The True Counterculture

By: Jonathan Seidel 

Reimagining Lyotard: “postmodernity” as a continuation of modernity from WWI (sexuality, corporatism, universalism, anti-religious) to post-post-modernism of rejecting the narratives of modernity by reclaiming conservatism through trumpism, religiosity and anti-corporatism 

Lyotard famously argued that postmodernism was a rejection of meta-narratives. This was claimed back in the 60s. This claim in spite of the recent revolution in 2016 seems to be the real postmodernism or the peak of post-post-modernism. Whatever the description one uses the real pushback on modernity was 2016 a century after modernity began.

Postmodernism was defined as a rejection of meta-narratives. A path away from modernity. The narratives of modernity had failed and a new model had to be deployed. The social constructionism, deconstruction and relativism were among the claims. Claims against religion and science were the brunt of the postmodern force. Postmodernism challenged existing archetypes and fashioned a profound path forward. The French thinkers promoted their vision as a rebellion against the old. Modernity had failed and postmodernity would salvage. A crucial point in history about to come true. Yet it’s worth questioning whether Lyotard’s assessment was true of its time? Did the world become anti-science? Did relativism seep into society? Is the world more benign than in 1960? It is true that counterculture became rampant but was that a revolution or continuation? 

The major claim is the acceptance of these failed gifts that modernity promised. Yet it is seemingly confusing which he discussing. Liberalism persisted through the decades, anti-traditionalism continued to rise and sexuality became more open, the government gained more power and globalisation reached an all time high with technological assistance. It is hard to see how a counterculture blasted onto the scene. If anything, these were just continued promises of modernity. France may have been different, so this is purely subjective to English countries but the same ideas that permeated Eastern Europe and grassroots since the end of the First World War became ever more dominant as the century continued. WWII had brief pause but buttressed many of modernities ideals straight into effect. Modernity was the era of progress. Women’s rights, sexual exploration and consumerism. Urbanisation only enabled these features to develop further. LGBT rights weren’t attained until post-sexual revolution but it was a long time coming. It was part of the process. Underage sexuality became more popular in the late 70s. All counter culture did was speed up change. It wasn't counterculture but continued culture. 

It sought to revolutionise the inevitable effects ever faster. Instead of society gradually adopting these new norms, youngsters inscribed these visionary ideals as a political voice. The youth spoke up and demanded their voice be heard. They followed their idols in the art of the damned. An age of public exploration. It wasn’t so much that religious voices were so anti-drug use but that it was publicised so sternly. It was an open secret and one that could not be wiped away. Lewd actions were now exposed as the cool thing to do. Cigarettes were something at one point a cool thing for adult to do. Drugs and alcohol was normative as teenage actions took on a new rebellious stage. These were promoted by their favourite rockstars. Trying to experiment just like they were. It was an epidemic of just do everything. No lines nor rules. This culture existed but exploded into try everything and do what you like. This long held secret done under wraps now is a common phenomenon among the youth following the footsteps of their idols. 

There was some changes but not a counterculture just a publicising culture. To some extent it differed from its predecessor but it was a part of the continued evolution. To some extent it was procedural. It skipped a few steps. Animated youth may have been somewhat down the road but it wasn’t too out there. Liberalism’s eventual stop would have reached in the 90s, then again it was the time for it. Both world wars had caused different groups to be noticed, Vietnam killed so many youth they had to speak out. Without Vietnam it may have taken a little longer but it was along the lines. Many youth lost their lives in subsequent affairs. It was an inevitable part of the process. It was progress mutating a little too quickly. Yet Vietnam was the catalyst for much of this derangement. It was an avid call for the end of dead children. Yet while children did gain a voice nothing else really changed. Corporatism, sexuality, globalisation and anti-religionists persisted into the twenty-first century. Children gaining a voice was similar to minorities entering congress. Different faces some nuance but the same rodeo. 

In contrast, 2016 was the big change. Trump’s election shook the entire globe. The rise of nationalism after Afghanistan and sufficient religious polemics spawned a new response. A powerful conservative trend that has more independent motifs than republican connections. Republicans have continued to lose elections but the independent conservative-ish voice has gained speed. The irony is in such socio-cultural pushback. Trump gained so many voters. If not for the pandemic he probably would’ve won in a landslide. The witch-hunt wasn’t sticking and exposed. January 6th horrors have only hurt those running on his campaign. Despite their numbers dropping, his numbers are climbing. Whether or not Trump wins is irrelevant to the populace. Trumpism has taken on its own theology unforeseen by many countercultural individuals. Anti-establishment, anti-war, anti-globalists can no longer be properly represented because of the religious lacing of Trumpers. The libertarian party gained one percept of voters with independent podcasters outdoing mainstream media. Trump was the first big sign but the growth of podcasts from Jimmy Dore, The Hill and Breaking Points has fuelled this movement. It is a movement that breeches corporatism. 

