“Vladimir Putin has lowkey been taking Ls, with a mid performance that shows a mad lack of rizz. But he’s got a pick me boy ever since the sus handshake: Viktor Orbán. It’s giving villains, no cap.”
If you understood that, then no need to go any further.
For our actual readers, you might want to stick around for the next five minutes.
POLITICO recently took an L (we’ll get to this in a second) when it ranked the most “rizz” politicians, and our newsroom got flak for not using the Gen Z slang properly. (For the last time, you can “have” rizz but can’t “be” rizz … We’ll explain more below.)
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As some of the youngest staffers in the office, we thought it was time to restore POLITICO’s reputation and prove that, despite being hardcore politics nerds, we know how to use our generation’s lingo.
We’re not here to take part; we’re here to take over …
Mid: Saying something is “mid” means it’s average, mediocre, of poor quality. It is one of Gen Z’s favorite insults, so keep an ear out for this one. For example, Season 8 of Game of Thrones was mid — and so are the EU spokespeople’s responses to any huge world event.
Pop off, king: You usually use “pop off” to compliment someone when they did something impressive or cool, to indicate they went above and beyond. For example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz really popped off with his idea to guide Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán out of the room at the EUCO, a strategic masterstroke (at least if you believe the Scholz camp) which allowed leaders to approve opening accession talks for Ukraine.
Lowkey/Highkey: This has been around for a while, but it’s essential. You can use lowkey when you want to express a feeling in a subtle way; somewhat similar to “slightly” or “kinda.” Highkey means the opposite. For example, over the summer tech billionaire Elon Musk and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t shut up about their planned scrap. Musk was highkey excited to get his ass beaten by Zuckerberg. But Zuckerberg was lowkey annoyed by Musk and canceled the cage fight.
Rizz: “Rizz” can be used to indicate “style, charm, or attractiveness” or “the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.” It’s hard to tell which politicians have rizz (if any?) — but we for sure know who’s got none at all: Donald Trump. Even though a “Karen” might fancy Trump, Gen-Z thinks Trump has no rizz, after hearing him say “grab them by the pussy.” With that one vile sentence, Trump gave us the ick. (Ick is a bonus word which means doing something unpleasant or gross.)
Pick me girl/boy: A pick me girl or boy is someone who seeks validation by underlining how different they are. A pick me girl will keep insisting that she is not like other girls just to get attention from men. This one is kinda hard to translate to politics, but remember Karin Kneissl, the Austrian ex-minister who danced with Putin at her wedding? She is not only a pick me girl, but she even got picked — she now lives in the Russian president’s hometown of St. Petersburg.
Take an L: “L” is short for “loser” or “loss,” so “taking an L” means failing at something. It can also be used when something unfortunate happens to you. For example, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki took an L earlier this year when he lost the election to a coalition led by Donald Tusk. That, of course, was a big “W” for Tusk.
Outgoing Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki took a major L when he lost the election | Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images
He/she ate: No, this has nothing to do with dietary habits. Very similar to the above “pop off, king,” when we say someone ate (or devoured) we mean that they just did something exceptionally well. Can sometimes be followed with “and left no crumbs.” Another similar way to express praise for someone is by saying they “serve” or “slay.”
For example: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg really ate with her iconic clapback at misogynist influencer Andrew Tate last year. The online guru was “flexing” (showing off) his cars and their emissions in Greta’s direction, when Thunberg replied “yes, please do enlighten me. email me at [email protected].” Needless to say, he was gagged (speechless) and took the L.
Vibes: This one has layers, so bear with us. We can use this when referring to someone’s vibe, aka their energy/mood. Someone’s vibes can be off, in which case you want to stay away from them. But places and situations can also have vibes. For example, the vibes at this year’s COP28 climate summit were pretty tense. Or Putin might ask “what’s the vibe there?” before choosing to skip the G20 on legal grounds.
It’s giving … : This is a way of saying that something reminds us of something else; it gives off a particular energy (or vibe, see above). As in: When the European Commission unfreezes €10 billion for Orbán and he drops his veto on Ukraine’s accession talks the day after, some might say “it’s giving blackmail.” “It’s giving” can also be used on its own to compliment someone or something.
Situationship: You are in a situationship when you just started having a thing with someone and it is more than friendship but not yet a relationship. For whatever reason — mostly out of fear of commitment — you decide not to label the relationship, thereby making it more complicated. Since Brexit, the EU and the U.K. are in a situationship. Switzerland has also been in a serious situationship with Brussels for years now. And don’t even get us started on the EU and Mercosur — that’s a 20-year situationship!
Let them cook: Letting someone cook means stepping back to give them the space to do what they need to do — because they’re nailing it. The EU opened the door to enlargement again during Ursula von der Leyen’s annual State of the European Union speech in 2023, and they’ve at least started to follow through. The bloc has opened up accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, plus granted candidate status to Georgia. If the EU keeps cooking, the bloc could go from 27 to more than 30 members.
Sus: This one translates down generations, but anyway, have you seen the way Florida governor and U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis walks in cowboy boots? That’s what we’d call “sus” — or suspect. Many have pointed out that he probably wears height-boosting lifts. (And three experts POLITICO asked agree with that take.) So, it’s also pretty “sus” that DeSantis claims he’s 180 centimeters.
Mother: OK, we know Ursula von der Leyen is a mother (to seven, by the way). But is she “mother” (without the article)? The term originated in the queer ballroom scene, where members are part of houses led by a “mother.” It’s been adopted by the internet, though, to mean more broadly having admiration for any iconic person (mostly women, but it can apply more widely). Some might look at a top female EU leader — such as former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin or current Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas — and say: “that’s mother right there” or “mother is mothering.”
Simp: When someone is a “simp” for another person, it means they’re submissive and generally sucking up to them. At this point, we could say that about Orbán or Slovakia’s Robert Fico in relation to Putin, right? Orbán and Fico may be in the EU, but they still love to cozy up to Daddy Vladimir. (Although the Russian leader is not entirely convinced by such displays of obsequiousness.)
Cheugy: Cheugy is what you are going to call POLITICO after reading this article: trying way too hard to be cool.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
