'Libbing out' is the latest irony-fueled coping mechanism

+ A new gossip blog/lit mag, Utah hair, bomb threats over P’nut, and who gets the TikTok in a divorce?

Nov 05, 2024

Across the internet, young progressive internet users are embracing their inner MSNBC moms and proudly “libbing out."

"Libbed out so hard at the Kamala rally tonight I’m feeling cautiously optimistic rn," one X user posted on Monday. "God fuckin’ dammit they got me fam. I’m libbin’ out," progressive writer Peter Rothpletz tweeted alongside a clip of Kamala Harris and Maya Rudolf on SNL.

“Libbing out" is an ironic embrace of mainstream Democratic politics, often by disillusioned young progressives. It is the process of abandoning all cynicism and wholeheartedly accepting the elitist, corporate-owned, deeply out of touch Democratic party, even if only for a moment.

Libbing out is about giving oneself permission to ignore all of the evil things the Democrats have done, the war crimes they've helped facilitate, the promises they've failed to keep, and their continued rightward shift, in order to indulge in delusional optimism. (*yes, Trump is worse, I get into that later.)

Over the past few days, thousands of social media users have begun proudly libmaxxing.

After Robert O’Neill, a former Navy SEAL who claims to have killed Bin Laden, posted a bizarre, homophobic tweet directed at a group of centrist lib Gen Z content creators, suggesting they would serve as his “concubines”, a cadre of people who typically ignore those creators, began hyping them up. Pete Buttigieg’s recent appearance in a YouTube Jubilee roundtable debate with undecided voters received thousands of shares and positive comments online. And, after Harris' appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, people began posting clips with captions like, "God it feels so epic to just lib out."

"[Libbing out] feels so good bc it’s like reverting to that ignorance before a lot of people woke up and realized how corrupt U.S. politics are and how both parties are demented," said Ana, an artist and the administrator of the Instagram account neoliberalhell.

The term "lib" is nominally short for liberal, but in this case it speaks to a specific strain of liberal ideology that peaked in popularity around 2016. A "lib" in this context is someone who is completely uncritical of the Democratic party. They're usually upper middle class white voters who make up the “vote blue no matter who” demographic. They often view themselves as reasonable moderates and, as long as the blue team is winning, they're happy.

While the term lib has primarily been used in a derogatory way by conservatives talking about "owning the libs" or complaining about "shitlibs," the phrase "libbing out" lets left leaning people reclaim the term lib ironically.

Libbing out has surged in large part because people are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. “There was that tone-deaf Trump-era tweet about how if Hillary had won, we’d all be at brunch instead of protesting: libbing out is a meta-insincere return to such petty comforts," Rolling Stone writer Miles Klee told me.

"SNL rooting for Kamala, pollsters geeking out because of a stunning Iowa poll, the uncomplicated delight of envisioning Trump under house arrest at Mar-a-Lago with an ankle monitor that ruins his golf swing (an image you can now ask an AI bot to render for you).

This cycle, it all began with the ascension of Harris and the coconut memes, then cooled off a bit, yet normie liberals maximized their political anxiety under Trump and still yearn for the escape to a permanent mental vacation… 'Libbing out' is giving in to your 2016, or pre-2016, sensibility of Democratic normality."

People online have been jokingly distributing each other lib passes and giving each other permission to indulge in a certain strain of liberal delusion, at least until Trump is defeated.

People libbing out and voting for Harris could help her get elected. "The desire to lib out is ultimately what got Biden elected last time," Klee noted. People simply wanted to lib out and escape back to the "normalcy" of the pre-Trump era.

But, the libbed out centrist complacency that Biden embodied ultimately failed him. His refusal to face hard truths and tackle systemic issues, eventually lost Biden the support of the young progressives who helped put him into office. "[Libbing out] fucked him over," Klee said, "not wanting to pay so much attention to everything that’s going wrong."

The entire problem with the lib escapist fantasy is that, while Trump is undeniably a massive threat to democracy, he is not solely responsible for all of the problems in our political and economic system. Eliminating Trump doesn't automatically fix the broader systemic inequalities that Democrats continue to uphold, or mend our current version of capitalism.

The internet has also made us all acutely aware of crises in the world. We're bombarded with a firehose of information every day as algorithms amplify the most inflammatory and disturbing content. There is no going back to the pre-2016 state of ignorance that many people, especially upper middle class white people, were immersed in.

As millions of young people head to the polls today, libbing out serves as both a coping mechanism and a critique. It's a performative buy-in to a political party and system that many people under the age of 40 are deeply skeptical of.

The writer John Teufel posted, "You gotta give Harris credit. She knew that if she didn't give one centimeter to progressives, if she stayed the course and refused all engagement with the left, 99% of them would still vote for her at the end of the day."

If Kamala does win, the temporary solace of “libbing out” likely won't last long. While we will have averted another Trump term, true change to our political system remains elusive.

What I’m reading

Who Gets the TikTok in the Divorce? The Messy Fight Over Valuable Social Media Accounts

When couples who make their living online split up, divvying up the assets is a drag. - WSJ

Kareem Rahma’s American Dream

The creator and host of “Subway Takes” and “Keep the Meter Running” makes New Yorkers — and the Democratic presidential ticket — explain themselves. - NYT

X’s plan to interfere with the election

Elon Musk’s effort to deny Kamala Harris an election victory is already underway. Can it work? - Platformer

If Trump Loses the Election, X Will Also Lose out Big Time

The future of X is very much dependent on the outcome of this week’s election. - Social Media Today

The Trump-Betting Whale Speaks Out: ‘I Have Absolutely No Political Agenda’

Self-described French trader says he bet more than $30 million(!!!) on the U.S. election after analyzing polls. - WSJ

The ADL is Correct that Antisemitism is Rising — But the Main (and Most Dangerous) Source Isn’t the Left, It’s Always Been the Right

the ADL’s effort to thwart left-wing criticism of Israel has diverted attention from an antisemitism explosion on the Right: in fascist Telegram chats, among online far-right pundits, and even in the ranks of the GOP. - Religion Dispatches

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This is also probably the single piece of culture I will remember most from the 2024 presidential election.

Azealia Banks dropped an extremely long, Azealia Banks-style endorsement of Kamala.

Real political junkies are betting on when the election will be called.