“Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob” is a layered statement in that everyone has an amoebic or fluid feeling inside of them — it’s a matter of whether or not you’re tapped into acknowledging it.
“Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” is the title to a bridge episode between season one and season two of the wildly popular HBO series, Euphoria. The episode was co-written by Sam Levinson, the show’s creator, and one of the show’s stars, Hunter Schafer. Schafer is transgender, as is her character, Jules. The show is known for its unabashed look at teen life that strives to be emotionally realistic rather than realistic in a physical sense as it embodies a vividly surreal aesthetic.
Schafer’s portrayal of the transgender Jules has gained significant attention as her character’s arch does not focus on her transness, but rather just being a teenager who happens to be trans. Transgender characters are very seldom if ever portrayed this way.
During the episode, Jules is attending her first therapy session after she ran away from home at the end of the first season. This hour long segment takes place almost entirely in her therapist’s office. Jules covers a menagerie of topics, but one that is prominent throughout the session is the concept of change and her pursuit of fluidity. Jules even brings up going off her hormone blockers, which would empower her even further to “customize” her identity — one of her own making, not one thrust upon her through society’s obsession with labeing. She felt she had become little more than an avatar consisting of fragments of other people’s influences, expectations, opinions and norms. To get to her true self she needs to “clear away” these influences.
Jules uses the analogy of the sea blob to describe her need to be fluid. A sea blob lives in a constant state of physical fluidity — adapting its shape to the opportunities and constraints of its environment. Imagine if we adopted a similar philosophy, a philosophy of constant change and adaptation; maybe not so much like Jules through the vehicle of her transness — but socially, culturally and generally how we deal with the world around us. This “clearing away”, or as I describe it, “clearing the debris”, is the topic of this post and the others in the series that will follow it in coming weeks. I look at this freeing of influences as fundamental to achieving change and improvement in our lives; whether that change is individual or collective, addressing the problems around us locally or beyond in the world.
The Battle Over Evolution … Once Again
The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.” Antonio Gramsci
Gramsci penned the quote above in 1929. At the time he was in a fascist prison, writing about what he considered to be a new societal intermezzo — a Europe that was tearing itself apart. He anticipated civil unrest and war between nation states. Here in 2022 we’re a similar situation. While governments for the most part aren’t crumbling (except Ukraine and no fault of their own); everywhere institutions are rotting and the traditional cultural norms they support are fighting to stay relevant. It seems Donald Trump and his ill-fated attempt to Make America Great Again (whatever that means) has exposed the underbelly of western civilization, especially America. Much of the racism, bigotry and homophobia that had been kept stashed away has been pulled out, dusted off and put on the mantle for all to see.
The battle against critical race theory, which is little more than guise for closeted racism has become a major political campaign issue, even though it’s not taught anywhere. It’s a bogeyman that doesn’t exist except in Facebook groups and livings rooms of neighborhood Nextdoor addicts. Regardless it has become a major GOP platform element. Also on the agenda of these groups and rooms, physical and virtual, is book banning. Apparently anything that refers to sex or gender identity, even in a clinical or sociological sense, is taboo in their throwback puritan utopia.
Rather than do a much needed civic self-examination and look at the detrimental effects our police culture has had on society in general and the black community in particular, politicians on both sides have brushed away the Defund The Police movement and instead doubled down on more police under the name of community safety. Case in point was Biden’s State of the Union speech recently.
Roe vs. Wade: The ardent disciples of religions everywhere are smelling blood in the water. A 6–3 conservative Supreme Court has given them a hope they haven’t had in fifty years. The escalation of medieval abortion laws in several conservative states is probably a precursor of things to come on the federal level.
And then we have the holy grail of right wing hate, transgender people, specifically the young transgender, and even more specifically trans youth in the middle of their transition process. This has become the tip of the GOP’s proverbial spear. In fact just yesterday, Idaho’s House of Representatives voted 55–13 to outlaw any trans minor conversion care including leaving the state to receive it (which is a felony). These courageous young people are carnage in the GOP’s relentless push to resist inevitable societal evolution. Their refusal to change knows no limits. Inability to adapt is perfectly exemplified by relying on antiquated old text (the Constitution and the Bible) while legitimizing this inflexibility by calling it constitutionalist and fundamentalist. In actuality, it’s nothing more than feeble-mindedness.
These issues under assault represent societal evolution. Our world has turned into a battle between the forces of the past vs. the forces of change. To many in our society, a sea blob not only has no place; it should exterminated. The more powerful the forces of change and adaptation are — the more reactive will be the forces fighting for the past. As society progresses in every societal corner and every venue that’s their outlet — so will the battles (i.e. courts, schools, legislation). We should recognize the more that change is happening — the louder will be the volume of those fighting change. This should be expected … and prepared for.
