Dystopic Phase of Creative Malaise
Dystopic, as in a state of intellectual regression, suggests the phases of counterproductive discourse, or storytelling, which suffers the intentional erosion of social creativity. With a superficiality of supposed originality, or even a pretense to inventiveness, personifying "political correctness" or divisive "subcultural agenda", lazily masquerade as informative works of art. Rife is the social interactivity of superficial human exchanges and heavily influenced from myriad pseudoscientific perspectives. From incessant selfies to shallow postings, the depth of intellectual reach is most often a short grasp at meaningless regurgitations.
Mean-spirited, divisive and condescending immature memes detract and berate the hallowed pursuit of more enlightened ascension. To characterize societal intercourse as dystopic is to suggest the abysmal decline of intellectual pursuits in a variety of artistic endeavors. This includes all the possibilities of creative expression from the innovative artistry of academia, to the extraordinary possibilities of various visual arts, commentary and scholarly discussion. However, for the illicit fixations of myth, magic and poorly crafted metaphor of redundancy, innovation suffers tragically. Emotionalism tramples reason for the sake of self-gratification.
Specifically, to this particular point of degrading regression to primal selfishness, there is a sense of failing artistry, or creativity, in attempts to produce imaginative storytelling in varied contemporary forms. As to the "infotainment" industry, as in so called "24/7 news reporting", very little actual informative news reporting seems to take place. Yes, notable exceptions always occur in a few situations here and there, and sometimes off the beaten path by valiant independent artists. From film making to various writing forms, including scripts and screenplays, exceptional deeply enriching and thought provoking creativity appears disturbingly deficient.
Additionally, included in this are the various expressions of fiction and non-fiction. In recent years, with regard to movies and television, with narrow exceptionality, seem to devolve to the emotionally limited perspectives of grade school rants, in which acting strains to project any semblance of defining the moral of the story, or the quest for the greater good. Beyond the notable exemptions, as a few seriously imaginative individuals cleverly recreate the masterful tales of ancient wisdom, much storytelling appears foolishly trite and overly simplistic. Classic motifs of good vs evil, the hero's quest, or the lessons learned, blur and fog in favor of the amative satiations for immediate gratification in a gluttonous consumer culture.
As hope springs eternal in the self-interests of subjective validation, the projected shallowness of "magical thinking" overshadows the struggle for mature transformational ascendency. For the short range, the creativity across the wide swath of American culture appears dismal. As to the long range, some researchers in the real sciences offer gloomy prospects for the longevity of the human species. In the context of perpetual creative malaise, the hard work of artistic, inspirational and ingenious storytelling fades in confrontation with the superficiality and selfishness of emotional reactivity. Not to forget of course the foolish levels of immaturity.
In a particular realm of vast creative potential, the world of "entertainment" gets special notice in this regard. Movies, television, alleged news outlets and so on, are seen by some as having the greatest potential for advancing the cause of enlightenment across the planet. Yet, as one analyst of movie making points out, the growing number of remakes and sequels leave the impression that writers, directors and producers have supposedly "run out of ideas". Yet, that might be a reflection of a simpler way of stating the underlying malaise in the various art forms.
For the extraordinary power of the various modes of electronic media, from mobile devices and other connectivity to the internet, plus television and movie viewership, it might be concluded that humans have productively evolved. But, aside from the purposeful nature of all human interactivity, as choices are made, not much seems to change from one generation to the next. That perspective combined with the decline of intellectual capacity, younger persons show a growing scarcity of real world experiences, as well as mediocre educational achievement.
With intentional resistance to personal growth and maturity, the "grade school level" thinking processes avoid the provocations of "dangerous liberations" in open-minded contemplations. Inventive, creative and imaginative actions devolve to mechanistic things that offer instant gratification and reinforce the pacification toward lowered frustration levels. Instead, the safe mediocrity is in that which sells products and services during the preshow countdown and the television pause for commercials. Thought provoking depth is avoided.
Mass marketing, advertising everywhere, a sales gimmick a minute, encourages consumption not thinking. After a few minutes of on-screen attempts at dialogue, there is a reminder of our "cult of illness and self-victimization" for needing a fix for every perceived negativity. For every invented "addiction" or "psychic disease", there is a pill to sell during story time. Of safe place cupcake neediness, the whining desires assurance that myths are real and reality is fake. For an older generation that toughened up, a younger one seeks the easy way out.
Overall, it is probably reasonable to speculate in a general sense as to the potential for the human species to go extinct. After all, no species on this planet is immune from a final demise. Each generation demonstrates a lack of motivational drive to significantly change humans and the environment toward a more evolved existence and sustainability. Given the range of post-modern regressive behaviors, the longevity of humans is called into question. While a few innovate, many inebriate. Certainly, there are notable progressive contributions.
Regardless, there are regressive instigations that stifle transformation on a large scale. From an arrogant posture, perhaps selfishly naïve, to believe in an infinite supply of goods and services for never ending consumption reassures a cowardly shortsighted perspective. Across the planet, 99% of species that came into existence have faced extinction. Not only that, but to stagnantly regress with extraordinary unevolving growth and maturity, ensures the eventual demise.
Historical references in the past 33,000 years show that "great civilizations" have risen and collapsed. From conquest and expansion, to construction and consumption, examples from the Mayans to the Romans offer warnings of humans rising and falling over time. In the research of some on the issue of societal collapse, a number of factors come into play that signal decline. Part of the intricacy is the unwillingness to change for the betterment of self and others.
