Shit happens
Encyclopedia
"Shit happens" is a common slang
phrase, used as a simple existential
observation that life is full of imperfections, either "Así es la vida" or "C'est la vie". The phrase is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people for no particular reason. Phrases with similar meaning are such as "stuff happens" or "it happens" and are considered minced oath
forms. In the October 14, 1941 episode of the long-running radio show Vic and Sade, "Vic Declines a Cornet Lesson," Sade remarks wearily, "Stuff happens, don't it? Stuff happens."
The origin or earliest use of the phrase is uncertain. In a review of The Yale Book of Quotations
(2006) by Fred Shapiro, The New Yorker
critic Louis Menand
observed that it was "extremely interesting to know, for instance, that the phrase 'Shit happens' was introduced to print by one Connie Eble, in a publication identified as UNC–CH Slang (presumably the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), in 1983."
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
phrase, used as a simple existential
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
observation that life is full of imperfections, either "Así es la vida" or "C'est la vie". The phrase is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people for no particular reason. Phrases with similar meaning are such as "stuff happens" or "it happens" and are considered minced oath
Minced oath
A minced oath is an expression based on a profanity or a taboo term that has been altered to reduce the objectionable characteristics.Many languages have such expressions...
forms. In the October 14, 1941 episode of the long-running radio show Vic and Sade, "Vic Declines a Cornet Lesson," Sade remarks wearily, "Stuff happens, don't it? Stuff happens."
The origin or earliest use of the phrase is uncertain. In a review of The Yale Book of Quotations
The Yale Book of Quotations
The Yale Book of Quotations is a quotations collection that focuses on modern and American quotations and claims a high level of scholarship and reliability. Edited by Fred R. Shapiro, it was published by Yale University Press in 2006 with a foreword by Joseph Epstein, ISBN 978-0-300-10798-2...
(2006) by Fred Shapiro, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
critic Louis Menand
Louis Menand
Louis Menand is an American writer and academic, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Metaphysical Club , an intellectual and cultural history of late 19th and early 20th century America....
observed that it was "extremely interesting to know, for instance, that the phrase 'Shit happens' was introduced to print by one Connie Eble, in a publication identified as UNC–CH Slang (presumably the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), in 1983."
In popular culture
- A series of VW Jetta commercials from 2006 used a minced version of the phrase ('Safe. Happens.') to promote the four-star crash rating of the vehicle. In the commercials, drivers and their passengers get into accidents while driving the VW Jetta; upon exiting the vehicle unharmed but shaken, the characters exclaim "Holy..." (as in the beginning of the expression "Holy shit") before being cut off by a titlecard that jokingly finishes their sentence with the word 'safe' instead of 'shit', and then adds 'happens' (a minced version of 'Shit happens', as stated above).
- In the 1994 film Forrest GumpForrest GumpForrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
, Forrest accidentally inspires the phrase after stepping in dog fecesFecesFeces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
during a cross-country run.
- In the 2000 film Scary MovieScary MovieScary Movie is a 2000 comedy-parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, as part of Warner Bros. Entertainment. It is an American dark comedy which heavily parodies the horror, slasher, and mystery genres...
, the expression is used in a comically inappropriate manner by the principalPrincipal- Education :*Principal , a head of a primary or secondary school*Principal , a chief executive of a university or college- Law :*Principal , a person who authorises an agent...
of a high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
who is giving a public announcement about the recent murders of students there.
- On the internetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, one can find various versions of a famous web phenomenon that rephrases the expression into how it might be said by members of different religionReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
s, worldviews, and political beliefs.