Independent innovations have challenged the traditional models. Younger people constantly on social media have found these alternative routes. They are the main feeder of these podcasts. Joe Rogan is the biggest podcast in the world. Lex Friedman’s show is another growing channel. Much of their content opposes the mainstream. They work outside the classic binary. Attempting to facilitate a third path. While that rarely occurs, their honesty and anti-corporate agenda is sufficient for people. They’d rather not deal with talking heads. You can oppose aid to Ukraine on economic grounds instead of being called a racist. Making solid arguments for helping American citizenry before Ukrainians. That money could stop poverty and house everyone. Taxpayer money being used for unregulated unmediated wars abroad. People are fed up and these podcasters fill that void. They respond to their concerns. This is the real pushback. This is the true postmodern shift. When the ideas of modernity finally fall flat on their face. When the high prized governmental apparatus that saved people from the evil tycoons and destitute depression finally showed its devilish face. It was in on it the entire time. Betraying the citizenry in secret.

Much of the counterculture 60s had begun in the 20s. WWI ushered in all sorts of untraditional behaviour. Teenagers were experimenting, women received rights and consumerism. The socio-cultural elements were gradually modifying from impure to taboo to normal. Dress began to evolve little by little. Marilyn Monroe preceded the counterculture. WWII, television and rock fuelled the taboo but encouraged behaviour to be normalised. Socio-politically, the formally isolationist nation became embroiled in every event. A brief stint of shady isolation following WWI didn’t last long as Wilson’s presidential power grab extended to FDR. Once the depression and the war ended, the people were in the country’s debt. Whatever they said they would do. Go off to Korea no worries. Communism is like Nazism. Both really bad. It was only in the 70s that questions started being raised due to the incalculable teenage deaths. This hippie style didn’t last long as few voices actually opposed Iraq and Afghanistan. Anti-war was only when your life was on the line. When it seemed a little too ridiculous. Yet the endless war on terrorism or on drugs had its deviants but many of those who participated in this counterculture have yet to repeal these laws. 

That is by far the biggest point. So they grew older and more conservative. Yet there are many politicians who not only have present corruption issues but were screwing around and buried in drugs during their youth. Showing up to rallies to stop the wars and prioritise the American citizen. Now they are in office making a profit off American deaths. Why make changes when there is money to be made. Why make changes if it never really meant anything. They were young. It was stupid and fun. Cracking down on the contemporary youth despite their own hypocrisy. Counterculture occurs when it is actually followed through. All those ex-hippies have apparently grown up and seen the light of modernity. They are not postmodernists nor are they relativists. They live by post-war ideals. They have yet to actually make a difference. Since WWI the country has progressively moved more liberal. There was a strong leftist group in the 60s and there is one now. The group is larger as their liberal concerns have finally centred on meeting the social the economic and the political. They have reached marxism. Like their Russian brethren before them the American liberal has evolved. Each generation adding a new group. Inclusivity to the absolute degree.

The youth today are still modernists. They still believe in a single truth and a globalised world order. Standing up for human rights abroad and protesting to ensure people get in line. Whether for sexual orientation, expression or nature, the liberal truth is that which continues to expand. The youth today are more progressive than the youth of the postwar era but only a few doors down. They are the outgrowth of their grandparent's generation. It has been building up to 2016. Vietnam only procured more protections for the youth. It wasn't an attempt to undo the ways of old but add more institutional defences. To ensure more people were protected. From women to blacks to gays to teenagers now to transgenders. The identity metric has become more openly accepted. That is a motto of modernity not postmodernity. Modernity also flourished with more global interference since WWI. The youth are still fighting for American participation. Even those anti-colonialists do so in regards to specific adversaries and even if no military involvement they do believe in fervent protest. The protestors also engage in ecological warfare. Marching and defending the environment against sinister corporatism. The youth also promote more governmental assistance. Student loan forgiveness is of the most recent interjections. More government the better which fits will in the socialist thinking. None of this is postmodern.  

This generation of podcasters attacks all foreign wars whether Ukraine or Israel. While some do it on moral grounds others do so on isolationist grounds. America needs to stop funding wars abroad. Some have even recognised the weaponisation of NATO. America needs to focus on its citizens. This neo-nationalism is not a white power move but a national cohesive matrix. Focusing more on the people. Irate at the nonsense socio-cultural phenomenon. Whether it is intersectionality, corporatism or governmental corruption. It is the breath of extremes that need to be tamed. Everyone does it in their own way. Some believe the government ought to take care of it but many others cynically believe entrepreneurs ought to do so. Technology and not government will be the way forward. Some are sceptical of the corporate ladder but others are merely finding new ways. Growing climate change “deniers” yell at protestors for their annoyance. They have yet to buy meat, use their cars or wear child tortured clothing. They walk around high and mighty for a cause they do not believe in. They live by ideology. For every one tree cut build five new trees but this is ideology not science. This may be bad for the ecosystem. Oh no forrest fires. Yet they are a part of nature. Their dangerous breath may be due to either fraudulent protection or building projects in the middle of the ecosystem. Advocates know little of what they are actually fighting for. 

