I'm The Boy Who Lived Not Died @allquietonset - Tumblr Blog

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dear-julien

Don’t you just hate it when that happens

pinene

Yeah like your portal doesn’t need to be taking up 3 fucking spaces. Americans are so entitled

lilapetrichorwinteryrogue

why would you do this to me

rionsanura

don't worry, they do this to him also

fencehopping

The James Webb Space Telescope spotted a chain of 20 galaxies, dubbed the Cosmic Vine, which stretches 13 million light-years across and dates back to just 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

aurevoir-mes-amis-deactivated20

petition to rename the usa ‘south canada’

mellowminty

what about alaska

are we then normal canada

saahs

canada a bit to the left

officialvatican

conflagreat

What about South America? Is that just America? Or South South Canada?

starshipenterprisee-blog

danyinfj

te-odora

i cried my ass of laughing

plonts

prinxessleia-deactivated2016032

WARM CANADA

i caN’T BREATHE OH MY GOD

hypnomega

I’m not even from Canada but I approve this change of names

pebbles5ever

worldheritagepostorganization

World Heritage Post

justasadbottle

@hellsite-hall-of-fame

whitepeopletwitter

twofacedbitchesneverlie

pinniposting

bah

via

slushyseals

Sound on! They are a Bah! button

theblackparadeisdead

Why are my friends like this

daikon1

Sk8er Boi takes an existentialist stance, counter to utilitarianism. The song is critiquing Pretty Face’s friends as shallow, horrible people who do take a utilitarian view to human value - which is not something fans of the song should seek to emulate. Instead, Sk8er Boi advocates for authenticity to the self.

While Pretty Face’s friends saw no value in the young Skater Boy, and only showed interest when he had grown up and gained the trappings of what they considered success, Pretty Face always liked Skater Boy. However, rather than be true to herself and pursue what she genuinely wanted, Pretty Face caved to peer pressure and accepted a more ‘traditional’ approach to life, choosing to chase the conventional success her friends coveted. She is rewarded with what is characterized as an unfulfilling life and self-involved friends who can’t even be bothered to let her know that her old crush is now famous, instead buying tickets to his show for themselves and only sharing this information with Pretty Face when she reaches out to them directly. The last we see of her, Pretty Face is lonely and mired with regret.

Meanwhile, we can presume that Skater Boy, even if he had never become famous, would still have had a more fulfilling life than the one Pretty Face accepted, as we see that he chose to pursue things that genuinely interest him (i.e., music). He also appears to have found a devoted girlfriend who shows up for him, shares his values, and “rock[s his] world” in Avril Lavigne. In contrast, Pretty Face is “all alone” and her enduring group of friends are (at best) wholly ignorant (and more likely blatantly inconsiderate) of her interests and feelings. Regardless of the world’s judgment of where they ended up professionally, Skater Boy is supported, happy, and self-actualized, and Pretty Face is not.

Sk8er Boi is a lesson about self-determination - choosing your own life path regardless of how others feel about it and seeing the value that comes with being the arbiter of your own destiny - rather than a tale that endorses the idea that one’s ultimate worth is determined by their eventual career success. Its message is that authentic pursuit of your own fulfillment without regard to other people’s judgments is what creates a rewarding life, regardless of the material outcomes. Ultimately, the question Sk8er Boi leaves us with is not ‘if she’d made a different choice, could Pretty Face have ended up with a famous guy?’ - it’s ‘if she’d made a different choice, could she have been happy?’