Good vibes?

Reader question:

Please explain this sentence, particularly “good vibes”: Critics called it “queasy” but many others praised it for the “good vibes”.

My comments:

What is “it”, a musical show?

Let’s say “it” is a musical performance. Critics, those who are critical of the performance, called it queasy, saying it made them sick.

Queasy, as in, for example, the swell of the boat makes some people queasy, i.e. nauseated.

It made them want to throw up, as if they ate something that upset the stomach. It made them very uncomfortable, in other words.

Many other people, however, praised the performance, saying it gave good vibes, like, good, positive energy.

“Vibes” is short for “vibration”.

Literally, we understand string instruments produce vibrations. If we like the sound of a piece of music, we say we like it because it gives good vibes, maybe due to its quick rhythm or something. Disco music, for example, gives happy vibes. Its lighted-hearted beat compels us to dance. We cannot help it.

A sad song, on the other hand, makes us low, makes us want to weep because of the sad vibes it creates.

You know what I mean, don’t you?

I mean, vibes are about the general atmosphere we feel about a place or situation. It’s hard to put into exact words but we can feel it unmistakably.

A wedding ceremony, for example, gives a different vibe than, say, a funeral.

Different is an understatement. The wedding a happy and cheerful place whereas the funeral parlor exudes the exact opposite – sadness and solemnity.

Most of the time, at any rate.

As I said, vibe is something intangible. It’s something in the air. You cannot articulate it but you can feel it.

You can definitely feel it.

And I believe you can better understand “vibes” via different contexts.

So, here are a few media examples of “good vibes”:

1. Having good vibes could pay off.

Companies and hotels are hiring vibe managers – well connected, self-starters who have their finger on the pulse of lifestyle and industry trends – and paying them up to $85,000 a year or more to throw celebrity-filled parties, make playlists and orchestrate office outings like scavenger hunts and lavish sushi dinners, in addition to doing some actual work.

San Francisco-based company Bateman Group, a public relations tech agency, put out a job posting two years ago seeking a “Talent and Vibe Manager,” described as a “self-starter who thinks outside the box.” The firm needed someone to help recruit talent and also balance producing innovative events for the staff.

The job requirements sound like a glorified recruiter or executive assistant gig, including planning monthly birthday celebrations and happy hours; brown bag professional development lunches; stocking the kitchen “with a variety of healthy snacks” and researching activities such as “lunch-time yoga and chair massages.”

“You need to be plugged in enough to find us the right venues, connected to the right people at the right hotels and basically able to leverage the very best of what Brooklyn and San Francisco have to offer,” Fred Bateman, CEO and founder of the bi-coastal Bateman Group, tells Moneyish.

Bateman also believes having the cool title is a fun incentive to get new hires invested in the company for the long haul.

“The title enriches what might be viewed as more of an administrative role at an organization. I wanted new staff to feel like they could move up at the organization,” he says.

“Adding vibe to their responsibilities gives them something more meaningful and gives their job more respect. It’s not just answering phones or planning parties, they have to be thoughtful about it.”

- This job title is the most millennial thing ever, NYPost.com, August 21, 2017.

2. European Council President Antonio Costa says there is a “new positive energy” in the EU’s relationship with the UK.

President Trump says Sir Keir Starmer has been “very nice” and the pair are “getting along very well”.

The good vibes schtick has been rumbling for months between the UK and the European Union.

And what is billed by Downing Street as “the first UK-EU leaders’ summit” will take place in the UK on 19 May, it has been confirmed.

A similar good vibes schtick has been rumbling for a few months too between the UK and the United States.

And the prime minister is expected in Washington in the coming weeks.

Vibes only count for so much, but good ones are better than the alternative – especially after the years of bad blood over Brexit, and Donald Trump’s penchant for shouting his mouth off.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Remain campaigner who wanted a second EU referendum, now finds himself in possession of Brexit freedoms that give him choices – or dilemmas – over whether the UK tilts towards Washington or towards Brussels.

Can those good vibes in both directions be sustained?

- Can Starmer make good vibes last with EU and US? BBC.com, February 5, 2025.

3. Kim Kardashian is manifesting a new beau.

On a recent episode of The Kardashians on Hulu, the 44-year-old SKIMS founder reveled that she is designing a closet space for her future hypothetical boyfriend while renovating her home.

“Who’s him?” Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner, inquired.

“I don’t know,” Kim responded. “I won’t be open to having a partner if I don’t build it.”

Kris, 69, later said in a confessional that “there’s not a him,” when it comes to Kim’s relationship status, but she does think that her daughter is currently “looking for true love.”

“She’s the best version of Kim when she’s in love,” she said.

Kim’s ex-husband, Kanye West, has been the subject to much controversy lately, including his concerning behavior on social media.

…

Last month, Kim opened up about still having “good vibes” with Kanye.

- Kim Kardashian Reveals She Built an In-Home Closet for Her Future Boyfriend, JustJared.com, March 28, 2025.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）