Tom Usher, a freelance writer, reflects on the end of the Jackass franchise with the release of 'Jackass: Best and Last', calling it the finest document of idiocy and the Freudian death drive in modern culture. Usher, who has been an 'idiot' since childhood, traces his connection to the show from his youth to adulthood.
The Origins of a Cultural Phenomenon
Jackass debuted in 2000, when Usher was 12 years old. Already obsessed with professional wrestling, he watched Mick Foley matches in awe, seeing him jump headfirst into barbed wire and get thrown off steel cages. Jackass provided a more relatable set of heroes: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and Bam Margera, who seemed like normal dudes from a skate park. Usher and his friends ignored the show's warnings and began recording their own stunts, leading to injuries like a friend cutting his head open and Usher jumping out of a tree into a bog, ripping the skin off his arm.
Monetizing Idiocy and the Male Idiot Theory
As an adult, Usher found ways to monetize his idiocy through Vice, where he performed stunts like eating a large fry-up until vomiting and getting beaten by a shin-kicking champion. He references Philippa Snow's book 'Which as You Know Means Violence', which notes that Jackass resembles a post-9/11 show with giddy violence mirroring trauma. The male idiot theory, from a British Medical Journal paper, shows that 88.7% of Darwin Award winners are men, suggesting idiotic behaviour may confer a selective advantage.
Contrast with Modern Perfectionism
The cast's self-degradation contrasts with today's filtered, perfection-seeking world. Usher notes that no influencer would allow themselves to be anally probed by a robot claw like Steve-O does in 'Best and Last'. He relates to Jackass because he has always been open about his flaws and laughed at them, finding camaraderie in activities like combat sports.
The Unsustainable Nature of Idiocy
Usher acknowledges that being an idiot is not sustainable. A post-credits scene shows Knoxville and director Jeff Tremaine discussing a near-death experience, with Knoxville saying, 'I want it to be dangerous.' Usher quotes Hunter S. Thompson: 'Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely... but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke.' This, he says, sums up the essence of being an idiot.
