What ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Says About Our Discourse

The first thing to know about the “Let’s go Brandon” thing is: It’s funny. Or at least, it started out funny.
In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s how it started. In September, largely or even entirely in response to the Biden administration’s botched handling of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, crowds at various sporting events started chanting, “F— Joe Biden!”
That’s not funny or appropriate. But maybe understandable, given how badly he botched the pullout. On Oct. 2, NASCAR driver Brandon Brown won a big race. While he was being interviewed by a reporter, the crowd could be heard in the background chanting, “F— Joe Biden!” The reporter either mistakenly or deliberately assured Brown and the audience that the crowd was actually chanting, “Let’s go Brandon.”
I’m sorry, but that’s funny. And that’s why “Let’s go Brandon” was off from the races to viral status on social media and beyond.