Volume 1 Part 1
Journal Of
Fall 2013
Perspective Equilibrium
Perspectives Thoughts Studies Analysis Rebuttals Resources
A joint publication of the Society for the Advancement of Spurious Connections, the Office Of The Bureau of Circular Arguments and the University Of Universal Universality at Unifordshire.
Table Of Contents
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium Fall 2013 Essays Arrogant Ignorance vs. Blind Optimism . . . . . . . . . . 7 In Praise Of Cynicism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Be Half Full. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 A Short Lesson in Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Case Studies A Comparative Analysis Of Polarities Impacting The Procedural Proclivities Common Among Prescriptive Perception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 • Addendum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 So How Are You?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 How Do You Feel About‌ The Internet . . . . . . . . . . 40 Trend Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Educational Resources Pop Quiz 1: Who Has The Advantage?. . . . . . . . . . . 20 Face Off: Offensive Cultural Misappropriation . . . . 26 Talking Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Chapter Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Final Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Research underwritten by the Society for the Advancement of Spurious Connections and made possible by a grant from the Office Of The Bureau of Circular Arguments.
A Comparative Analysis Of Polarities Impacting The Procedural Proclivities Common Among Prescriptive Perception Half-Empty vs. Half-Full Prof. Frederich Von Stoop PhD
University Of Universal Universality at Unifordshire, United Kingdom
I. Introduction Is the glass which is half empty, also half full? The volume of positive matter can be used as a measure of possession but yet only when in oblique contrast to the absence of said volume relative to its container in temporal space. A house, partially vacant, is at once entirely residence and yet fractionally deserted, no less than forty-five minutes before the hour is no more one-quarter hour after the previous. (See chart 1a)
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II. Thesis Philosophers have long used the polarity of matter/ anti-matter as a metaphorical measure of perceptual propensities. Those who see extant matter are therefore considered to possess positive, upward traits, while those who side with anti-matter are portrayed
Empty
Full
in the negative; sad, cynical.
Over the course of several weeks in the summer
of 2013, a tight-knit contingency of researchers at uouu@ u worked tirelessly to test the ambiguity.
Chart 1a
III. Methodology In the experiment, two beakers were presented with a semi-opaque fluid which allows partial visibility. The first vessel received 50% of its potential volume, while the second was counterweighted so as to be filled only from its mid-point and up. The group simulates the comparative effect of fullness to half-fullness.
With an indicator image attached at the apex of
each container, each vessel was then set upon Bunsen burners to imposing an accelerated, laboratory equiv-
Reality Simulator
alent of Time and Exposure.
Subjects were then invited to choose the vessel
more likened to their personal penchant. Subjects have been instructed to look into the top of the beaker and record their findings.
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
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Case Studies
Testing Environment
VI. Findings As seen in Graph 1b, the effect of half-fulledness is that of obscurity of the core truth found at the bottom of the vessel, which therefore leads us to conclude that such perspective is more likely to be deceived by the amount of fluid (optimism) between themselves and the subject. This viewer is more likely blissfully unaware, or purposefully delusional, as to the nature of the event taking place before them. When one peers through the obstruction they are pleased to find the beautifully natural act of mammal procreation, possibly conjuring subconscious associations of verdant renewal.
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Optimist
Cynic Delusion
Logic
Paranoia Graph 1b
Those who choose the half-empty vessel is forced
instead to view reality through an equally obscured lens, albeit one that allows the viewer, in their own perspective, to better see the event as it exists. In this case, it is much easier for the pessimist to perceive “getting screwed” than her counterpart.
At the mean of the graph we find a logical balance
of pessimism and optimism, tempered by rational behavior that is neither apocalyptic nor delusional.
The cynical perception is therefore uglier and
perhaps less pleasant than its alternative, but at the very least, may form a truer representation of that which is.