This resistance isn’t an exclusive trait of conservatives though. The most progressive among us claim we want change; yet we don’t rebel against our society’s modus operandi that is committed to hanging onto everything indefinitely (e.g. profession, political view, family traditions, etc.) — regardless of the external factors pushing us to move on. Just look at Biden and his administration’s stance on easing restrictions on marijuana. He spent his formative decade firmly implanted in the War on Drugs and even though a vast majority of his party’s constituents favor marijuana legalization — he won’t budge. The ’70s are his comfort zone and that’s where he’s staying.
Putin and the Ukrainian crisis shows how the war against change and fluidity isn’t limited to America either. No matter how the west thinks rationality applies — Putin’s actions are about retribution and holding one’s historical ground. He isn’t emulating the thinking of the Soviet Union of the 70’s; he’s using the playbook from nineteenth century imperialist, nationalist Russia — and that’s his advantage. The west has only the perspective of a rationalist war, one of analysis, however flawed that analysis may be. Putin can’t change, nor can the west. They believe what they believe, and it’s what they’ve always believed. Damn any changes in circumstances. The world needs to fit our way of thinking — not the other way around.
Society is moving fast; due in a large measure to technology, specifically social media. This phenomenon is not unlike the time of Gutenberg. Social and economic norms are at risk of being discarded like yesterday’s trash. Those people who are not reacting with the fluidity of sea blobs feel they are losing something to grab onto. Unable to adapt, their rigid minds will sink them to the bottom of the sea — while they helplessly flail away, drenching everyone around them. But make no mistake, the wetness we feel is not from an incoming storm — rather the failing efforts of weak people as they drown trying to swim back to a shore that no longer exists.
A perfect example of our country’s forces against societal change (adaptation and evolution) is Nate in the show Euphoria. At the end of each episode, the actor playing the segment’s key character breaks down his or hers character and the nuances behind their actions. Nate, played by Jacob Elordi, is the show’s bully/antagonist/universal villain. At Nate’s core is conformity and “everything being in its place”. Hunter Schafer’s character, the transgender Jules, is the antithesis of his worldview. She’s the enemy of his very existence; and his reaction is to lash out violently — at everything, especially her. This is a very appropriate analogy for those in real life who demand conformity, sameness and the crutches they provide (especially older generations, people in rural areas and the GOP in general). Whether it be political ideology, religion, family tradition or anything else that give them an excuse to not think — venturing outside their cerebral (and often physical or geographic) comfort zone is to be avoided at all costs. Driving this dialogue are the unreliable narrators that are ubiquitous in our society.
Memetic Influences
Luke Burgis recently came out with an excellent book, Wanting: The Power Of Mimetic Desire In Everyday Life. In a nutshell, Burgis’s book echos Jules sentiment in the Sea Blog episode of Euphoria. We’ve become little more than our influences; the expectations, memes, norms, etc. that have been thrust upon us. We’re avatars, not unique free thinking people.
These influences are everywhere. They mold us, nudging us who they think we should be and what we should prioritize in our lives— all while preventing us from truly growing as human beings fueled by life preferences “we” create. In a world highlighted by self-efficacy and individual agency, this elusive we would be constructed by us personally, made of own hopes and dreams that we deem important because we’re us — not an avatar.
The memetic devices that bombard us are many, but I see them mainly falling into four broad categories. These categories aren’t necessarily distinct though. They overlap and feed into each other. I only attempt to break them down here so we can get a handle on how to address their influence going forward.
Peer influence: Arguably the most potent influencer of behavior is peer pressure. This can also take the form of significant others, particularly involving dominance and control where non-compliance can be extremely problematic. We all want to fit in. The norms and expectations in play often are formed elsewhere; societal, religious or even family — and enforced through peer pressure. It can be situational, like a seemingly grounded teen who goes out and does something completely out of character because his friends are doing it, especially the leader of the group. Community norms are an extension of peer influence too. The main difference is that the peer group is larger and maybe not quite as able to effectively enforce compliance. The cowboy mentality (toxic masculinity and repressed emotion) where I live in Montana is a perfect example of this community-based peer influence.
Religion: Religion is powerful influence for many. It’s not universal or consistent in its effect though. It’s influence depends on how prone someone is to religious doctrine. It can often utilize peer pressure if a religion is dominate in a community and participation is ardent. Breaking free can be next to impossible in certain zealot factions. The only escape is to physically move, and that might mean cutting off contact with family and friends who are still firmly entrenched. Religion exerts societal pressure over issues such as views on gay rights (and sex in general), abortion, and eating certain foods and wearing certain attire. In addition, religion often serves as a tool to maintain the patriarchy and the dominance of men over women.
