Clowning yourself for others from a place of pain, rather than natural humor, eventually reaches a precipice where something gives. Dazai's novella and the sad-clown pattern show the bill coming due.
Where it appears 1
Connections
Themes and ideas
Mentions
More insights from this episode
- The itch Amazon can't scratch
Even a purely functional purchase leaves us faintly disappointed, because without admitting it we want it to be more than it is. The itch has a completely different cause, and the letdown…
- Stillness is now frightening
The black screen between Netflix episodes, where you briefly see your own reflection and ask 'what am I doing?', has become one of the scariest moments for many people. Streaming has nearly…
- Distraction's crash is existential dread
Like any addiction, the dread on the comedown is as deep as the distraction was high. Distracting yourself less brings a more unified sense of who you are and your place in the world.
- Extremists sell an answer to malaise
Effective extremist propaganda doesn't deny young people's pain. It says 'your feelings are real and valid' and then supplies a reason and a group to blame, turning private emptiness into a…
- Terrorists who walk among us
Many people 'terrorize' their families, workplaces or industries without making the news, out of the same troubled roots as extremists: a repressed or badly integrated shadow. Logan agrees…
- Nobody is born a neo-Nazi
To depict extremists honestly you have to show why people join. The path usually starts with self-discovery and legitimately good advice about accountability. The poison only comes later…