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Case Studies
University Of Universal Universality Unifordshire Campus 14 September, 2013 To Whom It May Concern, tly t present during Prof. VonStoop’s recen I wish to report my experience whils sis Of Polarities Analy e arativ Comp A ed, entitl submitted experiment in the paper . Common Among Prescriptive Perception Impacting The Procedural Proclivities the that er, mann d” quite “on the recor I feel it must be said, in an official and reported by VonStoop, were grossly ns” lusio “conc c misti pessi ly perhaps overt nearly half, if not the majority, of fellow exaggerated and run quite contrary to analysts. is merely my meager word against Although at this point my statement ely but the day were that things inconclusiv his, the proper and correct findings of other, the ing helm overw none good, with invariably “average.” Some bad, some especially over the long term. notice the equilibrimistic pattern In fact, when Dr. VonStoop began to ng test conditions so as to skew his findacross his subjects, he resorted to alteri rm their e the rest of the analysts would perfo ings in favor of his hypothesis. Wher some enjoy could cts subje after which the tests in mid-afternoon after a period well-fed on luncheon meats. VonStoop being and e smok a ine, sunsh of tes minu ved lab quite in early morning, and depri the to rather demanded his group to come them of even simple tea and crisps. please reconsider the “findings” of Dr. In the interest of academic fairness, ony. VonStoop in light of this earnest testim Sincerely,
Jeroboth Snippech Asst. Associate Lab Fellow
at Unifordshire • Department Of Persp University Of Universal Universality United Kingdom 101101 Infinity Loop, Unifordshire,
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Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
ective Equilibrium
Arrogant Ignorance vs. Blind Optimism Eric R. Pianka
Ignorance can be overcome by education, but arrogance is far more difficult to combat. Combined, arrogant ignorance is virtually impossible to defeat. Because of this, it is spreading rapidly.
People in denial refuse to examine evidence, often
Confidence Arrogance
adamantly. Among many examples, a case in point is climate change deniers, whose proponents have gone to great lengths to assert that climate change is a hoax. Such people have even set up websites using biased statistics. Another example is the widespread refusal to confront the human overpopulation crisis. Similarly, proponents of so-called “intelligent design� aggressively deny the overwhelming body of evidence in support of evolution by natural selection.
These people are threatened by the concept that
humans are naked apes who share a common ancestor with chimpanzees and gorillas. By refusing to think rationally, these arrogant but ignorant creationists
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Essays
Image: The Blind Optimists’ Guide To Oil Refinery
have blinded themselves to the ability to understand the living world around them. When faced with unpleasant dilemmas or challenging situations, humans are extremely prone to enter into denial. While refusing to face reality may make you feel safer, it is actually much more dangerous than being realistic.
When people accuse me of being a pessimist, I say,
“Nope, I’m a realist, and you’re a blind optimist.” Pessimists see the glass as half empty, whereas optimists like to think of it as half full. Realists see neither emptiness or fullness, but simply see half a glass. Optimists feel better by refusing to face up to reality. However, like arrogant ignorance, blind optimism can be a dangerous form of denial. Blind optimists like to think that technology will solve all our current problems. Technology has lured us out on to thin ice and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. Technological advances, especially the Haber-Bosch process, by facilitating food production, has allowed the human population to double and then re-double to present, unsustainable levels.
One of the many symptoms of the human over-
population crisis is that we now face serious energy limitations. Most people seem to think that we just
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Pianka
Blind Optimism is why the sky taste like BBQ.
need more energy. In fact, people need to understand more about energy — humans are not exempt from the laws of thermodynamics. Earth can no longer dissipate the heat it receives from normal solar radiation fast enough to stay in balance.1 Waste heat generated from burning fossil fuels and nuclear reactors only adds insult to injury. Our voracious and insatiable appetite for energy is doing us in. We must learn to live more frugally using much less energy.
Humans are extremely versatile, and although
we seem to think that we exist outside the laws of nature, we do not. We are Earthlings first and foremost, and space and other planets will always remain hostile environments for us. Until recently, spaceship Earth has provided us with a rather nice place to live. But now, Earth’s life support systems are failing … we have overpopulated the planet and fouled its atmosphere — the resultant pollution is contributing to global weather change. Earth is warming rapidly — ice caps are melting and ocean currents are changing. Polar bears and penguins are facing extinction and though many humans refuse to face the facts, we might not be far behind.