General societal norms: Societal norms are more long-term in nature and are primarily in the cerebral background. There seldom is any Big Brother to look over your shoulder. They’re not binding, but rather omnipresent, existing without thought or question. They’re just assumed. These are things we’re just supposed to do because, well, that’s just the way it is; buying a house, getting college degree, having kids if we’re married and staying long-term in a job. No one is going to kick you out of society if you don’t comply — but they’re always in the back of your mind. It’s almost like you fail in life if you don’t check off all the boxes, and often by certain times in your life.
Family tradition: Family tradition and expectations are a strong influence, but primarily in the younger years when a person has no other option than to adhere — except move out of the house. The influence of family normally wanes once a person moves away. Often this waning is dramatic though, especially if the family is replaced by a different “family”, such as a fraternity or the military. Political affiliation can also be a strong family tradition. “Our family always votes Republican.” Family traditions are formed through generations of adherence and can become stronger and more difficult to get out from under with each successive generation. Families of police officers, military or union workers create strong family traditions and generational bonds as well.
These influences are fueled by unreliable narrators. Whether it be a government spokesperson, the news media, your Facebook feed or especially your family and friends — they’re you providing your window to the world. Their deceit may be intentional or they may not even know they’re leading you astray. Their tactics vary. Some use intimidation. Some use the bully pulpit. Some use science as a smokescreen for their own biased views and questionable motives (often by picking what study or research to stand on). Some work behind the scenes or work through proxies. And some even have the best intentions as they truly think that they are doing a service by protecting the institutional and societal status quo.
Regardless their tactics — the narratives they spin are clouding our decisions. We lean on metaphorical crutches instead instead of building our own critical thinking abilities. This is the worst of all scenarios; a starvation of cerebral development coupled with a narrator who is taking its place with erroneous, irrelevant — if not malignant information.
Monsters Under Bed … And Everywhere Else
“The mind can make heaven of hell … or hell of heaven.”
Many of us truly fear change. The concept of fluidity is not only alien, it’s terrifying. The monsters of change we see are in our imagination. Not that we should totally ignor the reactionary threats, but to elevate them above their actual level of importance is just as dangerous. Many of us lash out at anything different, anything that breaks from our comfort zone. In reality we’re just scared of the monsters… and we’ve created them everywhere.
Isn’t it our role as the supposedly most evolved species on this planet to help usher in our societal evolution — not to fight it? Instead we create irrational monsters that appear in disguise of anyone, any place or anything different. Species supposedly not as evolved as us rely on instinct, an array or behaviors and responses passed down genetically. Many of us operate the same way. We should use our evolved status as homo sapiens and instead hone our cerebral processing skills. Recognizing the circumstances presented to us and uniquely addressing them should be what we strive for. Isn’t this what it is to be human?
While the evolution of our society is on a path of inertia of its own making — that momentum is still fragile. The obstacles and the forces behind them have adapted themselves, much like the COVID-19 virus. Our reactions must counter their adaptations though. Too much of the time they haven’t though. The forces against change are fighting to the death to wind back time, in a naive hope of defeating the inevitable. That said, we’re the ones who will suffer if we don’t fight with equal tenacity. Resistance is a necessary part of societal evolution. You can’t believe Martin Luther didn’t see resistance from the Catholic Church in the 1400’s.
Change has been forced upon us in unprecedented ways due to the pandemic. To not see this is naive if not suicidal. It’s time for both personal and societal examination and reinvention. We can’t ignore that it is upon us — big time. Fighting the losing battle of trying to claw “back to normal” is plain ridiculous. Not only must we accept change; we must embrace it. Change should be exciting. Don’t make it terrifying by turning it into a monster.
We can make the change we need — but it won’t be by thinking the way we’ve always thought and doing what we’ve always done — the way it’s always been done. Change doesn’t have to be physical or “doing” though. It can be a mental adaptation, or a changing of an attitude. But for the majority of people, changing their mind and breaking from a political or religious ideology is no different than breaking an addiction (i.e. alcohol, drugs, gambling). Any change, no matter how minor it may seem, contributes to developing new synaptic connections — cerebral roads leading to where you really should be.
We Can’t Change Society Until We Change Ourselves
Pushing a personal evolution onto oneself can be an extremely invigorating experience. It’s like a metamorphosis, a shedding of the past and a chance to reinvent. The metaphors are so numerous I don’t even know which one to pick. That in itself should tell you, change and transformation (no matter how large or small) is part of nature. Change is who we are. Why fight it?
