Smash Mouth performing at Sturgis (and their callous disregard for a deadly pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands in the US and globally) aside, I will have a soft spot in my heart for them. Their borderline trutherism over the virus has cooled my admiration for them considerably, of course. But what they did at the outset of this decade was destroy cool, cynical detachment with aggressive earnestness.

I'm an internet old timer who was on Something Awful before the diaspora triggered by effective moderation scattered the neo-dadaist posters to the four corner of the web. As such, I have always maintained a familiarity and sometime friendship with various former members. This is all to say that I know of many of the members of the awkwardly anointed Weird Twitter. They're a strange hodgepodge who invented shitposting before shitposting was shitposting, who tried to one up each other with gross out and bizarre imagery and copypastas and trolling.

I can tell you with no uncertain degree of confidence that many of them were dealing with some sort of pain. A lot of them dealt with mental illness, physical disabilities, intense loneliness, abuse, neglect, alcoholism, you name it. But it was very hard to grab a sincere moment from any of them because this was how they coped with the world. They indulged in the ego defense mechanism of simply not thinking about it to unhealthy extremes. It helped to soothe the self-loathing and self-pity.

It was out of this crucible of Schadenfreude that Weird Twitter and Something Awful contributor Jon Hedren (going by @fart on Twitter) came up with a joke. That joke was that he would pay the lead singer of Smash Mouth to eat 24 eggs. It was a comically small amount of money, $20.

But it's not that simple, is it? Hedren didn't pick someone he admired--in fact, I am loath to believe that Hedren really admires anyone. Smash Mouth, especially at the start of the 2010s, was a punchline. Even then, something of a lazy one. So in the public sphere of Twitter, Hedren thought it would be funny to target what he saw to be low-hanging fruit for a dumb, cheap joke. This joke was clearly meant to be ameliorative. After all, Hedren hadn't written the hacky Shrek anthem "All Star"! People could laugh at this and he could make a quick article, and that's that.

And this is why I admire Steve Harwell, even despite his recent idiocy.

Despite his best attempts to ignore it, a vocal contingent of Twitter folks kept reminding him about Hedren's challenge until he ended up parlaying it into a charity event hosted by his friend, Guy Fieri, at the opening of his new restaurant.

Gamely, he attempted to eat 24 eggs and failed, but others helped. Money was raised for charity. Hedren, who showed up looking very uncomfortable hiding behind his iPhone, attempted to recast the event heroically on Vice. The video speaks for itself: Harwell is surrounded by friends and fans and admirers, raises money for charity, makes people laugh, and has a good day. Hedren skulks about nervously like he's holding in hot panic diarrhea while a shark mascot dances around him.

Sincerity won the day.

Listen, I enjoy a good joke, I love a good rip on people, and cynicism is my fucking anthem. I don't trust anything that anyone says is good and popular. I'm a bone-drenched iconoclast to the core. But I need to remember to pull my head out of my ass and not be like Hedren was that day. I gotta have fun and stop mainlining irony to dull my pain. Harwell had a really good day just being a real person engaging with people genuinely, even in the face of blistering contempt masquerading as offbeat humor.

I don't wanna be like that. I wanted to be a real and genuine person too. That's why I took off the slow deadly drip of irony. I realized I was just finding a way to isolate myself from the world so I didn't get hurt by it. And it didn't do a damn bit of good anyway.

Dose makes the poison. Be careful.

  • coomsockrates [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Very interesting philosophypost, I didn't know Smash Mouth still existed as of 2020.

    I want to be a real and genuine person too.

    What are the characteristics of a "real" and "genuine" person to you OP? Asking in good faith, since you have clearly thought about it.

    • EugeneDebs [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      ...what passes for hip cynical transcendence of sentiment is really some kind of fear of being really human, since to be really human [...] is probably to be unavoidably sentimental and naive and goo-prone and generally pathetic...

      • David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest

      I really connect with this line, I think it's really easy, and "cool" to be a cynic, but to be sincere, is to be vulnerable, and it's really hard, but ultimately, is a more honest representation of the human condition.

      • TillieNeuen [she/her]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Being too cool for everything is such a joyless way to live. I know I have a tendency towards cynicism, but when I open myself up to taking pleasure in life--whether that's in a conversation with a friend, looking at a pretty flower, or being excited for the opportunity to pet a (hypoallergenic) dog, that gives way more joy and pleasure to my life than any amount of detached coolness could ever bring.

    • Gamerguy420 [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      To be honest I'm lost here too. But I know that when I decided to volunteer for the Sanders campaign I was breaking through to something real; putting mysef out there and making an honest effort to make the world a better place. This is a simple anecdote and I don't really know how to replicate it these days. Our society is a dark place with not much to be hopefull about. But I want to have genuine relationships with people and hopefully we can all be happier because of it.