1
Hansen et al. 2005
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Essay
Be Half Full Justin Ahrens
All too often we get going so fast that we lose the ability to see past ourselves. This often leads to us being a bit short, forgetful, or just not really present.
If you are having a crazy day (or even a
bad one), you are in control of how that affects your interactions, whether with co-workers, clients, strangers, family, or the FedEx guy. Does it really take that much extra energy to smile, write a simple greeting with your message, take a breath, or be cordial? On the flip side, if you don’t take the time to be polite, the damage control could be way harder to deal with. We seem to have plenty of time these days to tweet or update our status on our social media of choice. We need to be careful to not vent on those outlets as well. Clients pay attention, so if you want to use that medium as a way to garner new business relationships, remember these are extensions of you and your company.
Originally posted to Designer Sobriety on August 21, 2013. www.makingcreativematter.com/2013/08/be-half-full/
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In Praise Of Cynicism Julian Baggini
It’s claimed that at the age of 44 our cynicism starts to grow. But being cynical isn’t necessarily a bad thing, argues Julian Baggini. It’s at the heart of great satire and, perhaps more importantly, leads us to question what is wrong with the world — and strive to make it better. If there’s one thing that makes me cynical, it’s optimists. They are just far too cynical about cynicism. If only they could see that cynics can be happy, constructive, even fun to hang out with, they might learn a thing or two.
Gifted or Jaded?
Perhaps this is because I’m 44, which, according
to a new survey, is the age at which cynicism starts to rise. But this survey itself merely illustrates the importance of being cynical. The cynic, after all, is inclined to question people’s motives and assume that they are acting self-servingly unless proven otherwise. Which is just as well, as it turns out the “study” in question is just another bit of corporate pr to promote a brand whose
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Essays
pseudo-scientific stunt I won’t reward by naming. Once again, cynicism proves its worth as one of our best deferences against spin and manipulation.
I often feel that “cynical” is a term of abuse
hurled at people who are judged to be insufficiently “positive” by those who believe that negativity is the real cause of almost all the world’s ills. This allows them to breezily sweep aside skeptical doubts without having to go to the bother of checking if The Optimist wants his rug back.
they are well-grounded. In this way, for example, Snowden’s leaks about the cia’s surveillance practices have been dismissed because they contribute to “the corrosive spread of cynicism”.
In late 1999, Tony Blair hailed the hugely disappoint-
ing Millennium Dome as “a triumph of confidence over cynicism”. All those legitimate concerns about the expense and vacuity of the end result were brushed off as examples of sheer, willful negativity.
A more balanced definition of a cynic, courtesy of
the trusty Oxford English Dictionary, is someone who is “distrustful or incredulous of human goodness and sincerity”, skeptical of human merit, often mocking or sarcastic. Now what’s not to love about that?
Of course, cynicism is neither wholly good nor
bad. It’s easy to see how you can be too cynical, but it’s also possible to be not cynical enough. Indeed, although the word itself is now largely pejorative, you’ll find almost everyone revels in a certain amount of cynicism. It’s the lifeblood of the satirical comedy
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Baggini
The Cynic is calmer than you are.
of the likes of Ian Hislop, Mark Steel and Jeremy Hardy. Great fictional cynics such as Malcolm Tucker are born of cynicism about politics. It can provide the impulse for the most important investigative journalism. If Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had been more trustful and credulous of human goodness and sincerity, they would never have broken the Watergate story.
It can provide the impulse for the most important
investigative journalism. If we were all habitually trustful and credulous of human goodness and sincerity, then there would be no questioning of dubious foreign interventions, infringements of civil liberties or sharp business practices.
