Desire is inexplicable. Given that we live in a complex contradictory world culture. Where there's nearly eight billion of us destroyer of worlds running around loose. Each with an ever changing set of desires. Orientations. That, and each of us under pressure to keep them quiet.
This because to keep any kind of order we have a standardized set of norms for everyone.
A set that has nothing whatever to do with what the sweaty lot of us would otherwise die or kill for,...at least in our dreams. We spend our whole lives in primal want. It is no wonder our world is an unending slaughter house.
However there have been attempts at solutions in fiction.
Samuel Delany's "Lawless Zones" in his novel "Triton". The TAZ "Temporary Autonomous Zones" from Hakim Bey. The "Red Hour" from Star trek prime. This on a world where all law is suspended at a specific time.
The very popular "Mad Max" clones. This where post end of society war lords murder, and rape to the cheers of their adoring fans. This I think is what most males in any society want. Civilization was never a good fit for men.
The above are the only alternatives I'm aware of.
As for what Freedom would really look like. I mean for real. Well considering that otherwise normal folks have sexual dreams involving door knobs small mammals, and carpentry tools I shudder to imagine.
I think most forms of personal freedom would not look much like mine. Which tends towards Hippie Be-ins of a half century ago. Most would be of the above "Mad Max" sort.
Guys just like that sort of thing. Banners wars guns rape power, and booze are their core desires. For now they have to make do with joining the Nazi party or some such nationalist gang.
"Monsters from the id", the unseen power of our primal wants.
... see below, and Google it.
So those soul killing standardized values is all that's keeping the lid on. Sort of like the Cold War held back all those ethnic genocides. However there may still be a way out, no idea what, but it's nice to say.
Research continues.
This is a great post Sidney!
ReplyDeleteThere are others who wrote extensively about the crisis called "civilization" that we are in. You can consider Emerson who said that the human race would "die of civilization". Freud, who named the "Id" which he picked up from Nietzsche via Groddeck, wrote a book called "Civilization and Its Discontents". There are several others from the late '60s to the early '70s as well.
In the meantime, as an earlier poster suggested, we have art, this from vonGloeden:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71SVB9jKGtL.jpg
Correction: that should read "from the late '50s to the early '70s".
DeleteThat glorious W.V.G. image gives hope.
ReplyDeleteIndeed I'd almost forgot how beautiful they were.
What need of loveless porn when this exists.