A fervent cynicism has finally bellowed at the dubious nature. There are problems and they can be fixed but stop trying to overcorrect. Stop trying to critique others. Not only will it not help but it also comes from a place of deep ignorance and pure arrogance. Parading in the street as saviours when in reality they are contributing more to the problem than the average person. Most of these problems are on the state level. Egg their house or maybe don’t vote for them. Stop blaming everyone else. The situation is overblown and the media only furthers the drama. The media is cinema, it exasperates the problem. It overemphasises the issue when most couldn’t give a crap. People are tired of this nonsense. Disillusioned and exhausted. Sceptical and raging. Snowden and Assange are right for what they did. The media vilifying them and adding false storylines ought not to be believed. Innocent till proven guilty.  The government is a scary devil do not trust them. Elected officials have gotten away with corruption for too long. Finally people are waking up and pushing back. Yet will it stick?

A counterculture may arise in different eras but the postmodern aspect is something very integral to the contemporary arc. Lyotard’s critique was merely exposing the secretive taboo that the elders didn’t like. The elders in their youth engaged in this type of experimenting and grew conservative. The socio-cultural aspects progressively grew liberal with the 70s but again those pro-drugs in the 70s are still pushing against. This younger generation is trying reform. Their anti-war sentiment was contextual not absolute. 2016 was the culmination of rejecting all the progressive ideas. All the more reliance on government and cultural imposition. Many liberals are pro-Ukraine. Those anti-Ukraine are generally anti-war and anti-military industrial complex. There are extremes in anti-west and colonialist lacings. The modest rejection is a middle ground that desires capitalist innovations, less intervention and public homeostasis. The government ought to protect the people but stay out of the people’s business. Own up when they mistake and resign from corruption. Seeing past the culture war for its media frenzy that it is. The rejection of meta-narratives does contain a conservative strain of traditionalism with minorities voting republican but the profound polemic is not reversal of progressive accomplishments but balancing them. 

The pandemic only heightened these issues. People have lost trust in their formally indestructible institutions. Scepticism is so high. Relativism is so apparent in this post-truth society. Who is telling the truth Trump or the dems. Russiagate was a fraud, Hunter Biden was true, Fauci lied, Epstein was assassinated and recently January 6th was an inside job. Nobody knows who to trust. The establishment says Trump was a Russian agent and Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian hoax. Both proved to be false. Both proved to be hit campaigns wasting millions of taxpayers dollars on a lie. Trump opposed masks and said it came from a lab but Fauci said otherwise. He was from the CDC he wouldn’t lie. Rand Paul is a racist pig. Yet it has been proven that it did come from a lab that Fauci funded against American law. Epstein Island was revealed to be a trafficking ring that hosted the likes of Clinton, Trump, Chomsky and Dershowitz. Did they know? Did they participate? Did he really commit suicide? No investigation. Of course the attack on democracy on January 6th. The Gretchen Whitmer case was exposed as an FBI ruse. With the history of the CIA and FBI tactics it is not a forgone conclusion. Ray Epps has yet to be charged, video evidence and alleged destroying evidence furthers the fed plot. Is the latest event a fed orchestration, maybe not but it sure looks like one. Without full transparency, people will continue to ask questions and cynically distrust the establishment. 

Obama’s reputation took a nosedive when classified intelligence was leaked that he had indiscriminately bombed civilian populations (whether this created ISIS is of little importance. What is important is how much it contributed to growing hostility and increased terrorist activity). Nicknamed Obamer, it has only been whitewashed by the media. He even received a Nobel peace prize. Snowden showed how the government had illegally spied and many rushed to defend the government. This is the continuation of modernity. The reliance of government post-WWI through the economic programs of FDR to the social programs of LBJ. The welfare state has eclipsed the most notorious dependency program. Trump’s platform was anti-establishment. Do not trust them, trust me. A populist with grand charisma. Vilified he still won people’s hearts. Caesar reinvigorated. Yet people forget why Caesar was so popular. He was a man of the people in the face of governmental corruption. He wasn’t a celebrity that was chosen instead of the more qualified individuals. He was chosen because people were sick and tired of the Senate’s erroneous behaviour. The search for a populist is in place of a rogue foreign governmental apparatus. Trumpism may have gone too far but it was built on legitimate concerns that were being ignored. A Caesar to save them from corruption. He was better than the Senate just as Trump was better than the government. 