      • EugeneDebs [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        I think that's the key: we're all in this together. We're human beings, we're all trying to figure this out, we all have problems, we're all doing this at the same time. It's really confusing and really hard, but we'll figure it out together. You can't achieve anything entirely by yourself. Support systems are the core of human existence. In our connections with other people, we make each other stronger, happier, and more successful in reaching our goal of a better world.

        • Gamerguy420 [he/him]
          ·
          4 years ago

          I totally agree. Matt Christman said we can't fight for what's right with the motavtion of creating a better world for ourselves. It has to be for a love of others, people who will be born long after us. That's something I admire greatly about Sanders, for all his faults. Not only Sanders, but every great person in history. I think everyone on here feels this. But with such a high level of organization to prevent dissent at any level, it seems hopeless. Oportunities to protest war or racial injustice just aren't present like they were for Sanders. All anyone can do is post obnoxious callout bullshit on Instagram. When I see a person fighting for real change in the world it inspires me. That's what I want to do in this world. And that's why I appreciate this post, because people on here shitting on people genuinly trying, that's cynicism that has no place. That said, I love seeing people shit on gamers(Buttigieg, Clinton). edit: I guess what I'm saying is that ho chi minh or Lenin, or whoever people on here admire, didn't get to where they are by being cynics and just saying fuck all this shit

    • gayhobbes [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      What are the characteristics of a “real” and “genuine” person to you OP?

      So let me pull back to address this. The core of who we are in an existential way is an other that cannot be defined beyond simple being. There is a me, and there is a you, that is not defined by anything other than what it simply is. So what his means is that of all the labels, actions, thoughts, feelings, and anything else that you experience, all of that is a part of you, but that's not your essence. You are. I am. Simple as that.

      Which means that anything else we want to be--irony poisoned, real, genuine, fake, whatever--is a series of actions and thoughts and feelings, not to mention perceptions and interpretations by others.

      To me, being real is to drop any level of pretense and engage in a terrifyingly sincere way with the world. You feel a seemingly random emotion that scares you? You say that and acknowledge that. You feel happy or vulnerable or anything? You express that regardless of the consequence. Being real to me is to engage with reality as you perceive it and express it.

      Likewise, being genuine is simply related to that, in that I want to say what I mean and mean what I say. I want to ensure there's a clear line between when I'm joking and when I'm serious that's clear not only to others, but to myself. I was described in my 20s as an angry young man, and I realized not long ago that as I set out to be more genuine, many of my jokes were simply me trying to express myself--and often my anger--while trying to hide behind a facade of humor. I was mad at the world, my parents, myself, society, whoever crossed my path. It's why my jokes seemed to have this tinge of bitterness. Now that I'm older and I can express myself more clearly, I'm funnier and less mean spirited. (mostly)

      Does that make sense?

      • coomsockrates [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Does that make sense?

        Firstly, thank you very much for taking the time to write such a lengthy and sincere response. I would say that I think I can make sense of most of what you mean, but maybe I'm too shit at thinking and/or require more weed to understand, since I still have a question:

        The core of who we are in an existential way is an other that cannot be defined beyond simple being.

        Would you define this "core" as consciousness? If so correct me if im wrong but I can rephrase your definition of "being real" as being aware that one is aware and thus engaging with/truthfully observing what one perceives? Like the meditative practice of "Mindfulness". And what ways have you found to "express"?

        If you don't feel like responding then thats fine, the thread is nearly dead anyways lol. But just know that I appreciate your insightful and personal answer. I can definitely relate to being an "angry young man".

        (An interesting side note would be how this "ironic" (sarcastic) cultural phenomenon is more prevalent in imperial core countries such as the UK, Ausfailia, and the USAmerikkka. However, it is more uncommon in other cultures, such as those of Laos, Nepal, and South Sudan.)

        • gayhobbes [he/him]
          ·
          4 years ago

          maybe I’m too shit at thinking and/or require more weed to understand, since I still have a question:

          You're not. :)

          Would you define this “core” as consciousness? If so correct me if im wrong but I can rephrase your definition of “being real” as being aware that one is aware and thus engaging with/truthfully observing what one perceives? Like the meditative practice of “Mindfulness”. And what ways have you found to “express”?

          I think our core is what we simply are, conscious or not. Consciousness is part of it, but if you were there, in a coma, unthinking and brain dead, I think there is still a core of being that is you. It's a uniqueness that differentiates everything from everything. You are not the bed, the sheets, the coma, your actions, your hair, or anything other than just you. It's been described as an aura or a spirit or a ghost or consciousness or whatever, but I just think of it as an essential characteristic of being that simply is.

          I think that being real is about acknowledging the world as you perceive it without pretense. It doesn't mean you can't be mean or funny or upset by it, but it just means that you are trying to strip away as many layers of assumption as possible. So like, it's admitting that sometimes I wish that global warming wasn't real because I don't want to deal with the consequences of it. That doesn't mean I don't care or am in denial, it just means I'm aware of my own limitations here and I don't want to lie about how I'm feeling.

