Gonzo Journalism and Gallows Humor
I got my first tattoo this week, a simple geometric spider on the back of my left shoulder. The two or three people I know who've read Transmetropolitan understand exactly why. Spider Jerusalem, for all his flaws, is one of my personal heroes.
I spend a fair amount of my life observing people. There are a lot of things I don't understand—Black Friday, for example. I've spent the Thanksgiving break in Los Angeles with Lindsay, in the middle of the world capital of greedy, self-serving consumerism, and I just don't get it. I don't understand waking up at three in the morning to stampede some megastore and buy objects that you don't actually need, all for the sake of a bargain. I hate the relentless advertising, the constant message that everything you own is disposable and should be replaced as soon as possible with something newer, better, with more features that you will never use and have never wanted. I've only been here four days and I already have the overwhelming urge to either commit mass homicide or become a hermit.
This is probably part of why I don't get along with people very well.
There's a certain point at which gallows humor is the only way to deal with society and the state of the world without going batshit insane. The whole concept of Black Friday is completely absurd. Can you imagine trying to describe this to someone from a third-world country, or anyone from a century ago? My sense of humor may be sick and twisted, but you can see why. There's no other way to cope.
As Spider Jersualem once said...
This is the future. This is what we built. This is what we wanted. It must have been. Because we all had the fucking choice, didn't we? It is only our money that allows commercial culture to flower. If we didn't want to live like this, we could have changed it at any time, by not paying for it. So let's celebrate by all going out and buying the same burger.
Iris hates it here.
I spend a fair amount of my life observing people. There are a lot of things I don't understand—Black Friday, for example. I've spent the Thanksgiving break in Los Angeles with Lindsay, in the middle of the world capital of greedy, self-serving consumerism, and I just don't get it. I don't understand waking up at three in the morning to stampede some megastore and buy objects that you don't actually need, all for the sake of a bargain. I hate the relentless advertising, the constant message that everything you own is disposable and should be replaced as soon as possible with something newer, better, with more features that you will never use and have never wanted. I've only been here four days and I already have the overwhelming urge to either commit mass homicide or become a hermit.
This is probably part of why I don't get along with people very well.
There's a certain point at which gallows humor is the only way to deal with society and the state of the world without going batshit insane. The whole concept of Black Friday is completely absurd. Can you imagine trying to describe this to someone from a third-world country, or anyone from a century ago? My sense of humor may be sick and twisted, but you can see why. There's no other way to cope.
As Spider Jersualem once said...
This is the future. This is what we built. This is what we wanted. It must have been. Because we all had the fucking choice, didn't we? It is only our money that allows commercial culture to flower. If we didn't want to live like this, we could have changed it at any time, by not paying for it. So let's celebrate by all going out and buying the same burger.
Iris hates it here.
posted by Iris at 10:48
1 Comments:
Congratulations on the transmetroplitan spider! I got a dharma punx tattoo in March. I already want more.
A healthy dose of cynicism is definitely necessary to make it through every day. There have been times when society has made me feel physically ill due to its ridiculousness.
-hara
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