Under feudal law, a lord to whom allegiance is owed or a subject who owes allegiance to a lord. (The middle ages were confusing.) In general, it means a loyal subject or can be used as an adjective to mean faithful. (Much less confusing.)
AnimalsDogsPuppies!Where do we sign up for thisBe honest, your heart just meltedWhite-glove treatment?
A couple months ago, we wrote about The Mid-Majority and its effects on our site and journalism as a whole. Now, four years after the site ended, Kyle Whelliston is back with an interesting project on similar themes:
This isn't about probabilities, how to "beat the odds", or self-help inspiration. PDH’s aim is to explore, and maybe even partially answer, these questions:
• Why do people root for the weaker one in the fight? And what compels privileged and comfortable people with the luxury to root for things to do it?
• Is there a difference between our compassion for those who have little or no chance and slightly less than even odds? Where are our empathy limits?
• What happens after the underdog rises up and conquers their opponent? Then what happens if they beat them so much that they eventually become consistent overwhelming favorites?
• Why and how can the Underdog Rooting Urge be used and exploited by bad actors and people in power? What are the consequences?
Whelliston is an excellent, prescient writer, and this project sounds like a good one. Go back it on GoFundMe.
UnderdogsUnpaid promotionsSociologyKyle WhellistonDark horsesIt always ends in a loss?