The Philosophy of the Turd Sandwich

Great Opinions by Chris Bunton

The philosophy of the turd sandwich is basically where you or someone else tries to convince a person, that the turd sandwich they are eating is actually a roast beef sandwich.

To say it differently, you or someone else is having trouble in life. So, you come up with or deliver some philosophy to someone else; which basically does nothing but make them comfortable, or forget or justify what is happening to them.

I know that is not very clear, so let me give you an example. Let’s say Joe has a job he hates, and a boss who is a jerk. So, he complains to his best friend and his best friend says “Well, at least you still have a job.” That is a turd sandwich. It does nothing to solve the problem, and it only silences or soothes the person who is suffering.

Here’s another one. Sally has a bad relationship, and a life that is unfulfilling for her. While surfing through Facebook, she sees a meme that talks about how a person in Haiti lives in a dirt floor hut, and drinks dirty water. He has a club foot and an infected tooth. Then, the meme says, “Your problems are not that bad.” That is a turd sandwich. It tries to make you feel better by showing that things could be worse. It seeks to guilt you into silence or acceptance of things that should be better or changed. We know things are…