The Paradox of Negativity

So I was bursting blood veins this morning about how it’s been revealed that between the years of 2000 and 2002 our government was illegally buying oil from Saddam Hussein and paying him kickbacks directly, under the table. Not just a little oil, but more than all other nations in the world combined. What I was writing on, though, was not the horrible, despicable hypocrisy – that is totally consistent behavior for this dynasty – but rather the lack of surprise and attention paid by the general public, indicative of our exhaustion. Our satiation. But then I was looking at comments and on an earlier posting (“Breach of Contract”) someone asked if I am always so negative. Since issues about me are vastly more important than global betrayal, war and the decline of civilization (note to the subtlety-challenged: this is an ironic/satirical statement), I’m switching gears to respond. And pontificate. And so forth.

Am I always so negative? Initially I was going to just going to give a short response (something along the lines of, “No. Psh.”), but then I thought, ‘Hey! Why answer an innocuous, harmless (and, granted, legitimate) question succinctly when I can blow the comment way out of proportion and link it to issues of God, cosmic responsibilities, paradoxes, disease, me, and an overlooked TV series?’

A foundational element of this site – an all social criticism – is recognizing the inherent paradox of crisis and true criticism. Blanket negativity isn’t criticism in the true, analytical sense, it’s just trashing on things. This trashing on things, or dwelling on the negative, can be so draining and exhausting because it is usually incomplete – non-thinking in a sense. Actual darkness cannot exist without light. Cataclysm without growth. Crisis without opportunity (one of my favorite Simpsons quotes – Lisa: You know dad, in Chinese the word for crisis is the same as for opportunity. Homer: Yes! Crisi-tunity!). So overturning the rock to expose the ugliness must, at least in its implication, generate the idea of change, positive growth. Conversely, while optimism and positive thinking are, of course, important, vital to mental health, often it can turn into complacency, and an attempt to find the positive side of things can sometimes result in stasis, or even letting evil reign free.

In the entry in question, the implied conclusion is not one of hopelessness, but obligation for growth. Not that we have opportunity to become individuals in an Emersonian sense – we always have that – but that we absolutely have to! A toxic culture is awful and, yes it is that bleak, but this will force people, out of pure survival, to develop, to reject ascribed beliefs and forge their owns paths. Yes, I do believe that our culture is in a terrible place. Yes, our empire is in decline and our free market has achieved an incredible Pyrrhic victory.

I suppose I should put in a little caveat here. I am a pretty dark person. Always have been. I’ve also been told I use too many big words. This has nothing to do with being dark, but I just figured I’d mention it. Also, it’s probably important to mention that my mental filter is a bit clogged at the moment. On a large scale the state of the world is, of course, jaw-dropping. Nothing new under the sun there, per se. On my own small level, my wife, M, got a pain in her leg three years ago and it gradually spread, engulfing her entire body in tremendous pain 24 hours a day, while doctor after doctor after doctor promises cure then shrugs six months later and suggests we see if there’s someone else we’d like to go to instead, all the while I stand helplessly by. I’m teaching at a high school as part of an attempt to plunge into the train wreck of public education and be part of the solution instead of part of the problem (thus exemplifying the idea of the paradox of criticism: public education is awful [criticism], they need teachers [implication]. Guess I gotta be a teacher for a while [positive action]), and I underestimated what a formidable foe the system would be to my mind, my personal Byroniverse. Plus I think they’re going to cancel Arrested Development. Those are couple examples that are definitely coloring my view.

So, fair is fair: I’m a fairly dark person, in a fairly dark time. Guilty. Stop me before I critique again. Strap a Mickey Mouse shirt on me and send me my subscription to USA Today. But if we’re going to save our culture, our minds, our souls, we better start tearing our mores apart. And laughing. Really laughing, not just pointing fingers. I’m at a point in my life where I strongly believe in the ancient idea of a Prankster God. When things are at there worst, there often at their funniest. Our ability to laugh at our absurdities often saves us. This is an idea for another entry. But out of my darkness (I hope) comes my humor and hope and, maybe ironically, faith in others.

Bush was paying Hussein under the table? Fucking hilarious. I mean, it really, really is. People are following Bush as their moral crusader? Oh my God, the joke was funny, the tag line is even better! It’s horrible. It’s indicative of the corruption of greed and power and dynasty. It’s dark. It’s hilarious. It’s got to be remembered. It’s got to be acted on, if not now, then in the next empire, when they find themselves in this position.