Perhaps the greatest slur against cynicism is
that it nurtures a fatalistic pessimism, a belief that nothing can ever be improved. There are lazy forms of cynicism of which this is certainly true. But at its best, cynicism is a greater force for progress than optimism. The optimist underestimates how difficult it is to achieve real change, believing that anything
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Essays
is possible and it’s possible now. Only by confronting head-on the reality that all progress is going to be obstructed by vested interests and corrupted by human venality can we create realistic programs
Cynics … are realists who know that the world is not a sun-kissed fantasy.
that
actually
chance
of
have
a
success.
Progress is more of a challenge for the cynic but also more important and urgent, since, for the optimist, things aren’t that bad and are bound to get better anyway.
This highlights the importance of distinguishing
between thinking cynically and acting cynically. There is nothing good to be said for people who cynically deceive to further their own goals and get ahead of others. But that is not what a good cynic inevitably does. Whatever you make of Edward Snowden, whistleblowers and campaigners such as Karen Silkwood and Erin Brockovich are both cynical about what they see and idealistic about what they can do about it. For many years, I too have tried to make sure that the cynicism in my outlook does not lead to cynicism in my behavior.
That’s not the only way in which a proper cynicism
challenges the simplistic black-and-white of received opinion. The cynic would surely question the way in
which
the
world
is
divided
cleanly
into
optimists and pessimists. Optimism has various dimensions, and just because some people take a dim view of human nature and some future probabilities, that does not mean they are hardcore pessimists who
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Baggini
believe things can only get worse. Cynics refuse to be typecast as Jeremiahs. They are realists who know that the world is not the sun-kissed fantasy peddled by positive-thinking gurus and shysters.
Indeed, the greatest irony of all is that many of
the people promoting optimism are unwittingly feeding a view of human nature that is cynical in the very worst sense. Take psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox and her book Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain. Like many, she traces our tendency to make positive or negative judgments back to our brains and the ways in which they have been cast by our dna and shaped by our experience. Her upbeat conclusion is
Cynic
Optimist Acceptance
Appreciation Graph 1d
that by understanding the neural basis of personality and mood, we can change it and so increase our optimism, health and happiness.
The deeply cynical result of this apparently cheerful
viewpoint is that it encourages us to see what we think and believe as products of brain chemistry, rather
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Essays
The Optimist still says “F--- You”
than as rational responses to the world as it is. Rather than focus on our reasons for being optimistic or pessimistic about, say, the environment, we focus instead on what in our brains is causing us to be optimistic or pessimistic. And that means we seek a resolution of anxiety, not by changing the world, but by changing our minds. If that’s not taking a cynical view of human merit and potential, I don’t know what is.
So far, I have avoided the easiest way to defend
cynicism, which is to point to its illustrious pedigree in the ancient Hellenic school of philosophy from which it gets its name. But I would be cynical about that too. Words change their meanings, and so you cannot dignify the cynicism of now by associating it with its distant ancestor.
Nonetheless, there are lessons for modern-day
cynicism from the likes of Diogenes and Crates. What they show is that a proper cynicism is not a matter of personality but intellectual attitude. Their goal was to blow away the fog and confusion and see
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Baggini
The Cynic wants to be a little bit taller.
reality with lucidity and clarity. The contemporary cynic desires the same. The questioning and doubt is not an end in itself but a means of cutting through the crap and seeing things as they really are.
The ancient Cynics also advocated asceticism
and self-sufficiency. There is something of this too in their modern-day counterparts, who are aware that we waste too much of our time and money on things we don’t need, but that others require us to buy to make them rich. People who live rigorously by this cynicism are often seen as grumpy killjoys. To be light and joyful today means spending freely, without guilt, on whatever looks as if it will bring us pleasure. That merely shows how deeply our desires have been infected by the power of markets. It is the cynic who actually lives more lightly, unburdened by the pressure to always have more, not relying on purchases to provide happiness and contentment.
