December 15, 2024

"Holding space."

 Perhaps you're noticing this today:

That's Margaret Cho: "I'm holding space for... those eyebrows, that body, the abs."

She's being funny... and inappropriate, and I'm not going to say anything more about how bad it is to drool over an alleged murderer. I want to discuss the phrase "holding space," which gained traction a week ago with this promotional interview for the movie "Wicked":


"People are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that."

I see there's a Wikipedia article, "Holding space":
"Holding space" is a psychology concept meaning towards creating a safe space for someone or something by being present for them, physically, emotionally and mentally without judgement.

The concept of "holding" was coined by Donald Winnicott in 1960 in a paper on the relationship of infants and parents and has since seen evolving use in the field of psychotherapy.... Since then the concept has evolved in its use in therapy beyond the parent/child relationship, with the concept of empathy and meeting patients where they are at its core.

The "holding" concept further evolved with the term "holding space", which was popularized by Heather Plett, a writer from Canada in a then-viral 2015 blog post. Plett described the term as: "being willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they're on, without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome."... 
The phrase "holding space" further gained rapid popularity outside of the field of psychology in November 2024 following an interview between Tracy E. Gilchrist and actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande during a press tour interview for the 2024 musical fantasy film Wicked.... 
Glamour said, "No one seems to fully understand what any of this actually means — or, for that matter, if it means anything at all. Indeed, that's kind of the beauty of it." In a follow-up interview with Variety, when asked to explain the meaning behind the phrase, Gilchrist explained her understanding of the phrase as: "'Holding space' is being physically, emotionally and mentally present with someone or something. For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level."

Here's a longer clip of that Margaret Cho where you can not only see that she condemned murder as wrong, but you can also see the context where an Out Magazine interviewer is asking red-carpet guests "What are you holding space for?"

That made me feel that the phrase was taking on a sexual meaning, especially with the hand gesture they are using. But the hand gesture clearly refers to the odd hand action between Erivo and Grande is the viral interview. And yet, it seems to have evolved... evolved into something that strikes me as... how to say this? ... inconsistent with a #MeToo Hollywood... or maybe I should say a sign of post-#MeToo Hollywood.

64 comments:

Peachy said...

Some images of Luigi are coming out - and he's really rather angry and evil looking. In that media-forgiven leftwing sort of way.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

The concept of "holding" was coined by Donald Winnicott in 1960...

Right after he bought his first bag of weed from that jazz musician.

gilbar said...

remember the Olden Days? back when, WHENEVER there was a shooting*; the lefties cried for MORE GUN CONTROL?

Notice that has COMPLETELY STOPPED?
When President Trump was shot, the lefties said: "OH, it was Staged! NEVER EVEN HAPPENED!"
When a CEO was assassinated, the lefties said:
"Oh! he's SO HOT! i want to bed him!"
and/or
"Hurray! Do it Again! do it MORE! do it!! Do It! DO IT!!!"

it Almost makes one think, that it never Really was about stopping shootings;
and More about stopping rights.

WHENEVER there was a shooting* obviously, even back then; it was ONLY white people shootings.. POC's shooting each other was just a day that ended in "y"

JaimeRoberto said...

I first heard the phrase about 4-5 years ago as a way to get into a woman's pants.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Replace “to hold” with “take up” and you have a completely different vibe.

gilbar said...

i guess, what i mean is: Gun Control is just holding space for civil rights removal

Peachy said...

X
"It's interesting that we continue to see the mental breakdown of the radical American left on a daily basis on our timelines and nobody in the establishment media has done a report on a need to do something about the surge in left-wing "hate speech." Despite the uptick in violent language and radical activists committing acts of political violence — including two assassination attempts on a former president and the execution of a healthcare CEO, complete with a "manifesto" about why he did it — neither the FBI nor the DHS have issued warnings about the rise of "far-left extremism" in the United States. The SPLC has not remarked on any of these clear "hate speech" incidents or the acts of political violence. The establishment media is silent. The FBI and the DHS have nothing to say about it. No wonder media trust is at an all-time low and millions of Americans believe the U.S. government has been "weaponized."

