, I see it as a reference to Trump's narcissism and insecurity, which could be understood as more than just a petty joke.
I think that if you're a public figure, people making fun of your physical traits is inevitable. There's a whole industry based on throwing cheap shots at celebrities, the yellow press. Ignoring them is the only rational response, because they feed off controversy - they're the journalist version of internet trolls.
The fact that a public figure would put so much effort into proving that they don't have small hands shows a comically non-proportional response to something they perceive as harmful to their public image. Such sensitivity could most plausibly be explained as a narcissistic injury - and considering Trump's general behavior (always talking how he's the best, the smartest, the most loved, etc.), it fits with the rest of the data.
Again, note that I'm European and my only interest in US politics is strictly one of entertainment. I actually like Trump, for reasons I won't explain here, as it's beyond the point. But I still think he's a narcissist.
I believe the "joke" is used far more than the few times he's addressed it. If anything, it's the people constantly saying it who are obsessed with Trump, not the other way around.
The media will stir up controversy anyway, you may as well reply and get your side in, otherwise they are dictating the conversation and truth.
And we're all narcissists... that's nature. It's such a pointless and empty statement.
> And we're all narcissists... that's nature. It's such a pointless and empty statement.
I strongly disagree. Narcissistic personality disorder is very much real - I have diagnosed family members, and the way their mind works is completely different from one of a "normal" person. I can't quite explain it, but if you experienced it, I believe you'd know the difference.
You believing that makes me think that you either haven't had to deal with a real narcissist in your life, or are a narcissist yourself. The former is more likely, but I don't know you, so I can't speak with certainty.
It's at the level of a modern SNL skit, all superficial and more of a "mean girl" insult on appearance than satire.
GP was correct in saying "no one cares about that or if it is true." That's not the point, the point is to insult.