The Wussy Boy Manifesto
My name is Eirik Ott
And I am a Wussy Boy.
It’s taken me a long time to admit it.
I remember shouting out in high school,
“ No, Dad, I’m not gay! I’m just… sensitive.
I tried to like jet planes and hot rods
and football and Budweiser poster girls
but I never got the hang of it!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”
And then, I saw him,
there on the silver screen,
bigger than life and unafraid
of earrings and hair dye
and rejoicing in the music of The Cure,
Morrisey and Siouxsie and the Banshees,
walking loud and talking proud
my Wussy Boy icon:
Duckie in Pretty in Pink.
And I realized I wasn’t alone.
I looked around and saw other Wussy Boys
living large and proud of who they were:
Anthony Michael Hall, Wussy Boy;
Michael J. Fox, Wussy Boy; and
Lord God King of the Wussy Boy Movement,
Matthew Broderick,
unafraid to prove to the world
that sensitive guys kick ass!
(“Wussy Boy Manifesto” cont’d)
Now, I am no longer afraid
of my Wussiness, hell no,
I am empowered by it!
When I pull up to a stoplight
And some redneck testosterone
methamphetamine jock frat boy pulls up
beside me cranking his Trans Am’s stereo
with power chord anthems
to big tits and date rape,
I no longer avert my gaze, hell no,
I just crank all 12 watts of my car stereo
and I rock out right to his face:
“ I am human and I need to be loved
just like everybody else does!”
I am Wussy Boy, hear me roar (meow).
Bar fight? Pshaww!
You think you can take me, huh,
just because I like poetry
better than Sports Illustrated?
Well, allow me to caution you
for I am not the average, every day,
run of the mill Wussy Boy you beat up
in high school, punk:
I am Wuss Core!
Don’t make me get Renaissance on your ass
because I WILL write a poem about you!
a poem that will tear your psyche limb from limb,
that will expose your selfish insecurities,
that will wound you deeper than knives
and gats and baseball bats could ever hope to.
You may see 65 inches of Wussy Boy
standing in front of you,
but my steel-toed soul
is ten feet tall and bulletproof!
Bring the pain, punk!
Beat the tar out of me!
Show everybody in this bar
what a real man can do,
but you’d better remember
that my bruises will fade,
my scars will shrink and disappear,
but my poem about the pitiful, small, helpless,
dumb-ass, no-neck oppressor you really are
will last forever.
--Big Poppa E
Slam Poetry is supposed to be performed in front of a casual audience, sometimes as part of a competition. It utilizes contemporary slang and cultural allusions, as well as strong, aggressive diction and hyperboles to convey raw emotion and an honest opinion. Essentially, it's battling with poetry.
This poem's exposition presents the topic that will be handled through the speaker's confusion and apologetic response of his seeming sensitivity and nonconformity to male stereotypes like enjoying "jet planes" "cars" and "Budweiser poster girls". The following stanza's explain the speaker's revelation and new understanding of the topic, when he finds other "Wussy Boys" who made it big and were admired, making allusions to contemporary actors such as Michael J. Fox and Matthew Broderick. In these stanzas, the speaker uses hyperboles and juxtapositions the stereotypical characteristics of "normal boys" and "Wussy Boys".
After this, the poem's tone shifts and becomes more empowered, albeit more aggressive and on the offensive. He still uses common generalizations and stereotypes, such as "redneck testosterone/methamphetamine jock frat boy pulls up/ beside me cranking his Trans Am’s stereo/ with power chord anthems/ to big tits and date rape..." to depict a clear, negative picture of the "opponents" confronted in this slam poem. This is like an attack, using some cacophony, and strong diction with the words such as "redeck" "methamphetamine" and "anthems to big tits and date rape" to create the desired effect, which would come through even more clearly when heard performed.
The spirit of the "slam poem" is strongly captured in the lines:
a poem that will tear your psyche limb from limb,
that will expose your selfish insecurities,
that will wound you deeper than knives
4 comments:
I know i just put you through reading this whole thing, but please watch the video on youtube (and kindly excuse the swearing)
I wanna hear from you how the performance enhances and or is different from the written poem. Whether certain devices are more effective performed, and how the performance itself uses devices unseen in the written poem. I also want to hear about a particular line or something that expressed the purpose most effectively to you (you liked most, hit you hardest)
thanks buds.
I also enjoyed both the poem and movie and saw the comedic aspect after watching the clip. The part of the poem that struck me was:
"Don’t make me get Renaissance on your ass
because I WILL write a poem about you!"
Although the tone is threatening, it shows the author's sensitive side by the use of the poem. This was also funny to hear because it is ironic that a poem can be seen as hurtful.
Overall, I thought the poem was out of the ordinary and fun to read.
I agree that watching/hearing the poem was much different than just reading it. A lot of the irony, humor, and tone of voice is lost or unperceivable through reading.
Along with what Lauren said, I liked the part when he defends the "wussy boy" or poet. Despite the labels and stereotypes that society places on them, they are able to express their "toughness" through words.
I also liked the ending when he mentions that that his "bruises will fade" and his "scars will shrink and disappear", but his poem "will last forever". Overall, Ott surprises his opponents and defends him form of self expression in a witty and comical way.
I agree that you have to watch this poem performed to get the full effect of it. Like Lauren, I took it more seriously when reading it and only saw most of the humor upon watching it. His inflection and expression brings the poem to life and makes it really enjoyable. I especially liked the part leading up to the reveal of his "Wussy Boy icon: Duckie in Pretty in Pink." As far as the most affecting part of the poem from a literary and emotional standpoint, I would agree it comes more towards the end. He takes the physical violence that the other man threatens and pumps it into his poetry, which becomes equally threatening with its ability to "tear your psyche limb from limb." Overall, I thought this poem was clever, and its familiar slang and presentation makes it all the more relatable.
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