In today’s world, “mud in the eye” has already lost its meaning as a toast alone. It has become an emblem of the era—an understatement directed at the hasty judges and critics. Never really overshadowed by the deluge of opinions, the rare success from among the and already dismissed is indeed a muddy hand full thrown right into the faces of the critics.
The internet is a battlefield of silence masking confidence where illusion is the king. Fast as a polemic, but at the same time in the very way of social networks, people measure their wins and losses by the number of likes and retweets. The only thing that time has no doubt about is that a good mockery sometimes has the power to make the culprit endure while the noiseless ones become part of the forgotten obscurity of feeds. That’s the real “mud in the eye” moment—it is hurtful, but at the same time, it brings about a revelation.
A company that once was the butt of all jokes turns into a giant; an underground musician gets the title of “strange” and finally gets a spot in the charts; a crypto club that was mocked as a bubble gradually gains influence in finance. All these narratives are nothing but mediations of “mud in the eye”—a mix of karma, irony, and viral sharing.
But the expression also gives a warning: do not be the one to throw the first handful. In the market of opinions, everyone’s hands are dirty. Every insult has a way of coming back, and every eye that is shut to the truth is in danger of being opened by something unpleasant.
“Mud in the eye” does not mean to degrade others—it is just that the strange way the truth comes from what we thought was dirt. And, perhaps, in a society that loves to ridicule, it is the dirt that, ultimately, clears our vision.