Rise of leftwing Hate leads to Soviet style executions.
Steve Scalice and the Bernie supporter - erased from media mention.
The media is a safe space for leftist paid patsy.

Temujin said...

These people have gone from running things to becoming niche human beings. The vast majority of people in civil society do not drool over a killer. Margaret Cho giving the OK to a cold blooded murder is so...leftist of her. Just a reminder of who they are. But more than that, has she ever been funny? Ever?

Wince said...

"'Holding space,' the final frontier."

Ice Nine said...

This is not the least bit surprising. Margaret Cho is a pig and always has been. And a very unfunny one, at that.

Dave Begley said...

More ridiculousness from the Left. These people are worthless.

Dixcus said...

Democrats have holding spaces for black people. "Safe spaces" they call them, or "pens."

Aggie said...

There are some who embrace the urban metro lifestyle and live life to the utmost, getting the most out of all those stimuli; and there are some that would not survive 10 minutes if they unexpectedly landed outside of it. These are examples of those. The microphone holder's ratlike japing is unsettling.

chickelit said...

I realize that Cho may be joking, but the phenomenon of certain women drooling over overwise dreadful young men is real. Recall the panty-moistening expressed for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the Boston Marathon bombers? Titus of yore was also "hot" for Dzhokhar despite both being in Boston. I want a thoughtful analysis of why this crops up again and again amongst a certain subset of women and apparently certain gay men. Do all women feel this but suppress it? Is it hardwired?

Joe Bar said...

What is the opposite of "holding space?" "Taking space?"

Steven Wilson said...

So this is different from "Hold my place" in a line. Good to know.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

The vibe seems to have switched from holding court to holding space.

Internet: What does it mean to hold court in slang?
to be surrounded by people who pay you a lot of attention because they consider you interesting or important.

People who used to hold court are mostly going to court now.

Ice Nine said...

>Ann Althouse said...
"Here's a longer clip of that Margaret Cho where you can see that not only that she condemned murder as wrong,..."<

Yeah, she said "Murder is wrong...buuut..." - and you give her credit for condemning murder? Please. As always, everything before "but" is bullshit.

fleg9bo said...

I really admire people who lean into holding space.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Is “holding space” a safe space for Elon Musk? 😏

Dave Begley said...

Is this Cho woman supposed to be a comedian? Why is she rich?

Tina Trent said...

That was the point of hate crime laws from the beginning: to selectively demonize whites and conservatives.

For several years, the annual reports from the states and federal government carried pictures of lynchings and klansmen, while the statistics inside were almost exclusively little more than name-calling in fights, some clearly instigated by the purported “victim.” Heterosexual women of all races are excluded as gender or sex bias victims of any crime, as are male and female victims of serial killers. Yet we have categories like “hate crime carjacking.” Seriously. The movement is porn for some who want to matter more in the justice system than other people; that it’s still 1915; that free speech is dangerous, and that white men commit all the worst crimes in America.

I developed a theory way back in the 1990’s that has borne out perfectly: whenever a minority claims their house has been defaced or partially burned because of hate, it’s ALWAYS the garage door that bears all the damage. So in addition to vilifying white men and disappearing female crime victims, hate crime laws are a great way for some people to get a new garage door.

Tina Trent said...

No, we don’t. And that cute face will be of no benefit to him in prison.

Howard said...

It sounds like holding space is One symptom of white fragility

Tina Trent said...

One of the many good things about living in Nebraska is that you are less likely to ever be exposed to Margaret Cho.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Reminds me of something else… this holding space business.

The internet: “"To have and to hold" is a phrase used in traditional wedding vows… "to have" represents taking the other person as your own, while "to hold" signifies the act of supporting and cherishing them through all circumstances.”

