The Rise (and Demise?) of Egg Boy Words and Art by LUKE BARBER
Nearly two and a half years ago, a young, name/less boy cracked his way into the hearts and minds of Australians when he threw an egg against the back of the skull of a particularly abhorrent Australian Senator who was saying some particularly abhorrent things in the wake of the Christchurch shootings. The moment was captured on film and quickly went viral – and Egg Boy became a media sensation. While seventeen at the time, Egg Boy is now a nineteen-year-old Egg Man, and, though most of us have likely fried the whole incident out of our memory, he still maintains a sizeable social media presence, with 321,000 followers on Instagram alone. In the excitement of the viral spread of the clip, thousands of Australians, including me, rushed to follow him across social media platforms. It’s not hard to understand why Egg Boy 30
(whose name is actually William Connolly, but who I will continue to call Egg Boy) became an overnight sensation. The tragedy of the Christchurch shootings caused a moment of reckoning for Australia, and the symbolism of a member of the public taking such a memorable stand against racist speech resonated for many. The amusement of watching an egg being splattered against a grown man’s head (and said man getting very angry in response) provided some light in the context of this tragedy. Further, I think young Australians were excited to see someone so young finally cut through the media’s coverage of Australian politics. But also, lest we forget that everybody had an opinion on Egg Boy, and there is nothing quite like divided public opinion to hard-boil someone’s status as a minor celebrity. There were the pro-Egg Boy groups, those who thought he should be praised and rewarded for standing against racism at a time when
People go on about skipping leg day. Seems like y’all keep skipping brain day...
