The Problem With the McElroy Brothers... The socially anxious leading the socially anxious

If you are unfamiliar with the McElroy brothers, they are three men, Justin, Travis and Griffon, from Huntington, WV who make podcasts. Lots of them. Their two most well-known are The Adventure Zone, which is DnD based, and My Brother, My Brother and Me, which is "an advice show for the modern era."

Now, I am a nerd, don't get it twisted, but I am not a DnD nerd, so I cannot really comment on TAZ podcast. I have, however, heard a fair few MBMBAMs, usually on long road trips with my husband. I'll admit, I find the show funny at times. I occasionally even get a good, hard laugh from it. But there has been a problem with the show that has been bothering me increasingly as I have listened to more episodes. No, it's not the vulgarity or the sometimes political lean the show has. It's the advice itself.

Recently, the middlest brother, Travis McElroy, has found himself in a little bit of internet controversy. Nothing hugely scandalous, but he did act really cringey on an Among Us stream with other well-known streamers. Basically, Travis went on a bit of an emotional tirade, accusing others of not playing the game correctly, complaining that they were ignoring him and playing the game in a way that is purposefully frustrating. The issue is that the other streamers play together much more often and are clearly comfortable with that play style and with the banter and teasing that goes along with it. Travis, as the outsider, was asking them to accommodate him and his play style. It was really uncomfortable to listen to, especially since at one point, Travis essentially accused the others of being "bad people." Seriously. I have come to understand that he did apologize to them at the end of the stream(?) but the damage was already done. This occasion with the Among Us stream is indicative of the McElroy problem on the whole.

I could go for the low-hanging fruit of calling them "snowflake liberals" or something like that, but I don't really want to associate myself with the kind of people who make those accusations. No, the problem is something else. It's the social anxiety and awkwardness. And it seeps into everything they do, especially the advice that they give on their show.

The intro to the MBMBAM podcast clearly states that they are not experts and that their advice should never be taken, so you could say that my whole gripe is moot. They know that their advice is bad. But they do kind of send their audience mixed-signals. They tell them to disregard their advice, and yet at the same time use the podcast to discuss serious issues like U.S. elections and social justice campaigns. So they want you to trust them and look to them for guidance on societal, cultural issues, but not for everyday problems? It's a little bit confusing.

Now, this problem doesn't crop up every episode. Usually the questions they get are absolutely ridiculous and the average person will never find themselves in those situations. For example, one advice seeker worked in a ravioli factory and confessed that they find themselves tempted to eat the raw ravioli straight off the production line. They asked for advice in that situation. The question itself was funny, disregarding anything the brothers then said afterward. And in that instance, the advice didn't matter. I would say most questions they get are like that, especially the ones they answer off of Yahoo Answers, which comprise about half of the show.

However, sometimes question askers seek more mundane, everyday advice for circumstances they have found themselves in. For example, one such person detailed how they had recently gone through a break-up and their ex still had their power drill at their house. The ex made it clear they wanted nothing to do with the question asker anymore, so they weren't sure how to proceed with getting their drill back. The brothers advised them just to give up on the drill and buy a new one, as trying to attempt conversation would be too awkward otherwise. This advice is terrible. In that situation, be a grown up and talk to the ex. Get your power drill back! At least try! And a lot of their advice is like this. Telling their listeners to never have difficult conversations and to never assert themselves to get something they want. To continue in their social anxiety without ever trying to break out.

At the end of the day MBMBAM is a comedy podcast and shouldn't be taken so seriously, but it's still something that bothers me. The consistent message that you should be ashamed of wanting things and asking for them. That you should make yourself small. That you should never rock the boat, even in situations that aren't that serious. (Like purchasing food from a food truck outside a business that you don't work at. If you want a taco, but a taco. It ain't that deep).

Anyway, I hope the McElroy brothers can confront some of their socially awkward tendencies and learn to have normal conversations. I hope they can confront somewhat awkward social situations and learn that it's really not as embarrassing as they may think. And ultimately, being a little embarrassed isn't the end of the world.