          So yeah I'd say mindfulness is what we're talking about. Often I catch myself just taking a step back and saying, hey, why am I feeling X? And I'll often have to admit some really raw shit like, oh I'm fighting with this guy online because I'm mad my dad was a fucking piece of shit, and also I wish the world didn't suck. It's really intense. But you become more and more dispassionate when acknowledging which I like.

          I am really happy to answer, please don't apologize for yourself. I love talking about this.

          And yes, very good observation I think. Our irony is a cope for the space we take up.

          • coomsockrates [he/him]
            ·
            4 years ago

            Well thanks again for being patient enough to answer man, I also like hanging out and asking questions to people who have thought deeply about this. Brings me back to highschool where me and the late boys did hand sanitizer fumes to write philosophy final essay (im not even joking). In that case I'll appreciate the chance to ask someone wiser than me some other questions I always had...

            Regarding your thoughts on consciousness:

            It’s a uniqueness that differentiates everything from everything. You are not the bed, the sheets, the coma, your actions, your hair, or anything other than just you.

            I feel what u mean here. Going meta^4, would this differentiation only be valid in the eyes of a human? Since according to our current understanding of science that I know of (quark theory, atomic theory) on a subatomic level myself, yourself, a tissuebox, and the bed are all one and the same. In the fact that we are made out of the same subatomic building blocks (quarks -> electron,proton,neutron -> atoms -> molecules -> etc...).

            I think our core is what we simply are, conscious or not.

            What do you think happens when we die? Where do you think we go? There is a model of the human body as a complex robotic system, with how we think, feel, act, and even "are" limited/based of our "hardware" (nerves within muscles, eyes, ears, nose, stomach, intestinal second brain, etc.) and resulting "software" (neural networks within the brain). This is evidenced by those experiencing the terrifying agony of debilitating neurological conditions such as alzheimers loosing "themselves" due to a degeneration of the brain. But what happens when this system shuts down completely? These questions scare the absolute shit out of me if I think about them before sleep.

            Modern psychologists are looking towards quantum theory in hopes of explaining this "core", and most importantly, what happens to the "core" when we die.

            [...] it just I’m aware of my own limitations here and I don’t want to lie about how I’m feeling.

            Insightful af, how would one know when they are lying about what they are feeling?

            oh I’m fighting with this guy online because I’m mad my dad was a fucking piece of shit, and also I wish the world didn’t suck.

            mood

            • gayhobbes [he/him]
              ·
              4 years ago

              I’ll appreciate the chance to ask someone wiser than me some other questions I always had

              Ha you're sweet but I am not wiser.

              Going meta^4, would this differentiation only be valid in the eyes of a human? Since according to our current understanding of science that I know of (quark theory, atomic theory) on a subatomic level myself, yourself, a tissuebox, and the bed are all one and the same. In the fact that we are made out of the same subatomic building blocks (quarks -> electron,proton,neutron -> atoms -> molecules -> etc…).

              I think the differentiation exists among all things. On a base level I think there's consciousness and there's sapience, and consciousness belongs to more than we think it does. Beyond science as a frame, existence is not entirely clear. We know the physical world exists, but what's it actually made of? I think the deeper we look the more particles we'll find. We'll never entirely peel back the onion. We'll also never fully see the entire universe. Things are much bigger and much smaller than we think. But yeah, the point being that we all have some base consciousness makes sense to me.

              What do you think happens when we die? Where do you think we go? There is a model of the human body as a complex robotic system, with how we think, feel, act, and even “are” limited/based of our “hardware” (nerves within muscles, eyes, ears, nose, stomach, intestinal second brain, etc.) and resulting “software” (neural networks within the brain). This is evidenced by those experiencing the terrifying agony of debilitating neurological conditions such as alzheimers loosing “themselves” due to a degeneration of the brain. But what happens when this system shuts down completely? These questions scare the absolute shit out of me if I think about them before sleep.

              I've been thinking a lot about the way time works. We may die and move on to something else because this entire system is a simulation or a conceived reality or it's also possible that we simply cease to exist, or our consciousness diffuses into the surrounding world. I dunno. I do think though that since all time has already occurred, we may just slide back around and have this life over and over. Or we might die, cease to exist for an eternity, and then time loops around and has itself the exact same way again, so we live this life over again. I don't know. But also, I don't know how much it matters. The only thing I really have control over is this moment, so I try to maximize that control. I can't change the past, but I do hold sway over the future.

              Insightful af, how would one know when they are lying about what they are feeling?

              Mindfulness training. You have to constantly audit yourself. Am I lying now? What about now? After some practice, you will feel your own inauthenticity almost intuitively. I caught myself the other day and just dropped all pretense, realizing that I was acting like a complete asshole because I was in a bad mood. It will keep happening, but I can keep stopping it.