By David Forde
Popular TikTok personality Joshua Block, a.k.a. WorldOfTshirts, hit the streets of Dublin in early January. A character well-known to many TikTok users, who often documents his alcoholic endeavours usually in New York City. The so-called ‘Captain of New York’ has amassed 3.7 million followers on TikTok and spent 4 days in Ireland. He gained popularity on the platform due to his incessant binge drinking and posting himself drinking himself sick, partnered with eccentric and sometimes outright unacceptable behaviour in public.
His initial arrival sparked interest from young fans and fellow TikTok stars from Ireland such as Jim Flano and Hector Lopez who flocked to welcome The Captain to Dublin. Many searched through the streets of Dublin and waited outside pubs he was rumoured to have been in, hoping to meet him. Not all had good intentions. Block has gained particular notoriety online for his so-called ‘crashouts’, during which an antagoniser would tell him to “put the fries in the bag”, a phrase that would send him into a rage.
This is a trend that has emerged online of users ridiculing neurodivergent and mentally unwell creators for views and popularity. Josh’s behaviour and alcoholism have concerned many viewers of his content online, with discourse about some of the people who surround him arguing that they are using him and his issues for content. Many other TikTok users have posted in support of Josh and scolded others for their treatment of him. He was often followed throughout Dublin by a pack of teenagers eager to get his attention.
Josh posted himself drinking, sightseeing, or even eating a spicebag in many Dublin landmarks, such as Temple Bar, George’s Arcade, The George, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, and the Guinness Storehouse. The TikToks he posted while in Ireland were often accompanied by songs such as ‘Tell Me Ma’, ‘Scotland the Brave’, ‘Drunken Sailor’, and ‘The Rocky Road to Dublin’. TikTok users reacted to his posts with comments such as:
“Joshua Block having a spicebag before GTA 6”
“Put the spice in the bag 🔥”
“Come to Darndale”
“captain has discovered the arcade”
“Concerning as always, captain!”
Block also visited Belfast and the Titanic Museum before returning home to the States. While his visit did whip up young fans into a frenzy to find and harass him, some other fans came together to act as both bodyguards and guides for The Captain during his travels.
