I am not big on psychology. The human mind is vastly complex. However, I think I may have a few ideas on our latest mass killer that may be useful.
First, all of us have things about ourselves we don't like, Most of us work these things out internally or, sometimes with the help of others, We realize that the fault is in us. Sometimes, for reasons that I don't think anyone really understands, something goes wrong, and we project our failings, or perceived failings (sometimes we just don't fit in with societies norms. It's not that we are doing anything truly immoral, we just don't fit. At the same time, what we dislike in ourselves may be some thing not acceptable by any system of morality) and, when we see those traits in others, we despise them. This is called projection. I suppose we all do this a little, especially when young, but most soon learn to deal with the faults in themselves. Again, here and there, things simply go wrong and this leads to another problem.
Carl Jung wrote of archetypes of the collective unconscious. These are seemingly possible ideals of patterns of behavior that we all are in touch with. Jung believed they have a existence separate fro ours. Where they come from and how they exist, we have no idea, but they are there and very dangerous. Jung, rightly believed that getting caught by an archetype and identifying with it was disastrous since it prevented the further growth of the individual. You lock yourself into a set stereotype of behavior and belief that is only one aspect of existence.
There are many archetypes. For example, the World Savior. Jesus and Buddha are 2 examples of this. Whether those actual historic beings saw themselves that way is unknown. I somehow doubt it, but others view them as such.
Another example is the Avenger. Examples are the Archangel Michael, the Jewish Messiah, the Shambala warriors of Buddhism and Kalki, scheduled to be the cleansing and final avatar of Vishnu in the Kali Yuga. This has become a disturbingly prevalent archetype in our modern world. Look at popular movies of recent years, all the way from Dirty Harry and Death Wish to Batman and, yes The Avengers. Rorshach in The Watchmen is a perfect example. This image of the righteous battler of evil, seeking out and destroying the bad guys is a dominant archetype in our times.
Now, sane people know that this is entertainment and while they may get a kick out of seeing evil doers get wiped out, they are aware that this is not acceptable behavior. But, take a slightly unhinged mind, one that thinks it is the final arbiter of right and wrong, especially when it is assured of such by a fanatic religious movement, and you have a problem.
What to do? Well, you cannot and should not stop making entertaining, action packed movies just because they touch off the fuse in a madman's mind. I suppose, if you see someone, beginning to obsess on this need to right wrongs and destroy bad guys, you may want to talk to them, carefully about those thoughts, possibly encouraging them to get a little help. Again, be very careful with this, lest they decide you are one of the bad guys they have to destroy. If you feel you cannot do this, or have reason to fear them, a word to authorities may be called for. I say that regretfully. I hate to think we have come to the point where we start telling police about our weird neighbors but, if they truly seem dangerous, we must.
I would strongly urge parents to use caution in allowing your kids to see any films or TV shows that glorify the crusading avenger. The ultimate answer is for our society to finally grow up and stop declaring behaviors that hurt no one to be horribly immoral. We have to stop this Manichean, all is totally good or totally bad approach to the World.
Showing posts with label Archetypes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Archetypes. Show all posts
Friday, June 24, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
America and Violence
America is a violent Nation, always has been. Our myths are shaped around Warrior Archetypes. From the Alamo to the NFL, from John Wayne to Bruce Wayne, we have attached ourselves to the rugged individual, fighting for, well, just about anything, as long as he was fighting.
The Civil War was the World's first truly modern conflict and it was unthinkably horrible. Cannons and rifles had become sufficiently sophisticated to make killing a machine-like affair. Before, war had been almost a gentlemanly affair, with strict rules of engagement, sort of like football, but we cranked it up to new heights. Bodies were broken in massive numbers and those who returned were physically and emotionally scarred. The nation's first drug crisis came after the War, as returning soldiers sought morphine to stop the pains of old wounds, both of the body and of the soul. We should not be surprised that such is now the case with many returning veterans. And for those who avoid opiates, well, there is always alcohol.
On and on goes the fighting, and what has been our justification in places like Korea, Viet Nam and the mid-East? We are sacrificing lives to protect the interests of huge multinational corporations, the same ones who yanked jobs out of the US and sent them to countries where folks are still willing to, or are coerced into, working for slave wages. But we love the wars and we love the warriors and sing the praises of those who dutifully go off to defend the Empire of Corporate America.
