I’m sipping my coffee and reading about Jesse Farrar, the guy who tweeted a pretty prophetic joke back in 2016. It was a simple tweet, but it somehow captured the essence of the Trump era. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see “ol Donny Trump” wriggle his way out of a jam? The tweet was a tiny script where a character makes a statement, only to be interrupted by an action denoted by asterisks. It read: “Well, I’d like to see ol Donny Trump wriggle his way out of THIS jam! *Trump wriggles his way out of the jam easily* Ah! Well. Nevertheless,”. Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one – it’s like he had a crystal ball or something.
Farrar doesn’t even remember what prompted him to tweet that, but it’s become a sort of shorthand for the strangeness of American politics. The Atlantic described it as “one of the all-time great tweets of this era,” and it’s been referenced in countless headlines and stories since then. I guess you could say it’s become a meme, a symbol of the never-ending cycle of scandal and outrage that’s defined the Trump era.
The tweet was posted six days before the “Access Hollywood” tape broke, and before the press began waiting to see when Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, would abandon the campaign. At the time, Trump was already caught up in yet another controversy, this one involving a woman named Alicia Machado. But despite all the scandals, Trump managed to wriggle his way out of every jam, just like Farrar’s tweet predicted.
It’s crazy to think that Farrar was just a freelancer at the time, writing for places like Deadspin and Vice. He’s now the co-host of the “Your Kickstarter Sucks” podcast and the “Go Off Kings” Twitch stream. But back then, he was just trying to make a joke, and it ended up being a joke that would haunt him for years to come.
I mean, can you blame the guy for being pessimistic? He’s seen Trump get away with stuff that would have ended any other politician’s career. And it’s not just Trump – it’s the entire system that seems rigged towards elite impunity. As Farrar said, “I think if you keep betting on ‘Nothing happens,’ you’re only wrong once, and then it’s like, ‘Well, great. I’m glad I was wrong.” But until then, he’s just going to keep on betting that nothing will happen, because that’s how the world seems to work.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? I guess it’s just that twitter can be a pretty powerful platform, and sometimes a joke can become a sort of prophecy. And also, don’t underestimate the power of a good meme – it can haunt you for years to come. Anyway, that’s my two cents on the whole thing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to refill my coffee cup.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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