Post-truth was applied to Trump’s fake news. People didn’t like him because his rhetoric didn’t capture their hearts. Yet his policies brokered deals and raised people out of poverty. So he was a dick. He had his faults but he aided the country that had been forgotten under the thumb of previous groups both democrats and republicans. Trump’s use of fake news was at times very true. He vindicated himself. In the end as Caesar himself he ended up corrupt. Power corrupts and government is corrupt. Not even a populist can outdo his own greed. That is not to say he is worse than others. Post-truth and fake news has little to do with Trump and more to do with the state of affairs. The aptitude of transparency provided by the government. The issues mentioned in the previous paragraph highlight this dreadful issue. What to believe? People still hold to the wrongful Russiagate and Hunter Biden laptop. Was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine based on western expansion or reviving the Soviet Union? There is little debate nor critical thinking. The media proposes their agenda and that is the answer. Fauci has yet to apologise or relent to his lies. He keeps appearing on programs to defend himself despite the evidence otherwise. No anchor has actually pushed back on him. They twiddle their thumbs and demand the audience accept him. The audience of the few who still trust their devilish narcissism. 

Conspiracy theorists are longer fringe extremists. The polemics of old have finally rung true. No ideology nor agenda. 9/11 wasn’t an inside job but miscommunication and CIA trained operatives committing the genocidal acts seems to be a backfired plan that could’ve easily been prevented. While not every conspiracy is true it does outline the fishy circumstances surrounding JFK. Even if Oswald acted alone on his own volition it doesn’t undermine other conspiracies. Russiagate was a conspiracy but his other lawsuits may not be. Not everything is wrong but absent transparency nothing can be trusted. The conspiracists are the sceptical commoners. The average folk cynicism is represented in questionable internalisation. To be sceptical is becoming the norm. Relativism is the inability to discern fact from fiction. When the elites and the people see the world in a different way. The media posits a story and the audience says false. Fragmented plot lines that have no cohesive uniform. Various echo chambers spouting gibberish with charismatic intensity. The cynic mocks the dubious attempt. He sees the truth. Yet it is relative to the mainstream narrative. Conspiracists are outcasts. How dare you challenge. Governmental cover ups and illegal activity are apologetically defended while the brazen few challenge. Progressive positivism is losing its edge to crazy nuts.        

People are stuck in a relativistic bind. Uncertain of the real truth. Instead they ponder the information posed. Yet have closer inkling to either bias. People are stuck in their ways. Media is correct they wouldn’t lie. Naive to the end of insanity for the sake of their narrative. It is the few bold who have looked elsewhere. Finding smaller platforms to teach the real truth. Hoping for the transparency the mainstream will never provide. The disillusionment is baked into the relativism. It is not moral relativism but rather a contextual art of genuine trust. Who is worthy of this. Choosing carefully and remaining sceptical. It is not a full blown refutation but a scepticism that cares for reconstruction and reapplication. It isn’t to tear down the institution but to repair it. It is a rebellion not a revolution. The so-called sexual revolution altered perception through exposure but it didn’t change the socio-political makeup. This contemporary rebellion is pushing back not overturning. Change needs to be made and we’re holding you to it. No more youthful bursts of visionary abstractions but concise concrete polemics that need solving immediately. This isn’t a rogue attempt but a mature chutzpah response. 

Lyotard’s claim ought to be reevaluated in light of the progressive halt. Meta-narratives are failing. The modern notions of faith and reliance have lost their charm. It is time to question the narrative. It is time to stand up and inquire. 2016 was the start it has only grown, let’s hope it persists.   

Spectator Sport

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Baseball Doesn’t exist: gladiator battle spectating and baseball park fun spectacle 

The YouTuber Baseball Doesn’t Exist uploaded a video discussing the extremes  baseball owners will go for fans to come to the games. Some were ludicrous but this has grown to amusement park levels. Baseball games have gone beyond the game for merely profit and fun. 

The range of activities surmised by owners to bankroll their games is incredible. Whatever it takes to get fans to buy tickets. Baseball games have become an amusement park. A theatrical performance only heightened by its additions. Whether that be free hot dog day or race against the mascot. The goal of these additions is to add more to baseball than just the baseball play. There needs to be more than just the gameplay. How to get non-baseball fans to come to a baseball game is to add not baseball elements. Giving all sorts of giveaways and carnival features makes the spectacle less about the gameplay and more about the experience. The game is for the resilient few who enjoy the game but many are awaiting the intermission. They can’t wait for the bottom of the inning. The precious moments before the batter enters the batter’s box. He is check swinging off to the side and the first baseman is hurling grounders for the shortstop to relay over. All this is happening and fans are looking elsewhere. They are preoccupied with the fun that is ensuing. The theatre that has emerged from its hiding place to entertain them. 

