Eggstreme
/That's an Easter pun.
I was just laying in bed and started laughing because I thought of something that I hadn't for about 10 years. And that was the point in time when, for about 18 months, there was this notion that cardistry/card flourishing was something of a bad boys activity, and that maybe you had to be a little dangerous to be involved with it. There were a bunch of competing groups with these corny names and they would make these videos that were meant to mysterious and badass which is ridiculous when 98% of their time is spent picking cards up off their bedroom floor.
These days I feel like people are more content just enjoying cardistry for what it is: a study of movement and dexterity that has more in common with juggling and dance than it does snorting cocaine or operating a fight club. It's certainly not the dark, enigmatic activity indulged in by brooding, dangerous practitioners that they once tried to portray. It's hard to brood when you're waiting for your mom to pick you up from the mall.
Thinking about this topic reminded me of this post from the old site....
Monday, June 06, 2005
Magik Sircull Jerx
The whole XCM/Superhandz/Handlordz sub-culture is pretty fun and fascinating. I have no desire to do any flourishes but I enjoy watching them and appreciate the effort that goes into perfecting some of the more incredible moves.
But anyone who purposely misspells extreme as Xtreme or pluralizes things with a Z is pretty much automatically lame and a complete fucking poser. This shit was cool for about two weeks six years ago. You know who does this now? 60-year-old ad-executives hoping to target a young demographic. Don't be a tool. Drop the Zs and the Xs. In fact, drop the whole word "extreme," it's idiotic and tired.
In general it's best to avoid using any positive adjectives about yourself. Let other people apply the adjectives. You don't say, "My card manipulation is XTREME," just like you don't say, "I'm so generous," just like you don't say, "I'm so crazy!"
““You really don’t remember me, do you?” she said. “it’s me, crazy Trudy who used to sit beside you in Mr. Pope’s senior English class. Remember me? I was the crazy one. I was the one who wrote ‘Don’t follow me – I’m lost too’ on the back of her graduation gown. It’s me, crazy Trudy.”
Suddenly I remembered her perfectly. Even at eighteen she struck me as hopeless.
”So, Trudy,” I said. “What’s going on?”
”Oh, you know me. I’m just as crazy as ever. No, I take that back – I’m probably crazier if you can believe that!”
I thought for a moment before saying, “Oh.” Because that’s really something I can’t stand – when people refer to themselves as crazy. The truly crazy are labeled so on the grounds that they see nothing wrong with their behavior. They forge ahead, lighting fires in public buildings and defecating in frying pans without the slightest notion that they are out of step with the rest of society. That, to me, is crazy. Calling yourself crazy is not crazy, only obnoxious.”
Yes, and calling yourself Xtreme doesn't make you Xtreme or even extreme, it just makes appear desperate.
And it creates some strange marketing decisions.
Look at this DVD called "Xtreme Beginnerz."
What?
How can you be an xtreme beginner?
Person 1: Damn man, I'm so Xtreme, I can't even fan a deck of cards.
Person 2: Fuck you, dude! I'm way more Xtreme a beginner than you. I can barely hold on to a deck of cards. If I have to shuffle it requires so much concentration that I shit my pants. I shit my pants to the XTREME!!!
I think that's great. They were going for something cool and ended up with something halfway between lame and completely adorable.
I can't wait for their next DVD: Xtremely Lonely Virginz Flip A Pen Around Or Some Shit Like That.