Selfishness is within the scheme of immaturity and a failure grow up and makes changes for dealing with the realities of life and death. As some might assert a cultural shift in the U.S. is taking place that is more divisive and unproductive than ever. A few conclude that it is more like a diversity of "cults" that share a common theme of social stupidity. Factionalized ideologies, based on "cultish" collusions, fabricate an array of unsubstantiated generalizations.
Trends, crazes and fads, tease and toy with latest "villains" that perpetrates the animosities of one dissident group versus another. With a growing reliance on feelings and subjective reactivity instead of facts and evidence, often ignored is application of sound reasoning. Reinforced by mass media contrivances, images flash in endless streams in 24/7 "infotainment". Quick and easy "answers" can be found to satisfy every need for immediate gratification.
Critical analysis in authentic and credible research, supported by facts, and translated into competent writing and articulate communication, are frequently relegated to lesser levels of importance. A hazy two dimensional perspective of feel good superficiality relies on status quo conformity to ensure the fake insulation of everything is okay. With that, a benign and bland social commentary regurgitates daily a shallow form of degenerating conjecture.
The phrase, 'dystopic phase of creative malaise', metaphorically offered, is a criticism of an entire society that once possessed extraordinary innovated talent, ability and daring. In the pioneering spirit, many valiantly took risks to accomplish great achievements. Tragic and horrific failings included, monumental successes remain exceptionally unique. However, in the past two generations, about 50 years, a dystopic, or degrading and regressive inclination toward divisive social interaction. Along with declining educational ascendency, mean-spirited and condescending conjecture fills the various depictions in the world of "infotainment".
From mediocre artistic remakes, to overly opinionated "news reporting", the deplorable state of interpersonal communication, screams the burgeoning badness of maladaptive degradations. As to "creative malaise", is applied in reflection upon the increasing rate of societal stupidity. Discomfort, unease and laziness, characterize a state of purposeful selfishness. With regard to creativity, and the lack thereof, inspiring, imaginative and resourcefulness in action appear woefully deficient and in a state of collective decline across the social spectrum.
From imagination, through the workings of thoughtful ideation, and subsequently action implementation requires hard work. To rise above the boring and forsake the hubris of self-adulation, stifling the conceit of immediate gratification, demands the kind of heroism most refuse to imagine. To take a simple notion, remove it from its boundaries, extract the inner measure of its tentative existence, and explore the possibilities of something far beyond the beginning, is an act of courage beyond the normal senses. Yet, there are the fortunetellers, the gurus and the false prophets, as well as the moneychangers, who lurk for targets of illicit opportunity.
Con artists are everywhere, from academia to techno savvy environs of high-tech industries. They will boast of the "latest findings" or such and such "turns out" to be this or that. Neither clever anecdote or nor jargon can supplant the efficacy of scientific validation in evidentiary provability. To ensure authenticity, the essential ingredients of creativity, which includes curiosity, skepticism, and reason, demand critical thinking and objective analysis.
A collapsing society relishes in emotional reactivity and spurns intellectual rationality. With exceedingly potential capacity for ingenious endeavors, as in arts and entertainment, or any other proclivity, most prefer to subvert their motivations to lesser distractions. As such, some researchers noticed a decline in creativity emerging around the early 1990's. Millennials began to enter social realm at which point consumerism grew at an increasingly expanding rate. Passive consumption, some would say gluttonous consumption, replaced active innovative productivity.
Although millennials are mentioned, the alleged malaise does not begin or end there, for the entirety of the human race is at risk of sliding into intentional demise. By "political correctness", over-protective contrivances, or "victimization" sensitivity, the fearful inability to engage in open-minded conflict of ideas stifles the self-evolving ascension to higher levels. For the artists of all lifestyles, being creative is the essence of living fully. Forsaking the conforming consensus of the selfish hoards, in perpetration of the usual mainstream "bovine fecal matter", challenges the senses to loftier planes of contemplation. To be a radical, to be a renegade, to be a rebel, assumes a heavy harness of ethical responsibility. Such is not a rash endeavor for juvenile narcissistic personal aggrandizement. Creative processes are vital to the quest for individuality.
For all the criticisms that younger generations get, closer to reality is the thinking that people in general share a commonality of stupidity, arrogant self-indulgence, hypocritical tolerance by intolerance, and a lack of practical expertise in real-world knowledge. Perennial focus on personal "issues" and exaggerated sense of entitlement permeates the social strata. Altruistic and charitable hospitality is often temporary, seasonal and hides a personal agenda. Deception is what humans do very well and found in various expressions of communal interactivity. Sometimes the bogus conjecture appears so convincing that social media, including news venues, conspire to make nonsense authentic. For instance, words like "hacking your mind" sound techno-cool.
In reality, there is no such entity as "mind". It is merely a metaphor in simplicity to describe the complexity of what the brain does. That in itself ought to trigger scrutiny. That which is transpiring within the neural networks of the brain remains a mysterious intricacy that defies easy explanation. One question to ask is, if the "mind" does not exist, then how do you "hack" nothing? Such assertions lack serious insightful creativity and usually represent a greater scheme to engender a false narrative. Whatever the motivation behind such superficiality, often there is a scheme at work to disguise something else at play. There are many forms of trickery.
In the arts, such as writing and movie making for example, the phase of creative decline has been reached. Symptoms appear in the lack of intellectual challenge, fearful conventionality and "political correctness" to avoid offending anyone. Endless tedious sequels and tiresome remakes, with fixations on whining and sniveling emotionalism, probably appeal to like-minded audiences. Unfortunately, in degradations of post-modern society, storytelling in any form coincides with the devolution of the human species. With the various means of communication devolving to a "middle school" range of expression, a dystopic phase has fallen upon creativity.
Gloss