NBA fans can’t wait for the timeout to end. They’d rather the dance team not do their thing. They’ll cheer for the million dollar shot but anxiously await the gameplay. The sport is focused upon. The gameplay is nourished. Many fans are in it for the game. They see celebrities sitting court-side and desire better seats to be near their idols. The game is fast, there is little time with exception of halftime to rest. Halftime is to chill, refill and use the loo. A time to recompose. The same is with football. The gameplay, the gladiator might is concentrated. Fans can’t wait until halftime ends. When will the game be back on. Less games means more expensive tickets and the physicality is enjoyable. There is more action and aggression. Baseball is a long season and little physicality. It is more a posh sport that would be played in England. A sport of upper-class suit wearing tycoons than unpolished razing athletes. It is a game of skill and coordination not athletic superiority and ferociousness. Its lackadaisical weekday outing drawn out season is too much to follow or enjoy. There is just too much to care. Inform when the playoffs begin to tune in.   

Given its procedure, the sport could have shortened the season but that would undermine America’s past time. Stubbornness and pride maintained despite the erosive character of the sport. Owners were forced to act in the name of the sport. How to get more people to not only watch but come to the stadium. What can the stadium provide that television couldn’t. There are so many games why come to each one. Well because at this game there would be this give away. All types of creative ideas. To inspire fans to enjoy. The die hards were dwindling so how to appeal to those who didn’t care so much. Instead of trying to inspire newfound love into the sport, the owners took a more devilish route. They tried to acquire those non-fans with zero connection to baseball to come. It was immense work but it was effective. All different acrobatic events enticed people to come. Sometimes they got out of hand but people came. People enjoyed the unique experience provided at baseball stadiums. It wasn’t for the game but for the experience at the game. 

In time, they have not only catered to those non-fans but to fan’s families. What if your wife isn’t a fan? What if your child is bored? There is a waterslide, video game room, a bar. All sorts of options to keep you coming to the game. Bring your family, there always something for them to do. Even if you are bored there is a place to relax elsewhere. There are many options to choose from. Keep coming and we’ll keep you engaged and entertained. This brilliant tactic has changed the perception of theme. It has some similarities with universities adding expensive non-academic facilities whether a pool or a lounge. Enticing prospective students to enjoy the university beyond the academics. While it began as a nice benefit, it becomes the centre of a decision. The same is with baseball, the aesthetic beyond the gameplay is preferred by a large amount of fans. It is the entertainment that exceeds the game itself. Baseball games are not only about the game. The sequences the points. For some that matters yet for others it is engrossment in other additions. 

Interest is not fuelled by desire for the gameplay but for the extracurriculars. For the entertainment that lies outside the game. Whether that be on the field, in the stands or in a different wing of the stadium. Such doesn’t matter because it is in the complex. It is a part of the stadium. It is as if a family went to the mall and while the sister went shopping, the youngest was roaming around in the jungle gym and the elder brother went for a ride on the roller coaster all the while mom went to buy groceries. There is something for everybody even dad could go catch a movie if he grew bored. The mall has everything. Something for everybody. The baseball stadium is the preoccupation of the fan but other non-fans can find enjoyment there two. It has become its own mall. A complex that has surrounded the intended spectacle with other enjoyable features. Even spicing up the normative experience for non-fans to enjoy. To partake in the festivities over the sporting occasion. It is but providing the joy for the spectator in all sorts of ways. 

It’s truly a marvel of modern allocation. No hypermarket but a supermarket with traces of extra goodies. A place with its intended entertainment only to find more twists and turns to grab attention. In the YouTubers own name, baseball doesn’t exist. It is merely a fictitious creation of play-by-play dotted lines. There is some figures encircling the bases, a ball whacked with a bat. Yet that is for the insiders. Many see the advertisement and quickly lower their gaze to the bottom. Where is the freebee? What are they offering now? The new aesthetic grabs interest. The game is in the background. Listening to the radio. Cool but of no real consequence. This slide though, the hotdogs come on. The aesthetic is the focus. The feature is the joy. Baseball is a figment of action. Theatre kids directed in a slow dance. Old people can watch it but the entertainment is in the fun stuff. In the absurdities and actionable elements. Don’t focus too much on the game. That is but an echo to the non-fan. It is the rest that is endearing. The experience of all else outside the game. 

Baseball owner’s galvanised interest in purchasing tickets. Producing new aesthetics entices the experience even if there is engagement with the game. It is but background noise. Something to look at periodically. The stadium is a mall with so much to see. Spend a few moments watching and then spend the rest endorsing the entertainment. It is a spectacle of cheerful enjoyment for the whole family. 

Emoji-code

By: Jonathan Seidel

Emojis hieroglyphics and mandarin: devolving back into pictures instead of words and are signs simpler

Language has evolved slowly from art to symbols to words. Words have become the necessary interpretation of phenomena for millennium. Recently symbols have resurfaced in every day lingo. As texting has become the new frenzy acronyms (lol, rotl etc.) and now emojis replace words. Articulating emotion through illustrated symbols.

