Sunday, April 01, 2012

Does this statement make you paranoid?

If chronic Facebook or Twitter posting is not an exercise in neurosis, then nothing is.

From "Where Have All the Neurotics Gone?," which is not nearly as sour as that one line, ripped from context, might make it sound, and is in any case worth visiting for the animation alone. The lede is pretty darned good, too.

(Apologies to Ocean for misuse of terms.)

1 comment:

Ocean said...

No problem with the use of terms.

The article was okay. I probably would have added that the stereotypical neurotic (in New York subculture) went from glamorized eccentric to the normalized version of today, and a component of that normalization is the touch of humor that goes along with it. This is perhaps the most important and helpful addition. The fact that younger people can openly talk about "freaking out", or finding stuff "creepy", or whatever their own variety of neurosis, without having a sense of shame and, in a way, making fun of their own neurosis, is a step towards a much better outcome.

Unfortunately, I think both the previous stereotypical neurotic, a-la- Woody Allen, and the current version are more an urban (especially New York) phenomenon than a general one.

At a technical level, the discussion about having divided the more abstract term "neurotic" into specific disorders does explain the change in lexicon.

I was glad to see Michael First's progress in his own neurosis, in terms of being able to make general statements. It's always good to see good old neurosis conquered. ;)

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