''Shit happens'' is a slang phrase that is used as a simple
existential
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...
observation that life is full of unpredictable events, similar to "
c'est la vie
C'est la vie may refer to:
* C'est la vie (phrase), ''C'est la vie'' (phrase), a French phrase, translated as "That's life"
Books
* C'est la Vie (comic strip), ''C'est la Vie'' (comic strip), an English-language comic strip by Jennifer Babcock
* ...
". The phrase is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people seemingly for no particular reason. The phrase was first observed in 1964, but wasn't used in a print publication until 1983. Alternately said, albeit less vulgarly, as "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
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
masters thesis; the relevant excerpt was published in ''The American City'' (edited by
Anselm L. Strauss) in 1968.
In a review of
Fred Shapiro
Fred Richard Shapiro is an American academic and writer working as the editor of ''The Yale Book of Quotations'', ''The Oxford Dictionary of American Legal Quotations'', and several other books.
Education
Shapiro earned a Bachelor of Science de ...
's 2006 work ''
The Yale Book of Quotations
''The Yale Book of Quotations'' is a quotations collection focusing on modern and American quotations. Edited by Fred R. Shapiro, it was published by Yale University Press in 2006 with a foreword by Joseph Epstein, . Prior to publication it was re ...
'', ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' critic
Louis Menand
Louis Menand (; born January 21, 1952) is an American critic, essayist, and professor, best known for his Pulitzer-winning book '' The Metaphysical Club'' (2001), an intellectual and cultural history of late 19th and early 20th century America.
...
stated that it is "extremely interesting" that the phrase "Shit happens" was introduced to print by Connie Eble, in a publication identified as ''UNC–CH Slang'' in 1983.
Seismologists from the
U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...
launched an earthquake-readiness campaign in California under the title "Shift Happens". A seismologist commented "Stuff happens and you have to prepared."
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{Spoken Wikipedia, EN-shit happens-article.ogg, date=2022-12-29
English phrases
English-language slang
Comedy catchphrases
Slogans
English profanity
1964 neologisms