Justin Halpern “Shit my Dad says”

April 27, 2024 630 Views

In the early 2010s, the phrase “asshole but cool” was all the rage. It’s a phrase that’s now a dying breed, but at the time it was sensationally popular. It’s a phrase that was used appropriately when you’re good at something that’s definitely out of the ordinary, but it’s also a dumb thing to do.

The title of the book, translated as “Dumb but Cool,” reflects this zeitgeist and is a translation. It’s a title that makes the most sense, and interestingly, it was translated by “Horan,” a former Clazziquai vocalist.

“Shit my Dad Says” (Shit my Dad Says)

The original title, “Shit my Dad Says”, can be translated as “that shit my dad spits”. The book actually started with a tweet from the author’s father, “Justin Halpern,” who tweeted the words verbatim.

Justin Halpern, who has a cussing, grandfatherly father, rose to stardom when he tweeted his father’s offensive remarks, which included his own philosophy. Someone once described his father as “a sage like Socrates,” and his father’s harsh words contain his philosophy on life and love for his family. This is a character who speaks harshly but is warm at heart.

His father’s quotes were so well-received on Twitter that the author gained over a million followers within four months. By the time the book was published, he had 2.4 million Twitter followers and was ranked among the top 100 most influential tweeters in the world.

“Translation by Horan, guest vocalist for Clasicquai”

This book was translated by Mr. Horan, a former vocalist of Clashquoi. For the record, Mr. Horan is a graduate of Yonsei University.

“A father like a sweary Socratic sage”

The book was translated and published in 2011. As a result, it has been around for more than 10 years now. Therefore, the social atmosphere felt in the book may be different from the current social atmosphere.

His father, who is the main character in the book, is a so-called “sangnamja” character. I guess you could call me a “tough guy” in the old-fashioned sense of the word.

This is a character who is passionate about what she does and has a strong point of view. He is a character who lives a life full of confidence even though he has never lived a single day in his life.

While reading the book, I was fascinated by his hilarious character, and one of the most memorable quotes that stuck with me was the following.

As a coach of a youth baseball team, he makes it a point to give equal opportunities to all of his players… “Chance? That’s where the skill is anyway.”
“No woman wants to sleep with a man who doesn’t know how to love her,” he tells his son, who acts stiff in front of women.
When his son comes back from a blind date with a woman he was introduced to by his father, who has a much better job and wealth than he does, he says, “It’s a different world, what the fuck are you talking about?”

In the end, I thought that if you only live once, if you only live once, even if you don’t have much, it’s okay to live confidently and actively express the joys and sorrows of life. I wonder if this is why so many people are fascinated by his character in the book.

“Asshole, but cool (Shit my Dad Says)”