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Shit happens

Slang phrase used as a simple existential observation

Slang phrase used as a simple existential observation

Shit happens is a slang sentence that is used as a simple existential observation that life is full of unfortunate unpredictable events, similar to "c'est la vie". The sentence is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people seemingly for no particular reason.

It can also be said less vulgarly, including phrases such as "it happens" or "stuff happens".

History

The fact that people have been remarking that "shit happens" has been attested from 1964, when Carl Werthman quoted an example in his UC Berkeley masters thesis; the relevant excerpt was published in The American City (edited by Anselm L. Strauss) in 1968.

Examples of usage

In 2011, Australian politician Tony Abbott, who was at the time Opposition Leader and leader of the Liberal Party (later becoming Prime Minister), used the sentence in an interview.

References

References

  1. (May 1995). "Shit happens". [[Psychology Today]].
  2. "Vic & Sade (pg 02) 1940–1941". Sound Recording.
  3. (2 October 2015). "Jeb Bush Says 'Stuff Happens' In Response to Gun Violence".
  4. The datum: "That shit happens all the time." In "The Police as Perceived by Negro Boys", ed. Carl Werthman; in ''The American City: A Source Book of Urban Imagery'', edited by Anselm L. Strauss (Chicago: Aldine, 1968), p. 285. [https://books.google.com/books?id=es2efVofRosC&dq=%22shit+happens%22&pg=PA285 Here] in [[Google Books]]. A footnote says that Werthman's short contribution to the book is "Excerpted from 'Gang members and the police', unpublished M.A. thesis, [[University of California, Berkeley]], 1964."
  5. (8 February 2011). "'Shit happens': Abbott grilled over digger remark". ABC News.
  6. "Seven slammed over Abbott 'shit happens' broadcast".
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