Darkness and Eating

I like to read and watch books and films with dark themes. This means that books and films that have themes revolving around the deeper recesses of mind- with a psychological undertones. Let me name you a few of the favourite films- one of which is the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", Nietzsche have always been one my favourite philosophers and even jazz- with it's soul and the themes of the moon and of flying away.

I was reading American Pyscho just now at the book shop- I read it, not for the sex and violence but rather how the ego can create something and uses desires to satisfy this part of mind. It is about these American Wall Street guy which indulges in drugs, women and eventually murder but have a narcissi self image- Christian Bale with it's sculpted body is this archetypal of egoist with a self-image so strong that it had to torture to maintain this portrayal.

But will I become a pyscho and start picking loose women and engage in sado-masochistic behaviour after reading it. No. Do I think that it is necessary, no I don't think so. Do I want to be start asphyxiating women after reading it- well, I digress. Anyway, the point is that no one will start to murder women after reading or watching the book and film.

Okay, let us discuss about this "noir" movement in film and in books. You see these books are contrasted with the wholesome self help books- such as chicken soup or Tuesdays with Morrie. All these books are very useful but it is not intellectually stimulating. If I need practical advice on relationship, I might read one of these of books- but if I want to stimulate my mind, no I won't watch these films and read these books.

I have talked this Dionysian and animal spirits before. Dionysian is the god of wine, this means of intoxication and economists call the animal spirits sort of a drive that push capitalists in pursuit of innovation and technological advancement. This means that without animal spirits, creative destruction- of what Schumpeter call this necessary for capitalism to innovate and create- will not have any impetus to provide more choices for consumers.

All these books and films with "dark" themes are simply an extension of it. Marx also said that dissatisfaction is the impetus for change and not satisfaction- and they call it that we are alienated and we are alleviated from this pain by the "opium of the masses", which is religion. This means if you should be happy with your station in life, hence therefore you will try anything that will upset the status quo- hence, that's why he call religion sceptically as "opium" or "pain killers".

Hence can you imagine that, we are always happy, like the pigs in the abattoir, our opium is simply the food that is provided for us. Hence that is why, we do not have the impetus nor feel compelled to change, no matter how unhappy we are- we do not have the intellectual toolkit to manage the change however upset we are.

In the book "Invisible Monster", Chuck Paluhnik talks about the model who went through disfiguration and plastic surgery- and before she was self-absorbed lady which thinks that everyone should kiss the ground she walk on. Imagine, if you need someone that is similar like this, how does Chicken Soup, help to connect with a person with a pathological self-image. No amount of encouraging or "relationship management" can explain a person with such flawed characters. These books simply goes into the mind of these flawed characters that we meet everyday- maybe even you.

Hence  I really find it very irritating when some young punk stands beside me and think that he/she has the sole ownership to murder, wine and sex- as if since he/she is young, the privilege must go to him/her. Look you can do the above, that is your problem, I am only interested in reading the contents of the books and have no interest in attracting someone who might have a "twisted" bend too- unless one can tell me who Marquis de Sade is. [ hint: it is related to one of the words I mentioned above].

You see, in today's world this Dionysian spirit is simply in practice such as " necessity is the mother of all invention." There is no difference. If you do not feel the need, you do not feel the need to do anything. This means that you must upset or unhappy with something before you can start inventing something.

Hence when I watch films like "Irreversible"- which is about the rape of a French women[ by the way, Monica Belluci is Italian] filmed backwards, this means the end and backwards. It is not because, I like sex so much that I want to engage in some deviant behaviour. The premise was brilliant- a montage filmed backwards, ignoring the linearity of Hollywood films and the non-linearity story line is itself a breakthrough. If you at the tabs on the side of blog, you will Momento and Rashomon, these are non-linear films.

I am not trying to say that when I watch the film, I was drunk with desire and hence that I cannot differentiate the difference between a film and reality. This is an intellectual exercise which means that we appreciate the filmic techniques and not the story per se. I cannot speak for sure for other's but looking at the reactions of the young punk earlier, it is obvious that there was filth in his mind.

We also can see how these Dionysian spirit is prevalent in these films which is how animal spirits gone wild- what will happen and how it can ignore social norms.

Let me tell you about one of the most popular "dark" films today- the Twilight series. The Cullen are the capitalists, can't you see, with their minimal houses, Volvo cars and restrained blood sucking tendencies. Bella, is your typical working class, girl next door whom can only get close to the upper class- simply because they are bloodsuckers, which are restrained. Well the wolf are the American Indians with pagan and almost "new age-esque" tendencies.
Therefore these "dark" films are simply trying to smooth out class interest- Bella's father is a policeman, how convenient. Hence, all these "dark" themes centred around desires- in this case the cool charm of a vampire- is contrasted with over-riding passion of the wolves.

I do not think that just because all these dark films about vampires, occult and witchcraft is going to make women go after "bad" boys and boys only want to be "bad boys". On the flipside, all these, I think is a sophisticated persuasion for you to consume rather than go on revolt. I think you should be worried about your children buying make-up and clothes just to emulate their stars than they actually thinking that they are vampires.

I am boring like that, so eat that.