Pusillanomie

A liability of mine is that I play with words in my head all the time. Thus merged pusillanimous and anomie, a word which now means a purposelessness and lack of direction brought on by lack of courage. Or perhaps it could mean a lack of courage brought on by aimlessness.

This relates tangentially to a thought I had yesterday. What is it about our entertainment in the decade before a giant market collapse? In the twenties, the markets we hot, and people were cocky and hedonistic. This was the early heyday of slapstick comedy and vaudeville. These forms of comedy were brought on by roaring boredom. For sure, the poor were left mostly out, but I'm talking about the pleasure class here, the ones with plenty of money to burn.

The last five to ten years have shown the same type of boredom. Let's see my day consists of taking obscene risks in the market, eating way too much and taking it for granted, watching p0rn/having sex with a stranger, and then watching ordinary people do stupid things on TV. I think that's an accurate picture of life in the twenties and in the last ten years. To a large degree the forms of entertainment carry on after the collapse, but it's a form of forgetfulness therapy rather then boredom therapy. People now need something to assuage their acute pain rather than their dull pain.

I admit, I smile and chuckle at Wipeout or I Survived a Japanese Game Show. There's something inherently funny to me about that kind of slapstick. But the sheer preponderance of these shows (throw in Survivor and all other reality TV as well) belies a sickness in our culture. We can't need that much "funny."

This is where pusillanomie comes in. People haven't been courageous enough to take appropriate risks, such as engaging in relationships, finding their calling, and loving and serving others. Instead, they do the bored thing. They take giant risks with money and while away their time hoping for something better. Only nothing better is coming. They have to take a courageous and purposeful step to kick the anomic ennui.