Wonk, found under "W" in the lexicon of journalist-speak appears, currently, in most descriptions of Mitt Romney's chosen VP, Paul Ryan, said to be "a policy-wonk". The word seems to appear more often during election campaigns. I was moved to write a post: Handily Wonkish Rant, mentioning the then new-to-me word in 2008, during my first ever experience of a US presidential election campaign.
A current piece by Jaime Cone at Salon What's a Wonk ? addresses the word, its origins and its use.
As applied to Paul Ryan, a guy with natal Sun and Venus in Aquarius, I think the word has found a match. Aquarius is the first sign coming to mind when wonkishness is in question, closely followed by Virgo.....or perhaps it's the other way around? A person with both signs emphasised in some way could define wonkery once and for all.
A wonk is an expert, but not an everyday expert, well-trained and naturally skilled in some sphere. A wonk is an expert who is never content with the initial answers he/she arrives at, but will chew and wrangle and fixate upon every last minute detail of an issue.
In some cases wonkishness would be an advantage, but in others a detriment. Fixating on minutiae could blind one to the importance of the bigger picture.
Aquarius (the sign, not "an Aquarian" who doesn't exist in reality) would be more likely to be seriously wonkish than Virgo for one important reason: Aquarius is a Fixed sign, Virgo is mutable.
There's another astrological factor which might indicate wonkishness: the "chart shape". A chart where all planets are clustered within a few signs - i.e. in a fairly tight area of the chart, is said to indicate the ability and urge to focus intently on one's goals. That kind of configuration, along with planets in the signs mentioned, would be very likely to boost a predilection for wonkishness, in some area.
A current piece by Jaime Cone at Salon What's a Wonk ? addresses the word, its origins and its use.
As applied to Paul Ryan, a guy with natal Sun and Venus in Aquarius, I think the word has found a match. Aquarius is the first sign coming to mind when wonkishness is in question, closely followed by Virgo.....or perhaps it's the other way around? A person with both signs emphasised in some way could define wonkery once and for all.
A wonk is an expert, but not an everyday expert, well-trained and naturally skilled in some sphere. A wonk is an expert who is never content with the initial answers he/she arrives at, but will chew and wrangle and fixate upon every last minute detail of an issue.
In some cases wonkishness would be an advantage, but in others a detriment. Fixating on minutiae could blind one to the importance of the bigger picture.
Aquarius (the sign, not "an Aquarian" who doesn't exist in reality) would be more likely to be seriously wonkish than Virgo for one important reason: Aquarius is a Fixed sign, Virgo is mutable.
There's another astrological factor which might indicate wonkishness: the "chart shape". A chart where all planets are clustered within a few signs - i.e. in a fairly tight area of the chart, is said to indicate the ability and urge to focus intently on one's goals. That kind of configuration, along with planets in the signs mentioned, would be very likely to boost a predilection for wonkishness, in some area.
Of all the wonks out there, this guy would scare me the most. He positively hates women. Did you see the Rachel Maddow piece?
ReplyDeleteHe is at the outer edge.
XO
WWW
Wisewebwoman ~~ I haven't seen Rachel M's piece yet - will look for it.
ReplyDeleteWonks come in all flavours and he's definitely in the category of Scary Wonk. I don't know whether he hates women entirely, but he certainly hates not being in control of stuff related to their reproductive system. He belongs in a bygone age, along with the Spanish Inquisition.
GREAT post!...I always wondered why Willy Wonka was so obsessed with all the details of making his wonderful yet quirky confections! Think about it! ;D
ReplyDeleteDC ~~~ I hadn't though of that before - but, yes, it's true!
ReplyDelete:-)
You made me think of "Zonky" a 1930 recording by McKinney's Cotton Pickers. In the song, it referrs to a dance. In other venues it means very fatigued as in "Zonked" Out.
ReplyDeleteanyjazz ~ Hmmm - I'd forgotten about this post - thanks for digging it up!
ReplyDeleteWonk...zonk....bonk....etc. :-)