“Holding space” could be the future JD Vance brandished during the campaign.

Say no more…

chickelit said...

BTW, I've yet to see a serious discussion of Mangione's back condition, spondylolisthesis, which is now said to have triggered his rampage. Without knowing his particular medical facts, I will say that I was diagnosed with the same condition in 2019. I was told that I'd need surgery. But instead of being cowed into that, I embarked on a crash course of exercise, weight loss, and core strengthening. Six months later, I saw benefits. A year later, I had essentially cured myself. So it's possible that this dreamboat was just a pussy who just couldn't help himself. I'm sure it will all come out at the trial.

n.n said...

Geosynchronous orbit. Also, masculine gender persons in women's spaces, faces, trans/homosexual grooming, etc. Holding space is either transsemantic or outed as a hate crime with social progress.

Saint Croix said...

"I'm holding space for... those eyebrows, that body, the abs."

If I had to hook up with Margaret Cho in order to stay out of prison

I would go to prison.

Saint Croix said...

And her favorite man part is his eyebrows?

What? The? Fuck?

That's not even a sexuality right there. I don't know what to call that. The Eyebrow Fantasies of Margaret Cho

Original Mike said...

"Holding space" seems like "imagine the sound of one hand clapping".

Kai Akker said...

Our pop culture is so un-serious. That is in the nature of things, but like the political phase shifts that have sent Democrats to the edge of communism and beyond, it is now common for comics, singers, and internet instant commenters to go to new levels of what they think and hope are outrageousness.

Althouse will remember the revulsion that greeted the first copies of the Beatles' Revolver, I think it was, with the bloody stylings. That was quickly withdrawn. Now people like Kathy Griffin and Margaret Cho seem to get little more than a yawn, if not a smile, from anyone other than conservatives who know how cruddy their message is.

If our pop culture is this un-serious, we are in one way very fortunate. Nothing is serious because hey nothing is a problem mon.

Except for a couple things, like our looming federal bankruptcy and the current WW3. But those are such bummers. We are still managing to look past them with all our might. Maybe Trump and Elon will save us. Maybe Santa Claus. We are due to see some wild stuff in the next few years; how can we avoid it?

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

“Holding space” is a useful phrase; it saves me the bother of listening to anything else from anyone who says it

mikee said...

If holding space means occupying the space adjacent to someone else, interacting with them only nonjudgementally, then it means not tolerance of anything, but surrender to them. Dhimmitude, for example, is holding space for Islam. Staying with an abusive spouse would be holding space for them. Handing over the wallet to the mugger instead of beating them senseless is holding space for the mugger. Count me out.

Earnest Prole said...

I’m holding space for Donald Trump’s mincy, minxy little YMCA dance.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Some folks commented that the resistance he put up while screaming in the hallway tussle video at the jail belied an excruciatingly painful spinal condition.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Margaret remembers that there's no such thing as "Bad Press."

tommyesq said...

Never follow a condemnation of murder with "... but...". I suppose it is better coming from a d-level comedienne like Cho than from that idiot Elizabeth Warren, since Cho only went into his appearance, whereas Warren went directly to providing justification for the murder (and for any other attempts against health care CEO's).

When does the media start insisting that other Dems distance themselves from Warren's really ugly statement (like they would if it were a Republican who said it)?

Eva Marie said...

This is a war against productive human beings. The producers, both little and big, are supporting Donald Trump, so liberals and Democrats are sending out their ugly, destructive message. Chris Rock on SNL, Margaret Cho, Elizabeth Warren, they’re all united in their support of a murderer.

donald said...

Never.

gilbar said...

rules about women..
When you're SEXUALLY attracted to a man..
it's OKAY for him to MURDER AND KILL people (particularly people You don't like)
it's OKAY for him to sexually and physically abuse YOU.. Because you're attracted to him

Moral.. BE Great Looking.. IF you're a 10.. you can grab them.. They WON'T mind

Mary Beth said...

