Shit happens explained

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.^{[1] [2]}

It can also be said less vulgarly, including phrases such as "it happens" or "stuff happens".^[3]

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.^[4]

Examples of usage

The term is used on the back of a car sticker in the episode Speed 3 of Father Ted

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.^{[5] [6]}

Australian toilet paper and essential goods retailer Shhit Happens uses a modification of the phrase as their trade name. Stylised as either 'Shhit Happens' or 'Shh!t Happens'.^{[7] [8]}

Notes and References

1. Shit happens. Psychology Today. New York. May 1995. 2007-11-25.
2. Web site: Vic & Sade (pg 02) 1940–1941. Sound Recording. 12 September 2011.
3. Web site: Jeb Bush Says 'Stuff Happens' In Response to Gun Violence. 2 October 2015. ABC News.
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. 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 A footnote says that Werthman's short contribution to the book is "Excerpted from 'Gang members and the police', unpublished M.A. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1964."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. News: 'Shit happens': Abbott grilled over digger remark . ABC News . 8 February 2011 .
6. Web site: Seven slammed over Abbott 'shit happens' broadcast .
7. Web site: 2024-07-27 . Woman shares what it's like being born with two vaginas and 'no bum' . 2024-08-05 . UNILAD . en.
8. Web site: Companies . 2024-08-05 . Women with Disabilities Entrepreneur Network . en-AU.