4 ms·

I'm not 100% sure this is what the author intends but 'based' has been used for quite a long time on imageboards as an adjective describing something that is un

by DC-3 6y ago

I'm not 100% sure this is what the author intends but 'based' has been used for quite a long time on imageboards as an adjective describing something that is unpopular or contentious but nonetheless correct. > J.K. Rowling is actually better that Hemingway > > based From here it spread to other communities (largely non-mainstream political communities on both the left and right). Its strongest assiociation is still with 4chan (and by extension the alt-right) though. Edit: I just noticed this is Luke Smith's project. He's an esoteric fascist with an embarrassing love of 4chan memes. So yeah, that's where it comes from.

diydsp 6y ago
> unpopular or contentious but nonetheless correct. I agree with that, but regard it as an evolution from my other answer meaning "established." The reference to contentious or unpopular comes because a based person has earned the ability to present unpopular ideas without repercussion.
- DC-3 6y ago
  I think you're right that the term originates in hip-hop culture but when it was borrowed by imageboard culture it evolved into a descriptor of ideas and not of people - for the simple reason that imageboards are mostly anonymous. Now when I see the term used online it's mostly in the imageboard sense of some idea or concept being 'correct' or 'agreeable' rather than the person who originates it. I think the term is undergoing a certain amount of semantic broadening too - more and more often I see it simply as a synonym for 'cool' rather than in the narrower meaning of 'this is controversial but I agree with it'.
smoe 6y ago
As a non native speaker, the only times I have ever seen people using the word outside of its dictionary definitions when I was reading a bit of MAGA/Q sites out of boredom last year. I took it to just mean something based on US style christian/conservative values. But usage seems to be broader according to what you wrote. I reckon the most common usage will be, that something is based, when it is unpopular or contentious, but you happen to agree with it.
- DC-3 6y ago
  The usage on MAGA/Q sites is entirely a consequence of the huge cultural influence that boards like /pol/ have exerted on the online far-right. After all, the entire Qanon movement basically sprung out of a /pol/ fairytale.
triceratops 6y ago
Thanks for explaining "based" - I didn't know what it was. But I don't understand how your example is actually an example of that. "Rowling is better than Hemingway" is a matter of opinion, so it can't be "unpopular but correct".
- DC-3 6y ago
  When I say 'correct', I mean correct in the eyes of the person using the word 'based'. It's worth bearing in mind here that imageboards for the most part have a wilful cultural neglect of the difference between 'my opinion' and 'objective truth' :-)
siltpotato 6y ago
To be fair, not everyone using the term is a crypto-fascist. I am witness to its use coming more directly from its hip-hop roots, and like all memes, there is a non-negligible number of people that use it without reference to its origin. Which is to say, if your cousin uses it, don't freak out. There's redder flags to concern with.

by DC-3 6y ago

diydsp 6y ago

> unpopular or contentious but nonetheless correct. I agree with that, but regard it as an evolution from my other answer meaning "established." The reference to contentious or unpopular comes because a based person has earned the ability to present unpopular ideas without repercussion.

DC-3 6y ago
I think you're right that the term originates in hip-hop culture but when it was borrowed by imageboard culture it evolved into a descriptor of ideas and not of people - for the simple reason that imageboards are mostly anonymous. Now when I see the term used online it's mostly in the imageboard sense of some idea or concept being 'correct' or 'agreeable' rather than the person who originates it. I think the term is undergoing a certain amount of semantic broadening too - more and more often I see it simply as a synonym for 'cool' rather than in the narrower meaning of 'this is controversial but I agree with it'.

smoe 6y ago

As a non native speaker, the only times I have ever seen people using the word outside of its dictionary definitions when I was reading a bit of MAGA/Q sites out of boredom last year. I took it to just mean something based on US style christian/conservative values. But usage seems to be broader according to what you wrote. I reckon the most common usage will be, that something is based, when it is unpopular or contentious, but you happen to agree with it.

DC-3 6y ago
The usage on MAGA/Q sites is entirely a consequence of the huge cultural influence that boards like /pol/ have exerted on the online far-right. After all, the entire Qanon movement basically sprung out of a /pol/ fairytale.

triceratops 6y ago

Thanks for explaining "based" - I didn't know what it was. But I don't understand how your example is actually an example of that. "Rowling is better than Hemingway" is a matter of opinion, so it can't be "unpopular but correct".

DC-3 6y ago
When I say 'correct', I mean correct in the eyes of the person using the word 'based'. It's worth bearing in mind here that imageboards for the most part have a wilful cultural neglect of the difference between 'my opinion' and 'objective truth' :-)

siltpotato 6y ago

To be fair, not everyone using the term is a crypto-fascist. I am witness to its use coming more directly from its hip-hop roots, and like all memes, there is a non-negligible number of people that use it without reference to its origin. Which is to say, if your cousin uses it, don't freak out. There's redder flags to concern with.