Ruminations, etc.

I did away with news from The Economist. Because it was a stupid idea.

Anyway, I've been listening to a series of lectures on analyzing the 20th century. One particular subject has stuck in my craw and given me cause to ponder. That is, that after the war the ideas of Sigmund Freud became so popular. Particularly his notion that as mankind becomes ever more "enlightened" and "civilized", what he is in effect doing is suppressing his more animal instincts, creating more pressure, and more chance of a violent explosion. Which was useful in explaining how enlightened Europe erupted in bloodshed that would put modern day sub-Saharan Africa to shame.

I notice that these days, even psychoanalysts downplay Freud. Which is fine. It's always good for a new generation to break away from venerating the old. But the idea, I think, is sound- the more peaceful and tame we become, the more our animal instincts become twisted, violent and fetishized. A gun is a tool, but because they're so taboo, they become irrationally precious to some people. Things like that. I'm not sure exactly how to articulate this idea better.

Hrmm. Let's use sex, because who doesn't like to talk about sex? Ok, so let's say that within most men is a natural urge to dominate in sex. This transcends physicality, education and sexual preference.

Ok, so we sublimate that urge, by making it taboo, and insisting that men should suppress their urge to, well, hump everything. So pressure builds up, and explodes into the current sexual landscape- full of anti-social behaviour and oodles upon oodles of porn.

I dunno. i think it's an idea that doesn't need much proving. It seems quite self evident to me- that civilization seeks to suppress our more embarassing, but nevertheless ever-present instincts- and trades them off for a greater level of peace and quiet. However, it also trades off a useful release valve for some of the potentially harmful instincts, so that they get pushed down, and allowed to morph and change into anti-social behaviour.

Eh. too much thinking. Time to look at some porn.