All that said, most people don’t change. The status quo has an addictive hold on us — one we either don’t want to confront. It’s easier to just “do the same thing, the same way we always have”. Unfortunately, like an addict who never admits they have a problem, many of us won’t admit our reluctance to change is a bad thing. Unbelievably we often look at this attitude as a virtue. It’s like thinking that next bottle of vodka somehow makes you a better person.
Without embrace of the concept of change and fluidity, no personal improvement can be made, nor societal advances can happen. We can’t combat climate change. We can’t reform police departments. We can’t fight racism or bigotry or sexism or even ageism. Inequality will always be a force of destruction in every one of our communities.
Nothing will happen — and it’s naive to think so, regardless what we hear from the government, the news media or any other unreliable narrator. These institutional overlords want us to believe in their hypocrisy. They want us to believe through the existing structures, the ones that created the problems in the first place and they control, our problems will be solved; whether they be individual or societal. They profess change, yet their actions only further entrench the malady doing irreparable damage to any efforts at true repair. We can’t kid ourselves, their goal, overt or otherwise, is to further cement their position in the power structure of the status quo. These institutional constructs of “normal” are there to prevent change.
Hypersanity And Fluidity
Hypersanity is a term coined by my friend John Kelden. “A quality of an adult human being in full sovereign possession of essential character and integrity of action; with generative interaction, skills, sensibilities and superpowers — the ability to turn intelligence into continuity, change and agency.”
Fueling a state of hypersanity is the development of self-efficacy and personal agency; being a human being with the ability to think critically and act accordingly. It’s a state where we recognize the pull of memetic influences and we consciously make effort to resist their unwanted intrusions into our lives. Some we may want to accompany us on our journey in life; but that should our decision not theirs.
“We always have a choice to defend/maintain our thinking or expand/open our thinking to embrace new ways of seeing, experiencing, or making meaning of something. An open mind leads to emergent, creative solutions. A creative system[even if the system is ourselves] needs divergent thinking and meaning-making.” — Michelle James
Fluidity is a superpower — a step beyond just simple evolution. The power of fluidity enables a person (or community) to adjust according the world around them to effectively address problems and take advantage of opportunities. Fluidity is the stripping of bias; preconceptions, norms and expectations forced on us by factors outside the creations of our own mind. Fluidity doesn’t always mean moving ahead though. It can also mean taking a step back and pulling from experiences of the past, repurposing them, and using them as tools for the future.
Fluidity should be omnipresent throughout all aspects of our lives; personal and professional. Both organizations and individuals should embrace fluidity. Sticking to a plan, one developed in a time and surrounded by circumstances no longer applicable is foolish and prescription for failure. Fluidity is recognizing who we want to be and adjusting accordingly, not “staying the path” because that’s the thing we think we should do. The concept of gender transition perfectly exemplifies this. The courage it takes to undergo that journey is something we all should hope to pull from.
My life has been a diverse array of experiences and transitions, personally and professionally; most of which I have been able to successfully navigate (more or less). For some reason I always seem to lean into change, whether it be my friend groups when I was young, my musical tastes or my occupation. My life never seemed to have a defined path — at least from a traditional sense. It’s not like I didn’t try to plan my journey, I just always seem to fall back on “going with the flow”, embracing serendipity and filling my backpack of experiences. While there are things I would have done differently, I can honestly say I’ve learned from most everything and looking back — I smile. But central to my journey was knowing I wasn’t going to fall prey to memetic influences I didn’t want to.
We need to make a concerted effort to address the hold memetic influences have over our lives, and in turn the construct of our societies. Over the upcoming year I will continue this conversation personally as well as in my professional efforts. In the meantime though, there are things we can do to “clear the debris”. The Sea Blob initiative is an attempt to persuade people to to look beyond the norms, expectations and influences they’ve believed to be an inevitable part of life. This is a process, much like the “one day at a time” motto embraced by recovering alcoholics and addicts. It’s a series a small steps that re-train our mind by creating new synaptic pathways and starving off the ones fueling your current habitual views and behaviors. In the upcoming pieces we’ll try to figure out how to do this so you can “clear the debris”.
You’ll thank yourself.
“It’s this weird addiction I think we have as humans, to fit into something. It takes a little bit of bravery to step out, to be in the headspace of like: okay, I ‘m not like anybody else around here. I am making the conscious decision to present myself the way I want to, and no one’s really going to fuck with it, but I fuck with it. And that’s all that matters.” — Hunter Schafer
Please visit Melvin's Neighborhood and follow the journey to civic self-efficacy and self-actualization.
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