The student newspaper of, by, and for Ames High School.

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The student newspaper of, by, and for Ames High School.

The WEB

The student newspaper of, by, and for Ames High School.

The WEB

Epic Fails FTW

Tripping up the stairs. Forgetting about that one quiz in Physics that happens to be next period. Spilling that scalding cup of coffee right into someone else’s lap. Throughout our lives, we experience moments that only amplify our own shortcomings and reinforce one solid fact: life really blows sometimes. Feeling like a failure is nothing new; however, the growing popularity of a website called Fmylife (fmylife.com) has given people a new perspective on life’s little grievances. "T oday, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her "Edward". I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy of her "Twilight" book. She was talking about a fictional vampire." A situation such as this one would be worthy of the phrase "FML" which has now entered the mainstream, thanks to fmylife.com. By presenting a constant stream of everyday misfortunes, the popularity of Fmylife has skyrocketed since its beginning in October 2008. Some of the tales are hilarious enough to induce tears of laughter; others induce nothing but sympathy. Visitors of the site can confirm whether or not someone’s life is truly "F’d" by clicking a button that agrees. For those feeling not nearly as sympathetic, the "you deserved that one" button is also available. Much of fmylife’s popularity stems from the ridiculousness of some of the stories on the website (" today, I kneeled down to tie my shoe and sneeze d, nailing my face off of my knee and breaking my nose ") and people’s tendency to share such stories with each other, leading to greater awareness of fmylife.com. "People say to each other, ‘This is so funny; you should read it.’" freshman Renee Chang said. But a major part of fmylife’s success comes from its ability to make people feel better about their own lives. "It’s hilarious because people’s lives suck and I find that hilarious. It makes me feel wonderful about myself." freshman Katie Scott said. As people read others’ unfortunate tales, it is a helpful reminder that they are not alone in experiencing daily woes. Although everybody seems to have those sort of experiences from time to time, most students seemed to agree that their lives are not nearly as unfortunate as those who share their stories on fmylife.com. However, some students did admit that they had their own "FML" moments in life. "I’m in Mr. Lazere’s AP Physics class. FML." sophomore Chris Hinojo said. Though fmylife.com provides a new medium for sharing stories of downfall, it manages to garner the same responses from people as stories of failures have since the beginning of time. At times, the FML stories cause some to feel sympathetic, but the sympathy is quickly overtaken by a feeling of reassurance, and maybe even satisfaction with their own life. But more often, the stories simply entertain people. Though it may seem odd to take pleasure in others’ pain, junior Max Peterson explained it simply. "People like watching other people fail. It’s funny."

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