Finally, the Cynics were notorious for rejecting all
social norms. Diogenes is said to have masturbated
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Essays
in public, while Crates lived on the streets, with only a tattered cloak. Whether anyone is advised to follow these specific examples is questionable, but it is surely true that we do not see enough challenging of tired conventions today. Isn’t it astonishing, for example, how, once elected, mps continue the daft traditions of jeering, guffawing and addressing their colleagues by ridiculous circumlocutory terms such as “the right honorable member”? It comes to something when the most controversial defiance of convention by a politician in recent years was Gordon Brown’s refusal to wear a dinner jacket and bow tie. People would
Cynicism proves its worth as one of our best defenses against spin and manipulation.
perhaps be less cynical about politicians if the politicians
themselves
would be more cynical.
Perhaps the biggest
myth about cynicism is that it deepens with age. I think what really happens is that experience painfully rips away layers of scales from our eyes, and so we do indeed become more cynical about many of the things we naively accepted when younger. But the result of this is to make us see more sharply the difference between what really matters and all the dross and nonsense that clutters up life. So as cynicism about many — perhaps most — things rises, so too does our appreciation and affection for what is good and true. Cynicism leads to more tender feelings towards what is truly lovable. Similarly, doubting the reality of much-professed sincerity is a
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Baggini
way of showing that you respect and value the rare and precious real deal.
It’s time, therefore, to reclaim cynicism for the
forces of light and truth. Forget about the tired old dichotomies of positive and negative, optimistic and pessimistic. We can’t make things better unless we see quite how bad they are. We can’t do our best unless we guard against our worst. And it’s only by being distrustful that we can distinguish between the trustworthy and the unreliable. To do all this we need intelligent cynicism, which is not so much a blanket negativity, but a searchlight for the truly positive.
Article originally appeared in The Guardian, Wednesday, July 10 2013. www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/10/in-praise-of-cynicism
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For The Classroom
Pop Quiz (10 points)
Who Has The Advantage?
In Greco-Roman wrestling, the objective is to gain the “upper hand” on your opponent. In the diagrams above, which combatant holds the advantage?
Source: Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium, Fall 2013
So How Are You? A Case Study In Temporal Circumstantiality & Perspective Polarities
Interviews may or may not have been conducted at the University Of Universal Universality, Unifordshire September 10, 2001
Case Studies
Janice Retired Tom brought donuts home this morning on his walk. They aren’t the kind I like. I prefer more fruity pastries: turnovers and fritters. Strudel. These are the ones that look like they’re from Krispy Kreme but they’re from the Orientals on Parkside.
I’m sorry … can I say that? I think they’re
from Vietnam maybe? I’m not racist. Not at all. I just can’t tell them apart so …
But still. Tom got them on special so it’s okay. Not my fritter, but still. I know he
Lauren Telemarketer
few blocks to get
It’s funny. I used to be super depressed.
them. It’s how he
Didn’t really hate my job so much as I was
shows love after all
just so terribly bored. I got this new boss and
this time. He knows
we just didn’t mesh at all. I was talking to my
I’m on a diet, but
sister and I had this sort of realization that I didn’t need to do it any more.
says he doesn’t care. “More to love.” But I
You know how a lot of people look at
see how he looks at
their jobs, almost like there isn’t another one
the counter girls at
out there; that what they’re doing is what
Walgreens.
they’re like forced to do? Anyway, it was like
something just came unstuck in the back of
happy — I mean, we’re
my head. I actually got a little rush out of it,
not rich or famous or
like when you stand up too fast.
… No, no, I didn’t quit. Yet. But now I know I can. And the weird thing is knowing that now … I mean, I’ve always known it, I guess, but, like, realizing it, acknowledging it: everything is different.
My attitude is, like, completely different.
I guess that’s a strike for apathy?
22
went out his way a
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
I wouldn’t say I’m
anything. But the donuts were nice and Tom’s never cheated on me as far as I know. Not that he could. It’s fine.
I
count
blessings.
my
Case Studies
Bernadette Life Coach Last Thursday, a week ago today, I had a friend ask, “What do you want?”
That same day, I’d been told that what we
thought was a lymph node in my 16-year-old son’s neck was actually a tumor. So the answer to the question was very simple. All I wanted was
Kirsten Marketing Associate
for that lump to go away
I don’t know … I’m seeing a couple of
Monday we got the best
guys right now. Not like seeing them,
news, it turns out it’s not a
but just like talking to a few of them.
tumor after all and we can
and never come back. On
I slept with this guy Kyle last week,
breathe again.
but it’s no big deal. You know.