Symbols are commonplace as expression. They add flare to the text. Exclamation points are but limited in pitch but require the reader to imagine. The emoji acts as an extension. Congratulating someone may follow with a bottle of champagne and exploding ribbons. The emojis properly contextualize the statement. Its emphasis is tied to an emotional visual. To some extent it is superfluous. Writing sounds good and adding a thumbs up or it’s a deal and adding the handshake symbol is unnecessary. replacing words with symbols is new. It hijacks communication to be transmitted in code. The code is obvious. These are pictographs but even simpler. They are generated identical with the realistic experience. Unlike hieroglyphics the simple mode of emoji use is simple redirection. it’s not necessarily easier since it is quicker to type thanks or got it than place a thumbs up. There is more emphasis from the symbol. 

Emoji quizzes have popped up asking contestants to interpret the consecutive symbols into a sentence. Encrypting the code is akin to hieroglyphs. The simplicity of writing a few symbols than writing out a thought is ease but the reader has to understand the lingo. The shared imagery must have the same comprehension. It is possible that emojis may act as a bridge between languages. Yet like the hieroglyphics the images were also sounds that combined to mean something different. Images are translated differently and thus have a different sounds. Those who spoke Egyptian could understand the picture by sounding out the images. This mode of encryption is logographic but finds more similarities with the Japanese kanji than Chinese. The Japanese rely on combining sounds so too this quiz game does the same by lining up symbols to be sounded together to make a coherent sentence.

Even if the images mean the word and not sounds. The picture must filter. Not everyone views the same image in the same way. The image is known to all but understood differently. Symbols are universal but interpretation is personal. The subjective element is tribal per ideology. The middle finger is a western curse symbol while in the east the pinky is curse. Some symbols are vague and unclear: the high five can be praying hands or hello. If a single emoji can be interpreted differently the sequence will be further hair-scratching. The symbols of the unconscious are selective as is the linguistic element. Each person relates to signs in various capacities. The comprehensive subjectivity fails to formulate a universal language. A mishap of globalized aspiration. An ideal underestimated by cultural independence.

The chiastic structure has finally made it full circle. Pictographs have returned. 2000 BCE and 2000 CE maybe but 3000 signs will be written without any letters. The transition from written to typed has elevated the everyday conversation. Ancient illiteracy was compensated by pictures. Writing was an advanced form of communication. Coordinating complexity could only be done by hand. It was no longer the personal or even communal but trans-cultural. Writing was a form guided communication. Just think if the Bible was pictographs or emojis—though society may not be too far from that. A bible emoji that doesn’t have emojis as flare at the end of a sentence but replace the words. Pictographs are signs in place of letters. The full switch will rid letters as limited in scope and inconsiderate in proper feeling. Then again the signs are only as dead petite as the oral community assigns to them. Letters are a ruled structure that carries weight to simple explanation. Tone is absent the morphemes but punctuation  salvages the impression.

From clay to parchment to paper. From quills to pens to typewriters. The progression to simpler writing has encapsulated man’s ability to communicate. The more frequent textuality required easier substances to write. The nature of letters was an ethos of common liturgical communication. Yet the ease of writing signs was more difficult with clay than the cursive lettering. Parchment and paper were flimsier fabrics and a typewriter is merely techno-shapes imprinted on the paper. It is ultimately, the imprint of the letter on the typewriter that offers the sign to return. Urbanization and expansion led to extensive analysis which needed cohesive lettering. A distinguishing mark that accounted for the complexity of culture and civilisation. Yet the onslaught of the most techno friendly has the most juggernaut symbolism. The digitised monitoring reveals the simplicity of global communication.

The digital communication evolved from typewriting letters to typing emails. Texting is the next wave in the evolution. Email is still used as a formal communicative engine as texting lighter and casual. Emails are for school and texting is for friends. Though millennials grew up on aol, e-mail has captured work and texting is more intimate. The ease of texting is but it’s utility. There is a manner of deconstruction where long winded exchanges become simple sentences. Reading old letters are poetic (though may be the few that are taught) while today is straight to the point. The jargon has declined and simplistic narration is the route of the masses. Fourth grade level English is regurgitated in conversations. Dialogues are not of the philosophers but of the playroom. 

Humans didn’t become stupider. This isn’t some sort of decline of the generations theme. Humanity has cultivated some of the most evolutionary gadgets in the past decades then ever in history. The explosion of human innovation is wild since the post-war era. Even more since the 90s. The symbolic resurfacing is akin to the simplicity of communication. The global world has never been so close. With social media it only tightens. Civilization is complex but people are simple. They speak the language of the internet. The language of homogeneity. Emojis aren’t just a globalized unification sign but a measure of easing the burden of elongated  notes. To cover the extent of the conversation in a few choice words. There is no need to be coy or clever just straight up. The global fascination is comforted by a dignified unison.