You cannot constantly put energy into violence, senseless violence, without consequences, and we are seeing the chickens come home to roost. America is beset by acts of mindless violence. Not terrorism, not crime related violence. As shameful as those acts are, at least there is a sort of demented logic behind them. I am far more concerned with sheer, stupid, wanton violence. Kids walking into schools and blasting away, drivers deliberately slamming there cars into crowds on sidewalks, frustrated workers going postal, these are amazingly stupid acts with no comprehensible reasoning behind them. Just a day ago, I saw a short news story about a poor man who stopped to help a car broken down in the blizzard. Someone drove by and shot him. There is no why behind such an act.
When I grew up, yes, we saw violence on TV, but it was a comparatively sanitized violence, not a lot of blood, and always, the actions made some kind of sense. A robber shot a cop, horrible, but, at least it made some sense in the flow of the story. Now, movies are often non-stop violence without even much of a story to get in the way of the next explosion or shooting. Video games are worse in that the player gets to participate in the slaughter, and yet, I see young kids merrily blasting away, creating virtual mayhem. Boxing, once known as the 'sweet science' has been replaced by anything goes Ultimate Fighting matches. Why not just revert to pit fighting? Throw 2 guys in a pit, and the one who survives wins. Why not bring back bear-baiting or the gladiatorial games? If we just want blood and violence, look to the Romans; they were the masters. Maybe the days portrayed in the movie The Hunger Games are close at hand.
I am not a pacifist, not by any means, but neither do I worship the violence this Nation seems to be obsessed with. Violence is sometimes called for, but it should always be a last resort. You cannot constantly put out that violent attitude without getting some kind of feedback. Carl Jung said that we can easily get caught by Archetypes, primordial images from the human collective consciousness, and I would heartily recommend that we free ourselves from the Warrior Archetype. Jesus put it more simply, "as you sow, so shall you reap."
The Civil War was the World's first truly modern conflict and it was unthinkably horrible. Cannons and rifles had become sufficiently sophisticated to make killing a machine-like affair. Before, war had been almost a gentlemanly affair, with strict rules of engagement, sort of like football, but we cranked it up to new heights. Bodies were broken in massive numbers and those who returned were physically and emotionally scarred. The nation's first drug crisis came after the War, as returning soldiers sought morphine to stop the pains of old wounds, both of the body and of the soul. We should not be surprised that such is now the case with many returning veterans. And for those who avoid opiates, well, there is always alcohol.
On and on goes the fighting, and what has been our justification in places like Korea, Viet Nam and the mid-East? We are sacrificing lives to protect the interests of huge multinational corporations, the same ones who yanked jobs out of the US and sent them to countries where folks are still willing to, or are coerced into, working for slave wages. But we love the wars and we love the warriors and sing the praises of those who dutifully go off to defend the Empire of Corporate America.
You cannot constantly put energy into violence, senseless violence, without consequences, and we are seeing the chickens come home to roost. America is beset by acts of mindless violence. Not terrorism, not crime related violence. As shameful as those acts are, at least there is a sort of demented logic behind them. I am far more concerned with sheer, stupid, wanton violence. Kids walking into schools and blasting away, drivers deliberately slamming there cars into crowds on sidewalks, frustrated workers going postal, these are amazingly stupid acts with no comprehensible reasoning behind them. Just a day ago, I saw a short news story about a poor man who stopped to help a car broken down in the blizzard. Someone drove by and shot him. There is no why behind such an act.
When I grew up, yes, we saw violence on TV, but it was a comparatively sanitized violence, not a lot of blood, and always, the actions made some kind of sense. A robber shot a cop, horrible, but, at least it made some sense in the flow of the story. Now, movies are often non-stop violence without even much of a story to get in the way of the next explosion or shooting. Video games are worse in that the player gets to participate in the slaughter, and yet, I see young kids merrily blasting away, creating virtual mayhem. Boxing, once known as the 'sweet science' has been replaced by anything goes Ultimate Fighting matches. Why not just revert to pit fighting? Throw 2 guys in a pit, and the one who survives wins. Why not bring back bear-baiting or the gladiatorial games? If we just want blood and violence, look to the Romans; they were the masters. Maybe the days portrayed in the movie The Hunger Games are close at hand.
I am not a pacifist, not by any means, but neither do I worship the violence this Nation seems to be obsessed with. Violence is sometimes called for, but it should always be a last resort. You cannot constantly put out that violent attitude without getting some kind of feedback. Carl Jung said that we can easily get caught by Archetypes, primordial images from the human collective consciousness, and I would heartily recommend that we free ourselves from the Warrior Archetype. Jesus put it more simply, "as you sow, so shall you reap."
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