Duh, Bor-ing

           Joseph Epstein is an essayist and short story writer. Epstein, who is currently a contributing editor at The Weekly Standard, has also been an editor of The American Scholar Magazine and a lecturer at Northwestern University.  In “Duh, Bor-ing”, Epstein attempts to explore and analyze the phenomenon of boredom. Written for the layperson, “Duh, Bor-ing” explains the differences between situational boredom and existential boredom. Situational boredom arises from tedious every day events, while existential boredom is caused by existence itself, and can \equated with depression (102-3). Epstein argues that boredom is at times inescapable, and that everyone suffers from it (102).

            Since everyone suffers from boredom, Epstein is able to use the rhetorical device of pathos, or connecting emotionally with the reader, in order to prove his point. Everyone can relate to being bored, as Epstein demonstrates by opening his essay writing, “Unrequited love, as Lorenz Hart instructed us, is a bore, but then so are a great many other things: old friends gone somewhat dotty from whom it is too late to disengage, the important social-science-based book of the month…” and goes on to list several boring items including “lengthy lists (like this one)”. Epstein is able to use humor, as well as countless examples to relate to the reader. Undoubtedly the reader has experienced at least one of the events or items on Epstein’s lengthy list, and can recall the feeling of boredom, which Epstein argues is a secondary emotion.  By having the reader recall the emotion, they are better able to understand it and its different forms (situational v. existential).

            Because of this emotional connection, the reader is left with a better understanding of boredom. Not only did he cite other scholarly articles on the subject, debating different points of view, he intertwined anecdotes from his own experiences with boredom, making the piece relatable.  The reader is left with an understanding of what causes boredom, and the interesting perspective that boredom could in fact be good for us. As Epstein explains, boredom “intensifies self-perception” (108), we need it to have a better understanding of who we are. We can never escape boredom, but as Epstein dramatically closes his essay: we need to “Live with it” (110).

Only boring people.... quote by Ruth Burke