Email retains form and is lengthy. The notion at times is ideological and even taboo. Yet texting has a methodology of on and off. One texts and then awaits the quick response. Emails are directed responses but texting is a substitute for a conversation. Emails are responsive not dialogical. Telephones are the original texting. Letters emails and voicemails are all long term investments. The response is awaited. An email is a chain of formal details surrounding a faithful exposition. While dumbed down from letters, emails still represent a formal stature of communication. Texting is a dialogue from a distance. It’s informal because it’s a verbal conversation translated into textuality. It is novel and never before written messaging. Short bursts of verbalism quenched into sequential rapid responses.  

The texting novelty transformed conversations into cyber imaging. No face just words cultivated the stage. While this has extended to social media platforms, it was a chat box between two friends across town. Calling was an option but even that has become a formality. Texting is the replacement for connecting two cups and a string. Invisible conversation. Robotic verses sent to enable further discussion after hangout time. Communicating in code after hours. Texting is a technical masterpiece allowing digital conversation to replace actual conversation. The same jokes are sent over text maybe even a pic or a gif for some fun. It’s narrowing distance with digital everyday dialogue.

As everyday conversation, it incorporates the slang and shorter sentences are written. Yet as the conversation becomes more fast paced quicker replies are necessary. Shorter words are required. Ttyl, gtg, and even the letter k. While these may be things people say out loud it is more conducive to the textual world. People may say lmao but most people do not say btw. Texting becomes even faster and lighter than verbalism. It becomes even more simplistic. Articulating a point in a few words. It is like the game to name a song in the fewest notes. A quick text sent for the reply to shoot back. The encoded lingo occupies a special place for the digital dialogue. It has surpassed verbalism. No longer are full sentences need. People understand the code. Abbreviations are centerstage in a textual dialogue. Abbreviations are the link to symbols. Knowing the abbreviations represents a keen knowledge of the oral chain. 

Abbreviations lead to symbols. It is responding in the simplest way. It is replacing abbreviations with a sign. Sending an emoji to highlight an emotion or simplify the message. Ideographs are far more straightforward than textual syntax that requires explaining. Symbols are the next stage in the evolution of linguistics. The symbols correspond to a development of sign language that extends beyond the hand signaling. Symbols are gestured in pictographs. They are perceived and deduced. They are imprinted and clear. No need to read through a sentence but comprehend by the picture. Just as a picture explains the moment so does the emoji. It will never replace language but may replace communication. The digital pictographs are comprehensive and interpretive. For now, emojis are for emotional emphasis but soon may replace textuality entirely.  

Clarity and simplicity are key to the texting age. Texting is the digital replacement for verbalism but with VR maybe texting will decay with the fictional world becoming a hub of virtual discussions. Currently chat boxes for gamers exist but with full immersive dives the meta-sphere may become a hub for quasi-verbalism. A symbiosis between the verbal and digital. The resurgence of signs as a communicative device isn’t out of stupidity but clarity and simplicity. Fast paced conversation and discussion. Globalized unity and linguistic formalism.  

"Real Life" Heroes

By: Jonathan Seidel

The allure of Japanese culture: hyperreal anime and fiction 

Japanese anime is beloved by westerners. Its fictional two dimensional layout in various genres captivates the young crowd. Cartoons with violence and gore. Adult generated content that focuses on storylines of all walks. A graphic novella sprouting countless manifestations. Its enjoyment is the fictional layer of fantastical aspiration to the real. The level of impossibility but yet plausibility compels the correspondence between fan and fiction. 

Anime is the outgrowth of manga. Manga is the graphic novel. The cinematic adaptation is the animated creation. It is the graphic novel coming to life. For the favorite characters to be on the big screen. To have a soul or their own. No longer are they mere drawings. They are not stick figures with a thought bubble but have a human figure lips moving. Heroes are translated straight from the page. Beloved heroes are pictorials with moving parts. No longer a body without organs. A personality takes centerstage. Connecting is deeper with a mobile presentation. A bring opposite the viewer worthy of respect. 

Novel adaptations shock the audience. Die hard fans aggravated with the piercing result of the cinematic decision. How the director casted the heroes to deteriorate any faith. What was he thinking. What shame he has brought to the franchise. The disconnect between the fans and the director will forever be present. The director takes the project to his agenda while the audience is left hoping for an adequate representation. It is always a subjective aspiration from the readership. Each reader covets a different persona but there is a collective acceptance of the plausible spectrum. 