The baby butcher album was "Yesterday and Today".

Paul Zrimsek said...

I don't want to hear "I'm holding space for this guy" from anyone but the warden of Sing Sing.

Mason G said...

That's Margaret Cho: "I'm holding space for... those eyebrows, that body, the abs."

Don't women complain almost constantly about the superficiality of men when they focus on a woman's appearance?

Wilbur said...

I wonder if Cho would make that same hilarious joke if she was in the presence of Yoko Ono. Or any number of other widows by gun murder. Just wondering.

Elizabeth "I'm gonna get me a beer" Warren is beyond redemption.

MayBee said...

Gov Gretchen whither said "hold space" the other day instead of "will pray". She's such a try-hard.

paminwi said...

All women do NOT feel this.
Sane women think women like Cho are crazy ass bitches.

Narr said...

Oh you kid.

Narr said...

What remarkably unattractive stars we have today.

Deep State Reformer said...

Michigan peeps can't be rid of Big Gretch fast enough. The Reps need to step up their game & their candidates or they'll go the way of the Whigs pretty soon IMHO. Both times BG ran the Dems lawfared her three toughest R candidates off the R primary ballot and so she ran against two broke & unknown hacks in '18 & '22 both. BG is Hochul but with crazier eyes & a bigger smile.

Jim at said...

Althouse is holding space for her commenters to trash Cho et. al..

I see. So your problem is us criticizing Cho and not Cho herself.

Predictable.

Scott Patton said...

Holding space on an adjacent pillow, or maybe in the bathroom stall at her favorite bar.

Krumhorn said...

As Al Swearingen would say, "Hold space for some pussy!"

- Krumhorn

Mad Anthony Wayne said...

I’m shocked and disappointed that nobody has mentioned a Bag of Holding or that people who use psychobabble like “holding space” need to make a saving throw against stupidity or get stuffed in one…

https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4581-bag-of-holding?srsltid=AfmBOooX5C9_DjoX7MkHXwrqWojEP3B4vaN7ApPjqn8OHL5P3StJFx0h

The Godfather said...

Language is often a way that people join together despite differences. When your non-English-speaking ancestors came to the US one of the first things they did was learn to speak and understand English. Speaking the same language helped to bind people into a community.
But sometimes language is used to exclude. When you were a kid did some people you know talk in "Pig Latin"? They did that to exclude non-Pig-Latin speakers, like you (maybe they invited you in, by teaching you the secrets of Pig Latin; or maybe they didn't).
This "holding space" stuff is like Pig Latin. It's not a way to communicate, it's a way to exclude the unenlightened from the conversation.
When I hear crap like this I hear "Blah blah blah".
And, thanks, Althouse, your examples of people talking in this particular dialect of Pig Latin prove the point.

Mason G said...

"being willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they're on, without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome."...

How is this different (being there without trying to impact the outcome) from not being there at all?

tommyesq said...

If only someone had walked alongside the United Health killer and actually exercised some judgment, 2 lives would be infinitely better.

tommyesq said...

"Star" may be a stretch

Spiros Pappas said...

There has to be a happy medium between impotent soy boys and crazy murderers.

Interested Bystander said...

I’m glad I’m old when it comes to keeping up with slang. Not going to give holding space another thought.

chickelit said...

If we stipulate that Cho is ugly and has low self esteem, then her behavior makes sense. She competes in a Hollywood marketplace where she stands no chance of mating success. But if she chooses a defective "hot" mate -- especially one in prison with whom she has no chance of matiing--she wins because no other women actually wants such a loser.

chickelit said...

Cho's other mating choices are actually gay which means she is an evolutionary dead ender---a Darwinian loser. I hope she makes (made) her parents proud!

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I guess "holding space" kind of makes sense if it's sort of like saying "there will always be a place in my heart for __________."

Will Cate said...

Setting aside all the personal stuff, may I just add that Margaret Cho might be the least funny comedian I have ever seen.