[Ads-l] Neologism: glonzo

[dave@wilton.net]

I haven't seen it yet in traditional media outlets, but "glonzo" and "glonzo issue" have gained significant traction on social media (X.com and Bluesky), and it has an Urbandictionary entry.
 
Urbandictionary.com, 11 July 2025, s.v. glonzo issue. [ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Glonzo%20Issue ]( https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Glonzo%20Issue )
 
"A political concern held by a significant portion of low-information voters in a given electorate that either completely misidentifies the cause of a real problem or is based on fears that have no basis in reality. Named after a joke on Bluesky about 25% of people believing a creature called 'Glonzo' chewing through power lines causes high electricity prices.

"Climate change is real, but half the base thinks it's caused by space lasers. It's a total Glonzo issue."
 
The Jeffrey Epstein "client list" is a prime example of a glonzo issue.
 
It was apparently coined last fall by "William F. Fuckley" (@opinonhaver [sic]) on X.com:
 
@opinonhaver [sic]. X.com, 23 October 2024. [ https://x.com/opinonhaver/status/1849087327173218479 ]( https://x.com/opinonhaver/status/1849087327173218479 )
 
"if 30% of the population believed that a creature called 'Glonzo' caused high electricity prices by chewing on power lines any competent politician would be negligent in not trying to find a way to leverage this belief. this doesn’t mean those people wouldn’t be fucking morons.

"like, you can acknowledge that a non-trivial and potentially politically decisive bloc of people believe something without pretending that it has any inherent merit. stupid people can be a key bloc. they’re still stupid.

"one thing trump is genuinely good at is that while most pols will try (with varying degrees of success) to hide their contempt for these voters while mumbling about need to harden utility infrastructure he'll look the camera dead center and say he'll have the marines kill Glonzo"

 
The same person posted a similar message to Bluesky two weeks later, hence the slightly different description on Urbandictionary.
 
@opinionhaver. Bluesky, 8 November 2024. [ https://bsky.app/profile/opinionhaver.bsky.social/post/3lahydhz6yp2j ]( https://bsky.app/profile/opinionhaver.bsky.social/post/3lahydhz6yp2j )
 
 
 

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