Filth Media

What is it that is making the human race so fucked up? I mean, I kinda get the impression that a good deal of people that I meet and have met (present company excluded, of course) really enjoy trying to push buttons and piss one another off. In fact, in order to have a healthy social life, it almost seems imperative that you be the sort of person who enjoys paying out, and being payed out in return (and don’t get me wrong, it’s good for a laugh either way – at times) but I can’t help feel that this is a pretty fucked up way for us to interact! I know what yer thinking (or, I think I do) – that it’s all in good fun, and no one gets hurt, and deeply underlying it is really a sense of respect, and it teaches you to laugh at yourself. And those points are really hard to counter, I mean… interacting in this way does well to keep egos in check and stuff.

But, we don’t all think the same, and it kinda seems to me that if you aren’t the sort of person that can flow with that kind of thing quickly, then you’re going to sink in that sort of tide, occasionally at least. It comes down to insecurities, there’s no doubt, and the fact is that there are insecure people everywhere – myself being one of them. If you try and respect people’s insecurities, you end up reminding them of the fact that the insecurities are there, and most people don’t like that. It’s that “nice guys are dull” attitude. If, on the other hand, you help them to ignore their problems, by having a laugh at pointless shit (and reminding them that this isn’t the place to discuss such depressing stuff) it’s great on a social level, but is it (ultimately) going to help anyone? If, like me, you’ve got the sort of deep insecurities that requires something like a shift in global consciousness, then it seems to me like your rooted, and no one is going to help you because they’ve all got their shit to deal with, and no one has been prepared to lend them a hand, so you just end up feeling an outsider most of the time.

Having two sexes doesn’t help the cause much either. I’ve been a Jungian supporter for years, but most people seem to be Freudian in their take on things. Jung felt that there is so much more to human beings and our interactions than just sex. Freud figured our psychology was all based around sex – and so the two stopped being friends after about 20 years (think about it, 20 years is a hell of a long time, big debate that one). The way I see it, the problem with the Freudian take on things is that it’s all about being impressive to the opposite sex – ah, correction – looking impressive to the opposite sex. This is great for the sort of attitude you want to generate in a right-wing capitalist society, i.e. make it easy for yourself to look impressive for that special someone, so long as you’re prepared to sell yourself out. But I still think Jung was right, and as evidence in support of his difference with Freud, I point to the way that right-wing capitalism seems to operate.

People want to impress their partner (or prospective partner). Given that capitalism works on a ‘look after yourself’ attitude, it doesn’t really matter if you want your partner for your own selfish reasons – in fact this is better off in the long term as you’re going to have the kind of insecurities that may well need medical attention down the track (private cover, of course). Advertising plays on this like crazy and tells people that the way to impress their partner is to own widgets, and is supported by sit-coms and soap operas that give people subtle hints as to how they should react in certain situations. In order to purchase said widgets, you have to have money. In order to get money, you have to do something for someone else – generally speaking. Theoretically (I love that word), your boss is well aware of that, and is more than happy to get you to waste your life (and probably a whole heap of resources as well) doing something you otherwise really aren’t interested in doing.

So why does this work? Was Freud right, and it really does all come down to sex? If that’s the case, then it seems to me that we’re pretty much screwed up as a society. But what if (and this is the global consciousness raising stuff that acts like my own personal viagra – which I’m sure ya’ll are happy to know) we take out the insecurities? What if people started to face their problems honestly and openly rather than hiding behind a bit of a jab here and a few laughs there? Would we be prepared to put up with being exploited all in the name of widgets? I somehow doubt it. What would it do for our sexual relations? I would like to think that it would help us all to mature a bit in that regard – and stop us from doing something that seems just a bit false simply so that we can impress others, and we all might have to actually start being a bit more considerate of and compassionate toward those we profess to love in order to get that love in return! At the same time, this should stop us being impressed by simple little traps that may not necessarily lead to a happy hereafter, as we would surely become less in need of instant gratification to ease the wounds that our insecurities brought about. And (who knows!) I might then finally be able to find a woman that I’m actually happy with (Goddam it Freud!)

Peace Ya’ll!

(P.S. 10 points to anyone that can spot the major irony here, and 5 for picking the minor one)