A director who exceeds the quote on quote acceptance spectrum whether through a wrongful casting or deviating from honest material creates friction between fans and the director. The readership has reverted to defensive idolization or the book. Undermining the director’s innovative mood. Readers desire a realistic portrayal. They do not want a new story just a visualized one. Diverting from the book narration is a slap in the face. While it need not be perfect and the readership though critical to an extreme can sympathize with the director’s attempt but once they create their own narrative the readership has lost faith and believes the director has betrayed the original for his own prestige.

 

Concerning anime it is quite different. There is no imagination. The visual is illustrated on the page. The director has little leeway. Any distortion of the graphic novel is a corruption of the material. There is no creative differences but an entirely different hero. The illustration ought not to be distorted. The anime lover solely wants his heroes to come to life. For them to supersede the page. Unlike novel adaptions with uncertainty in between, graphic novels deal differently. There is not only an aspiration for the novel. There is is no real consensus but a collective deduction of its plausibility. 

The illustration of the graphic is the translated picturesque to the video. Love for fictional heroes with personality solidifies the relation between them while the cinematic adaptation obscures the character. The anime fan enjoys his heroes with mobility. With more passion and emotional development. The depth of the character is linearly evaluated. It only emboldens the character. There is little disconnect nor distortion of the character. The imagined character is not deterred by a false objectification. Instead it is a familiar character magnified. A character with more spunk and more connectivity.

Translating the fictional drawing to fictional animation is to apply a video style to the created character. Yet the draw of this is the fictional universe. It is the absurd illusion animated. It is the comic book strain on the big screen. Its interest is its unrealistic and idealist model. It isn’t about relatability. It is similar to the television shows with real people that confuse children from the cartoon they are used to. It’s off putting. The realism inhibits a genuine quality that is intentionally flawed. Why is fiction real personified? Why is cartoon replaced with relatable presentation? The realistic coordination causes a stir in the adolescent mind. It creates a formidable drama between the fake and false.

Anime remains fake. It is a dubious articulation. Yet it is the fiction that maintains its link amongst the viewership. The audience acknowledges the fantastic elements which only cause the viewer to aspire for the fictional impossibility. It is not something to mimic but to revel. Dressing up for conventions is to animate fiction into the sublime. It isn’t a hope for the real deal insofar as the realistic falsity. It is purely the dream that causes such imagined marination. Connect to a fictional character by the means of never being that character. By being out of reach the viewer idolizes. By dreaming the viewer illuminates. An engrossing narrative with wild aspirations that will never be achieved by the viewer.

Fans are obsessed with the projection of the real. The symbolic remains the drift between animation and real life. A Space Jam type on screen. It is the reflection of the cartoon meeting real life, yet both are fiction. On a deeper level MJ is real in the film and afterwards. A documentary with cartoon characters. Blending animation with fiction. Yet the question for the anime fan is whether he wishes do plot Space Jam or be animated. Does he wish to live in his flesh or become a sketch. If the latter is true, it only solidifies the distance between the fan and the characters. He can idolize them from afar because he can never be animated something his mind conjures. His dreams formulate his longing for animation. An impossibility realistically but not in his creative imagination.    

Anime is the aspired will of impossible transformation. There is only so much that can be mimicked. The characters can only come to life in identification. They are illustrations. They are posters by one’s bedside. If that celebrity would notice. The adventure and growth before the viewers’ very eyes. Even the sexualized female characters epitomize this negative expectation. How lucky the character is to have a harem of females fawning over him. He is a loser who is incidentally rewarded. The desire for that which seems implausible to the viewer. Can the biggest loser come out on top through hard work and dedication. Can he exceed the bounds of viewer aspiration. 

Anime exists as a production of preliminary wonder. How can the implausible be so simple. Through a foreign setting and courteous plot line. This fiction is absolute fiction. It is illustrated and cartoonish. Yet the cartoon addresses core hopes of the viewer. The values exude from the drama. The aspiration is pointed upon. Dressing up as one’s favorite character has more to do with what they embody than what they look like. Beloved characters are those who provide substance. They are inspirational and relatable beneath the surface. Push past the animation for the valuational pull. The adornment veiled from sight hinted in dialogue and action. 

Fans know it isn’t real. Yet the credible values feel real. It is enticing and compelling. It’s a cartoon, the blood is obviously fake and the language foreign but the adventure is endearing. The simplicity is not the appearance but its tenants. Its value that is underscored by acknowledging its depth from afar. There is no mistake its fiction permitting the deeper message to be pronounced. It is hard to miss with so much irony incorporated. So much zeal influenced. The fan is intoxicated with the fond inspiration. Instead of looking to influencers for hope, he finds it in his beloved characters. Fiction is a favorite friend for guidance. 

Anime is projection of unattainable. Yet it is through that such impossibility that inspires the layer beneath. To enjoy the character and the adventure. To root and cry for fiction. An attachment of pure symbolic imagination.