…
Had I been asked the
same
What do I want? I don’t know, I see
question
the
day
before, my answer would
myself with kind of a more rugged,
have been very different.
outdoor kind of guy, but one that still
It might have included a
knows what shoes to wear when. Not
professional or travel goal.
like jocky, but still pretty built. I don’t
It turns out that what mat-
really care about looks. I like different
ters one day, might seem
looking guys. But I do need him to be
insignificant the next. Per-
active and want to go like hiking and
spective is everything and
stuff. I see him driving a Subaru wag-
we allow it to be buried in
on, not too old but, like, not care that
our quest to do the “big
it’s new or anything.
things”.
Lately I wonder if I’ll actually meet
someone that, you know, matters. It’s
Care about the choices
you’ll have. Care about your impact.
kind of depressing!
…
Then
care
more
about your legacy than all of
Oh sure, I mean, Kyle was nice and all,
this put together.
but he’s like in real estate or something. I just don’t see myself with that kind of guy.
thestoryoftelling.com/dont-followmoney-follow-your-heart
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Case Studies
Barry Politician Hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It’s not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite everything to the contrary, that
something
better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for
it,
and
to
work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is the belief
Alan Writer If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time. You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is, to go on doing things you don’t like doing. Which is stupid.
that destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by the men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be. www.nytimes.com/2008/ 01/03/us/politics/ 03obama-transcript.html?pagewanted=all
Jim Investment Broker The Barkley deal is huge — I mean — this is most of our year right here. Carl wanted me up there to babysit Barkley right away. Instead, I was stuck at the gate. My 4:30 became 5:15 then 6:30, then 8. I’d already missed dinner. Carl’s blowing up my phone the whole time. Had to pretend I didn’t have a signal. Last one, I think he knew I was lying. I’m screwed. It’s not like I had any control over any of this! It’s bad enough I had to leave Sierra’s recital to get here. I can tell Stephanie is ready to kill me. I’d love to get out from under Carl and do my own thing, but you know… if I can just hang on another 8 years I’ll get to retire.
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Case Studies
Jareth Administrative Assistant There were all these assholes at the show last night. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since they got mentioned on Ridiculousness I knew this would happen. So many jocks, even a f---ing deadhead. Made me feel old. Couldn’t really even enjoy the music … almost embarrassed to be there with that crowd. Like, nice Bonaroo shirt, d---head.
… Well, for one, they don’t know how to behave. Just stop feeling up your girl for two minutes and just watch the band you f---ing posers. And f---!? what is it with every 18-year old thinking they’re the first ones to discover pot?! Don’t know if I was more annoyed by the s---ty mix than having some yuppie
Robby Sandwich Artist
chick next to me bobbing
Dude, seriously? This summer has
her head, or her boyfriend
been the sickest. Just got back from Mad
playing along like she was
Decent, then hit the second day of Out-
somehow cool or a free
side Lands. Waiting to catch my ride to
spirit or some s---.
Vegas for Burning Man. So psyched.
…
Rahj and Jeremy are already up there
Yeah ... f--- yeah, I’m angry
with these chicks we met in Boulder.
about it. I’ve been going
Rahj hooked up some medicinals from
to shows for like 20 years
his cousin down in Riverside.
…
and this s--- just ends up polluting everything. No
What?
wonder people just lose
interest or get into Noise.
Sounds kind of retarded but, like, you
I wish I could just enjoy it
know, YOLO and s---. That’s for real.
…
but it’s getting so bad it’s the association is what kills me. Nothing’s sacred.
S---, man. It’s just fun. So fun.
No, no … I’m taking the quarter off.
Yeah, they’re bummed at me, but
whatever. They’re cool. I still get my s--done. It’s all good.
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
25
Face-Off
Offensive Cultural Misappropriation …
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Face-Off
… or Offensive Cultural Misappropriation?
