Guerilla Hype

Great shirt!

Many, many, many moons ago, in an altered universe, a friend found herself under attack by negative ions. She was neither scared nor in grave danger, but wanted to move through the situation. Studying organic chemistry at the time, she was well acquainted with the balance of electrons, and recruited me to clear the air, so to speak. 

This was accomplished simply by her pointing out the offending negativity for me to neutralize with my special tool: a legal pad with a giant + sign drawn on in marker. We successfully banished all of the negativity around her with a little bit of positivity. 

This is not a perfect metaphor. Firstly because one of us might have been on psychedelics. Secondly because there is a growing body of scientific evidence that a higher density of negative ions might have a positive impact on humans. My friend wasn’t meditating in the woo woo-sphere, as much as she was seeing actual negative symbols flying in the air around her. 

As an art major, I’d never been a victim of bombardment by chemical symbols. I do, however, live in a world with a lot of negative shit flying around. One way I’ve found to balance things out a bit is by literally screaming positivity into the ether. 

I call it Guerilla Hyping, a game of lift. It’s the act of throwing a compliment out to someone, presumably a stranger, as both of you go about your day walking down the street or in the produce aisle at Kroger. There is no break in stride, just a mutual acknowledgement of greatness, and we carry on. 

Hyping on the fly: somebody gives a little love. Somebody gets a little. The world has a bit more joy and we all go forward with a smile in our hearts. 

There are two exceptions to the accept-and-move-on agreement. 

I’m an accessories gal, so I’m likely to notice your earrings or necklace. Shoes aren’t out of the question, either. My most common compliment is “I love your dress.” If the wearer of said dress puts her hands in pockets and either pulls pockets out or waves them around, while saying “Thanks, it has pockets,” the game is won.

We do not play the game to win. We play the game to see. We play the game to see beauty. We play the game to see people. We play the game to connect. We play the game because it’s fun. The game never ends.

The second exception is when a modifier is added by the recipient. For example, you say to me “I love your jacket,” and I say “Thanks, I embroidered it;” or I say to you “Wow, great shoes,” and you tell me what an amazing deal or sale price you snagged it for, that you thrifted it, or it was your grandmother’s. 

Note to people who think this is us denigrating the object and thus the compliment by advertising the low cost. Oh hell no. This is a point of pride, as in, all this fabulousness for only $4.50 (which is also a little brag, like “I got mad thrift skills.”)

Guerilla Hype is kind of like treating this wild world like a women’s bathroom at a bar, noticing other girls’ efforts and hyping each other up. You don’t need to be tipsy on vodka cranberry to partake, you just have to notice your fellow humans and appreciate them.

Handsome husband and I saw two women super-fancied up for a formal night out coming towards us on a stroll around town the other night. As we passed I shouted “You look awesome!” A few steps later Hubby offered “I’m glad you said that, because it would hit totally different coming from me.”

He’s right. 

Men cannot compliment random women, because men have been far too creepy for far too long. 

As an observation completely lacking any scientific rigor, but a lifetime of consideration, men rarely—if ever—compliment other men, especially if they don’t know them. Because: toxic masculinity. 

People-watching on a busy evening, we discussed a male’s options for Guerilla Hype. 

1. Dogs

2. Sports

3. This maybe extends to things with wheels, like cars, bikes, motorcycles, skateboards, etc., but I can’t make a strong enough case for it.

On our daily walks in the park, Hubby regularly says to a human, “Handsome dog!” Because people love their dogs more than themselves or other humans, so this is some serious sunshine. To clarify, he only says this to people with dogs. 

Sports is a weird one. I’m not into sports, but I know people who are. Anytime my dad saw someone wearing any team gear, he’d say “go [team name and mascot.]” When my friend Libby passes someone in Green Bay Packer garb, she cheers, “Go Pack.”

Ok, so this isn’t really a compliment so much as a recognition of belonging to the same tribe. It is, however, a way of complimenting someone’s taste. In the same vein I’d say “Great boots,” a “Go Huskies,” is saying “Great team choice.”

IYKYK

I’m by no means advocating for arranging elegant little compliments and giving them with an unstudied air. This is about sharing and exclaiming with gusto a positive observation, whether you’re impressed with a parallel parking maneuver or a handbag, fly-by-hype.

Another specific point about Guerilla Hype is that it is directed towards people you don’t know. We can have a different conversation about leveling-up your friend complimenting game (hint: be generous and specific).

When you toss out a quick “Holy crap, your hair looks amazing,” you’re also radiating a whole spectrum of positive vibes. There is actual science for this. I recommend reading this article from Psychology Today. So many other articles focus on giving compliments in the workplace as a means to increase motivation and productivity. Fuck that. 

Compliments give a boost not just to the receiver, but the deliverer as well. In fact, we underestimate how good a quick compliment feels to the recipient. It changes the course of someone’s day. Both parties get a hit of dopamine.

Your words are magic. When you  breathe joyful messages into the ether, it’s like you're holding up a metaphorical legal pad with a giant + sign to swat away all of the bullshit, lies, complaints, and whining floating around. You probably didn’t generate that toxic air, but it’s swirling all around us.

So let’s send as much good shit out there as possible. 

Thanks, you’re nice. 

I’m always open to ideas, suggestions, shenanigans, tomfoolery, collaborations, cheese, snacks, and field trips.

You can find my art here and here. I offer custom workshops and design. I am the proud guardian/custodian of a 16 year old cheeseburger named Patty.

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words and images © Rubi McGrory 2021-2025