Larry David, the creator of celebrated 20th-century sitcoms ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, often uses his shows as platforms to express his minor annoyances. An example that stands out was featured in both sitcoms, making it apparent that David despises the act of “raw dogging”.
A notable instance occurred in the first episode of Seinfeld’s ninth season. Elaine is returning from a trying holiday with her blank-witted boyfriend Puddy. Just after they’ve reconciled, deep into her book, she realises Puddy is motionless and fixated straight ahead. She offers him a book, he declines. Asks him if he’s about to sleep, he negates. Enraged, she reproached him for merely staring at the seat’s back.
This incident was from 1997. Fast forward seven years to ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, where David, now the lead character, is seemingly still bothered by this issue. His companion Jeff, while travelling to New York, is indifferent about entertainment like reading or watching a movie. Unable to grasp the idea, Larry exclaims in frustration, “It’s crazy to sit on a flight for five hours without doing anything!”
So, it appears David has been irked for over five years at people who manage to entertain themselves by merely observing the upright tray table during long cross-country flights. It’s a phenomenon I understand, having once witnessed one of Ireland’s most prominent figures doing the same on a flight from London to Dublin. Albeit, that was for just an hour, but it’s noteworthy nonetheless.
In a strange turn of events, it seems that forgoing in-flight entertainment on long journeys is transforming from a mere inconvenience to something of a recreational activity or even a sporting competition – if the latest buzz is anything to go by. Over recent weeks, several articles have uncovered the trending fad known as ‘raw dogging’, which the name aside implies something more unfavourable than it is.
The BBC mentions the feat of Damion Bailey who completed a staggering 13½-hour journey from Shanghai to Dallas without any sort of distraction – be it books, films or music. Further examples include Australian music producer, Torren Foot, who managed an impressive 15-hour flight to Melbourne purely following the flight map, no music or movies involved. Some reports even hint at an amplified version of this trend, coined ‘extreme raw dogging’, which extends to avoiding food, exercise or even restroom breaks. But these extreme practices aren’t without their perils, especially the imminent risk of deep-vein thrombosis due to lack of movement.
Interestingly, this bizarre trend somehow gives an impression of toughness without any actual physical altercation. The term ‘raw dogging’ does suggest something robust and outdoor-rooted, not merely passing up snacks or not engaging in light reading through the in-flight magazine. Comparing it to relishing unbearably spicy food can be a fitting analogy. The persona can take on a daring demeanor without having to scale treacherous heights or tackle a ferocious animal, merely by consuming the supposedly fiery lamb phaal at Bombay Palace with a composed face. This phenomenon could be referred as ‘curry knifing’ or ‘spice fu’.
What’s even more surprising is the entry of genuinely tough individuals into the realm of ‘raw dogging’. Noted Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, joined the crew by enduring a seven-hour flight without access to phone, sleep, water or food, announcing it as ‘#easy’. Turns a competition is bound to attract the likes of Haaland, given his competitive nature. It’s not easy being at the top without an instinct to tackle challenges, no matter how peculiar they may be.
I’m not in a position to speak on behalf of Larry David, however, my irritation towards conventional, non-competitive ‘raw dogging’ is rooted in the assumption that those involved lack intellectual stimulation. An individual with wit and spice requires diversions to nourish their active brain cells. Surely, proponents will argue that numerous societies are founded on the silent contemplation art, and they won’t be wrong. Perhaps it’s high time I silenced my prejudiced point of views.
The ethos of ‘raw dogging’, from my understanding, differs significantly from Zen. This philosophy, as explained in ‘Zen for Beginners’, does not embrace intense sport-like meditation. There’s no prompting for its practitioners to exclaim ‘Take that, loser!’ following meditating longer than their peers. ‘Raw dogging’, instead, elevates the act of accomplishing very little to the level of non-bruising cage combats.
Or perhaps it doesn’t. The New York Post cautions against the potential perils of practicing ‘Raw dogging’ on an airplane. Fortune divulges that ‘Generation Z’ is actively engaging in ‘Raw dogging’ flights for the sake of TikTok. This clear-cut reference to ‘Generation Z’ – an ongoing cause of media distress – triggers suspicion. We’re in the peak of August, the silliest of seasons. Is this genuinely a concern? We’ll have to wait and determine whether it supersedes breaking at the 2028 Olympics.