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A Short Lesson in Perspective Linds Redding
Many years ago, when I first started to work in the advertising industry, we used to have this thing called The Overnight Test. It worked like this: My creative partner Laurence and I would spend the day covering A2 sheets torn from layout pads with ideas for whatever project we were currently engaged upon: an ad for a new gas oven, tennis racket or whatever. Scribbled headlines. Bad puns. Stick-men drawings crudely rendered in fat black Magic Marker. It was a kind of brain dump I suppose. Everything that tumbled out of our heads and mouths was committed to paper. Anything completely ridiculous, irrelevant or otherwise unworkable was filtered out as we worked, and by beer-o’clock there would be an impressive avalanche of screwed-up paper filling the corner of the room where our comically-undersized waste-bin resided.
On a productive day, aside from the mountain of
dead trees, stacked polystyrene coffee cups and overflowing ashtray, there would also be a satisfying, thick
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Redding
sheaf of “concepts.” Some almost fully formed and self-contained ideas. Others misshapen and graceless fragments, but harboring perhaps the glimmer of a smile or a grain of human truth which had won its temporary reprieve from the reject pile. Before trotting off to Clark’s Bar to blow the froth of a pint of EightyBob, our last task was to pin everything up on the walls of our office.
The next morning at the crack of ten o’clock we’d
reconvene in our work-room and sit quietly, surveying the fruits of our labor. Usually about a third of the ‘ideas’ came down straight away, before anyone else wandered past. It’s remarkable how something that seems either arse-breakingly funny, or cosmically profound in the white heat of its inception, can mean absolutely nothing in the cold light of morning. By mid-morning coffee, the creative department was coming back to life, and we participated in the daily ritual of wandering around critiquing each teams crumpled creations. It wasn’t brutal or destructive. Creative people are on the whole fragile beings, and letting each other down gently and quietly was the
unwritten
rule.
Sometimes just a blank look or a scratched head was enough to see a candidate quietly pulled
This human- powered bulls--filter was a handy and powerful tool. Inexpensive, and practically foolproof.
down and consigned to the
bin.
Something
considered particularly “strong,” witty or clever would elicit cries of “Hey, come and see what
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
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Essays
the boys have come up with!” Our compadres would pile into our cramped room to offer praise or constructive criticism. That was always a good feeling.
This human powered bulls--- filter was a handy and
powerful tool. Inexpensive, and practically foolproof. Not much slipped through the net. I’m quite sure architects, musicians and
The trick to being truly creative is to be completely unselfconscious; why children are so good at it…
cake decorators all have an equivalent time-honed protocol.
But here’s the thing:
The Overnight Test only works if you can afford to
wait overnight. To sleep on it. Time moved on, and during the ’90s technology overran and transformed the creative industry like it did most others. Exciting new tools. Endless new possibilities. Pressing new deadlines. With the new digital tools at our disposal we could romp over the creative landscape at full tilt. Have an idea, execute it and deliver it in a matter of a few, short hours. Or at least a long night. At first it was a great luxury. We could cover so much more ground. Explore all the angles. And having exhausted all the available possibilities, craft a solution we could have complete faith in.
Or as the bean counters upstairs quickly realized,
we could just do three times as many jobs in the same amount of time, and make them three times as much money. For the same reason that Jumbo Jets don’t have the grand pianos and palm-court cocktail bars we were originally promised in the brochures, the accountants naturally won the day.
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Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
Redding
Pretty soon, The Overnight Test became the Over
Lunch Test. Then before we knew it, we were eating Pot-Noodles at our desks, and taking it in turns to go home and see our kids before they went to bed. As fast as we could pin an idea on the wall, some red-faced account manager in a bad suit would run away with it. Where we used to rely on taking a break and ‘stretching the eyes’ to allow us to see the wood from the trees. We now fell back on experience and gut-feel. It worked
…and why people with Volkswagens, and mortgages, Personal Equity Plans and matching Louis Vuitton luggage are not.
most of the time, but nobody is infallible. Some howlers and growlers definitely made it through, and generally standards plummeted.
