In Defense of Raygun’s Delusional Self-Confidence
The Australian breakdancer’s olympic performance is a bold reminder that only losers listen to their inner critic.
We’ve all known remarkably untalented people who have become successful because they simply had the confidence to go for it. Conversely, we all know people who are talented and driven but whose self-doubt or perfectionism stops them from putting themselves out there. As an actor and musician, I’ve seen this dynamic play out countless times. Of course, the arts are subjective and there’s no accounting for taste, but sometimes somebody like the Australian breaker Raygun comes along and proves that someone who is objectively bad can make it all the way to the top armed with nothing more than a pair of track pants hiked up to their ribs and a delusional faith that they’re talented despite ample evidence to the contrary.
The Olympics added breaking this year (apparently we can’t call it “breakdancing” anymore) which has been retro since I was a child, in order to appeal to “younger fans.”
In case you missed Raygun’s performance here are some highlights:
You don’t really need to see how athletic the other breakers were to get the point, but here’s a clip of Shogekix who narrowly missed a bronze medal:
Raygun’s real name is Rachael Gunn. She has a PhD in Cultural Studies and is a professor at Macquarie University in Sydney where she focuses on “dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies,” whatever that means. Her doctoral thesis was entitled “Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene: a B-girl’s Experience of B-boying.”
I’m still not entirely convinced that she isn’t a Chris Lilley character:
Now, you could choose to see this as a story about the academic world and its astonishing detachment from the real world. You could point to it as an example of what can go wrong when an American cultural phenomenon is ultra-processed and reflected back through the lens of a 36-year old white lady from Australia who’s spent too much time thinking about it. But I’m choosing to see it differently— Raechel Gunn just became my patron saint of Not Giving a Fuck.
Raygun’s commitment to the bit is inspiring. To have spent as much time not only competing in but thinking about, writing about, and lecturing about breakdancing as Raygun has means one of two things: a) that she knows she’s not good and nevertheless chooses to forge ahead, or b) that she’s come this far and still has no idea that she’s bad. I’m not sure which would be more impressive. Either way, Raygun decided that she wanted to do this thing professionally and she made it all the way to the Olympics representing one of the best sporting nations on earth.
Perhaps predictably for a professor of cultural studies, Raygun even had the gall to blame the internet’s critiques of her moves on sexism. The double-down is an essential part of what she has to teach us. If we didn’t learn it from Trump— another deny and attack figure who has made it to heights he had no business reaching largely thanks to ego— let’s learn it from Rachael. When you suffer a setback or become self-critical, dismiss the haters— including yourself— and keep going.
I’m starting to think this might be the key to Australia’s disproportionate success on the world stage, especially in the arts. They’re hugely over-represented in Hollywood, in music, and seemingly in anything that a lot of people dream about doing. I’ve never been to Australia but I’ve known a lot of Australians— I am therefore qualified to generalize about the entire country— and if there’s a common cultural characteristic it’s unflappability. They’re un-phased, they’re having heaps of fun, they don’t care if they’re the best, they don’t care if it’s dangerous, they want to do what they want to do, and it’s never really occurred to them that they shouldn’t. So whatever it is you’ve got your eye on in life, stop being such a fuckwit ya cunt and give it a burl.
Will you make a fool of yourself? Possibly! But you might encounter a dangerous animal and die tomorrow so who really gives a shit!
And before you accuse Raygun of stealing a spot in the Olympics from a more serious competitor, allow me to point out that her performance had real value in that it showed how good the other competitors actually were. There should absolutely be one “Average Joe” competing in every Olympic event alongside the Olympians so that viewers at home can understand how truly impressive these athletes are. It was cool to watch Phil Wizard, from my hometown of Vancouver, take the Gold, and I’m not sure I’d have been as stoked had I not seen Raygun flopping around in a Subway uniform.
So thank you, Raygun, for showing us the way. I’ll be taking my inner critic out back for euthanasia. They can call us delusional, but they can never call us cowards. Drop the beat, yo.
