Picking the Brain of Tucker Max

http://www.tuckermax.com/
The link above takes you to the blog / website / think tank that is Tucker Max.  


"I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead." -Tucker Max


This is the kind of stuff you raise kids on.  Truthfully what he is saying is be yourself.  Now of course one needs to sift through the drunken stories and the vast ego projected onto the webpage, but through all that you can actually grab some excellent life lessons.  Example: When you are on the verge of getting black out wasted always try to remember where a public rest room is.  This is vital to night life success as while public urination is classic, it can also be dangerous.  One minute you're peeing, the next you've lost your pants, you're caught in a sticker bush, and then you start puking.  The lesson: use the public restroom... also probably don't get involved in a contest to see who can blow the highest BAC with a bunch of random people at a random sushi bar.


Tucker's avatar is a statement of not only individuality, but also of the growing digital media desensitization.  It's wholly Tucker and his ego in the image even though there are two people in the picture.  Furthermore the image also allows anyone to project themselves into the picture and become part of Tuckers life.  I feel this is a central idea to not only blogging but what much of the general digital forums try and provide, an anonymous place of acceptance, creation, and community.


Personally I feel my own avatar relates to this.  The avatar is modeled after my real self, however because of it's home on the web, it becomes a little "jazzed up" if you will.  The face paint, the tinted sunglasses, and the loud clothing is really just my ego being projected.  Much how Tucker's avatar works, instead of face paint, sunglasses, and crazy clothing he uses a mirror to allow his readers to project themselves, while still allowing his ego to dominate the picture.


On the web there is truly complete anonymity unless one chooses to be acknowledged as being a member of the real world.  With this in mind, it allows people to either be themselves or be something completely different, or perhaps a mix of one's self and something they are not.  I feel my avatar represents this and possibly more.  Perhaps I will follow in the same fashion as Tucker Max.  You know, do it for the kids.