Nihilistic Words of Wisdom, Courtesy of Daria Morgendorffer

Daria, the wonderfully witty and cynical animated TV show of the late 90s and early 2000s, remains relevant no matter the era. There will always be idiotic-but-well-intending peers to deal with, condescending adults who drive you up the wall, and a pile of pizza waiting for you to drown out the world with. What’s more, Daria totally gets us; from her wildly advanced brains to her wicked sarcasm, she knows what’s up and isn’t afraid to tell it how it is… no matter how nihilistic it may be.

Why waste time trying to succeed at things you don’t care about just because it’s the “right” or “safe” thing to do? Life sucks and then you die, so take a risk! Be who you want to be, not who you think you’re meant to be, because why not be a little less miserable than everyone else?

While Daria isn’t one to smile much, that doesn’t mean she is unhappy. Rather, she is smart enough to be realistic and to be herself. Instead of succumbing to the pressure to conform, she is unapologetically herself and couldn’t care less that she is an outcast. I mean, why would she want to fit in at Lawndale? It’s sort of a mess…

While it seems that Daria is just talking about the triviality of high school and the way the popular kids are oblivious to the unpopular, this extends into the “real world.” Privileged members of society often overlook those who do not hold the same status, and this means a lot of groups are undervalued—just like Daria. Sometime we just need to open our eyes and value people for who they are, rather than our preconceived notions of them; Daria helps out the popular kids constantly and rarely gets adequate credit for it, yet there is a reason why the show is about Daria (and not about Brittany and Kevin’s struggles as an airhead cheerleader/jock couple).

Being sane—or being “just like everyone else”—really isn’t that interesting. For intellectuals and creatives like Daria and Jane, the idea of thinking inside the box is too painful to bear. Rather, madness drives their lives and this is what makes life interesting for them (and for whoever is watching the show!)

Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter who you are inside when people are making snap judgements; how you look will determine how people categorize you and whether or not they talk to you. Daria famously doesn’t care about her appearance—most of the time, at least—but is rather focused on who she is internally. While this may limit her socially, she isn’t about to give up her morals or clothes that make her comfortable just because other people want her to. However, this doesn’t mean she wishes the world were different and placed value on more important things than how you look like, you know, who you are.

When it all comes down to it, pizza improves everything. Whether it is a fight with a friend, parents who bribe you left and right, or just the horrors of living in the world we too, pizza will always be there waiting to make it all a bit better. Bonus points if you order from Pizza King!

• 90s
• advice
• daria
• funny
• life
• teenagers