Read this, if you feel like it. Whatever works for you. I’m flexible
A rant by Staff Reporter Marc Friedenberg
As a noted journalist, I view it as my duty to begin debate over a topic that has for far too long flown under the public radar. Sure, exposés about the fall dance and the percentage of people who would go alone are vital to our nation’s infrastructure. And where would we be without the obligatory article that bitches about college-related stress, while at the same time doesn’t offer any practical solutions of its own? But neither carries the moral and ethical weight of what I want to talk about. Perhaps you’ve guessed it by now. We need to talk about me.
Hi. My name is Marc. OK, I’ll admit it. That first paragraph was simply a cheap way to grab your attention, and it obviously worked. The very fact that you’re reading these words proves that you’re among the top 20% of our school, at least in terms of intelligence and personal potential. You’ve committed yourself to taking the time to read my writing, which, by my own admission, tends to border on the inane. I see something special in you, a raw talent and energy that I can shape in order to advance my own interests.
Today I’d like to talk about randomness. Certainly this is something with which you’re becoming increasingly familiar. It seems that everywhere you look, people (mostly teenagers) are calling things “random.” What does this mean? Why is it so important? Does this signify a significant change in the psychological make-up of our society? I’ll be damned if I know. But that won’t stop me from venturing a guess.
I think that randomness is the next step in comedy. Originally, it was cool and antiestablishment to use irony in your humor, to show that you don’t care. Comedians were apathetic. Perhaps lazy. Maybe it was Steve Martin who perfected this.
The next phase was “hyper-irony,” defined by Carl Matheson as “colder, based less on a shared sense of humanity than on a sense of world-weary cleverer-than-thouness.” Maybe the greatest example of this can be found in the following passage from The Simpsons, which probably mimics a dialog you’ve heard more than once before:
Teen #1: Here comes that cannonball guy. He’s cool.
Teen #2: Are you being sarcastic, dude?
Teen #1: I don’t even know anymore.
Hyper-irony served its purpose well, skillfully (and unfortunately) guiding disaffected teenagers through the 90’s. Now the 21st century is here, and it’s aching for revenge. Pundits claim that September 11th has changed comedy forever; surely our sensibilities have changed, and we want situational (and less sophisticated) fare. “Screw the pundits,” I say. Nothing has changed. In fact, we will accelerate even faster through our current trend: you guessed it, randomness.
Technology was supposed to have simplified our lives and slowed-down the hectic American pace. Instead, as you are already surely aware, it has linked everything (finances, governments, boyfriends and girlfriends) together into one giant morass that is increasingly unpredictable. As a result, we take solace in random exploits (think Tom Green), because they make more sense to us than the structured storyline of the 50’s TV sitcom.
Is the trend towards randomness good or bad? It’s difficult to say. On the one hand, it has detached us even further from the world we have lived in for so long. We are entering an entirely new age, and perhaps this new age will bring with it an entirely alien set of morals and expectations. On the other hand, it has helped us grow indifferent (hyper-ironic, even?) to the uniquely negative things that are going on in the world. When you can’t make sense of something, it’s intensely therapeutic to chalk it up to randomness, or, failing that, a god of some sort.
The obscure and unpredictable is becoming increasingly common not just in TV, but in everyday life as well. Just look at my own writing. Or better yet, don’t, because you will likely get a severe headache. I personally rely on randomness because it’s just funny so often (plus it prevents me from having to discover who I really am on the inside, which can often be a difficult process, from a psychological point of view.) Think about all the times people around you have done seemingly random things.
Well, seeing as I’m a member of the MTV generation, I can’t quite seem to focus on this one topic any further. Rather than telling you what to think about randomness, why don’t you try to come up with some conclusions yourself? It’s always good to try something new (unless it’s some new kind of poison.) Have a nice day.
The end…or is it?