Smug Assholes Who Think They're Hilarious

UPDATE:
I turned the IC Everywhere article in at last week's Buzzsaw meeting, then received the following email:

"I don't think this would quite work for the buzzsaw asks why column and I already explained about how it wouldn't go along with our theme. I'd definitely put your story up on the blog though, just know that you'd have to tweak it a little because we have a fake feature story theme there. Basically, you'd just have to make your story focus on the people who were annoyed or felt uncomfortable because of what IC Everywhere was doing (or might do). I think this was the strongest part of the story. Otherwise, maybe go into detail about exactly what ICE was trying to do, how badly they wanted funny reactions, etc.. also send that rewrite to me and I'll edit it and put it up. Thanks."

I'm officially done with Buzzsaw forever. They clearly have absolutely no idea what makes things funny. I'm not out to say this is the most brilliant thing ever written, but so far people who get it think it's funny. If I said specifically what IC Everywhere was doing in the story, it would undermine what I'm trying to say, which is that all of ICE's ideas are the same, just in different form. If I make up wacky scenarios for the sake of doing it, the piece won't be funny anymore. Although, to be fair, lack of humor and cleverness is what would make it stand out as a Buzzsaw piece, so I can understand why they would ask for that.

I was going to write back saying all of that, but instead I simply wrote "That would entirely defeat the purpose and undermine the message of the piece and remove all the humor from it, so I'll pass."

The piece will remain here in full form.
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This article is about IC Everywhere, a show on Ithaca College Television modeled after Improv Everywhere. Thus far, Ithaca's Buzzsaw Magazine has ignored my requests for them to print this, so I'm posting it here.



IC Everywhere Does Something in Public that Most People Wouldn’t Normally Do in Public

By Joe Messina

What would you do if you saw a bunch of people, one or two of whom you may recognize from that one sociology class you took for a humanities credit, dressed as clowns, eating bananas, then suddenly stopping everything they’re doing, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DINING HALL??? Would you think it was real wacky? Would you be slightly confused for a minute then leave because you had to get to class?

IC Everywhere is an ICTV show whose cast carries out various pranks - or, “missions,” as they call them, smugly– on the unsuspecting Ithaca College population. I talked to some bystanders after IC Everywhere’s latest mission: doing something weird while wearing something unusual in a place where that doesn’t normally happen.

“I figured they were filming something. I didn’t really think much of it,” said Brian McMaddenstacken, ’12.

“They really got in my face with the camera, and gave me these looks, like they were expecting a reaction. I didn’t really know what to do,” said Kyla Fredoniansbergman, ’13.

“I was confused at first but then it ended and they told us they were IC Everywhere, and I was like ‘oh, alright,’ and I left,” said Rob Dicksobig, ’11.

Clearly, people’s minds have been blown left and right by this boundary-pushing show. “It really makes people think, you know?” said Greg Gregson, ’11, a producer on the show. “Because, like, all day everyone’s like, going about their routines, you know, and they never think that something could be like, ‘whoa,’ you know what I mean? It’s like a psychology thing.”

The show’s overwhelming popularity is due to their ability to make people think. Sure, everyone thinks they know how to act when a thing happens in a place, but when the time actually comes, they freeze up.

IC Everywhere was influenced by the group known as Improv Everywhere, which does pretty much exactly the same thing. They recently released Smugfest 2010, an annual tradition in which they do something wacky and people think it’s weird.

We can only expect more irreverence and fearless, groundbreaking television from IC Everywhere in the future. Watch out, you could be at their next event and be left thinking “Hm, that’s not really a regular thing.”