The other consequence, with the benefit of hind-
sight, is that we became more conservative. Less likely to take creative risks and rely on the tried and trusted. The familiar is always going to research better than the truly novel. And research was the new god. The trick to being truly creative, I’ve always maintained, is to be completely unselfconscious. To resist the urge to self-censor. To not-give-a-s--- what anybody thinks. That’s why children are so good at it. And why people with Volkswagens, and mortgages, Personal Equity Plans and matching Louis Vuitton luggage are not.
(Creativity) takes a certain amount of courage.
Thinking out loud is best done in a safe and nurturing environment. Creative departments and design studios used to be such places, where you could say and do
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
31
Essays
Investment … or Tenement? just about anything creatively speaking, without fear of ridicule or judgment. It has to be this way, or you will just close up like a clamshell. It’s like trying to have sex with your mum listening outside the bedroom door. Can’t be done. Then some bright spark had the idea of setting everyone up in competition. It became a contest. A race. Winner gets to keep his job.
Now of course we are all suffering from the same
affliction. Our technology whizzes along at the velocity of a speeding electron, and our poor overtaxed neurons struggle to keep up. Everything has become a split-second decision. Find something you like. Share it. Have a half-baked thought. Tweet it. Don’t wait. Don’t hesitate. Seize the moment. Keep up. There will be plenty of time to repent later. Oh, and just to cover your ass, don’t forget to stick a smiley on the end just in case you’ve overstepped the mark.
So. To recap, The Overnight Test is a good thing.
And sadly missed. A weekend is even better, and as they fell by the wayside, they were missed too. “If you don’t come in on Saturday, don’t bother turning up on Sunday!” as the old joke goes.
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Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
Redding
A week would be nice. A month would be a luxury.
I’ve now ‘enjoyed’ the better part of six months of enforced detachment from my old reality. When your used to turning on a sixpence, shooting from the hip, dancing on a pin-head (too many again?), the view back down from six months is quite giddying. And sobering.
My old life looks, and feels, very different from
the outside. And here’s the thing: It turns out I didn’t actually like my old life nearly as much as I thought I did.
I realize this now
whenever I catch up with my old colleagues. They fall over each other to enthusiastically show me the latest project they’re working on. Ask my opin-
I think you’re all f---ing mad. Deranged. So disengaged from reality it’s not even funny. It’s a TV commercial. Nobody gives a s---.
ion. Proudly show off their technical prowess (which is not inconsiderable.) I find myself glazing over but politely listen as they brag about who’s had the least sleep and the most takeaway food. “I haven’t seen my wife since January, I can’t feel my legs any more and I think I have scurvy but another three weeks and we’ll be done. It’s got to be done by then The client’s going on holiday. What do I think?”
What do I think?
I think you’re all f---ing mad. Deranged. So
disengaged from reality it’s not even funny. It’s a f---ing TV commercial. Nobody gives a s---.
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
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Essays
Cynics are “high-strung.”
This has come as quite a shock I can tell you.
I think, I’ve come to the conclusion that the whole thing was a bit of a con. A scam. An elaborate hoax.
This Faustian pact has been the undoing of many
great artists, many more journeymen and more than a few of my good friends. Add to this volatile mixture the powerful accelerant of emerging digital technology and all hell breaks loose. What I have witnessed happening in the last twenty years is the aesthetic equivalent of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The wholesale industrialization of the creative process. Our ad agencies, design groups, and film and music studios have gone from being guilds of
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Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
Redding
Optimists make the best graphic designers.
craftsmen and women, essentially unchanged from the middle-ages, to dark, satanic mills of mass production. Ideas themselves have become just another disposable commodity to be supplied to order by the lowest bidder. As soon as they figure out a way of outsourcing thinking to China they won’t think twice.
So where does that leave the artists and artisans?
Well, up a watercolor of s--- creek without a paintbrush. That one thing that we prize and value above all else — the idea — turns out to be just another plastic gizmo or widget to be touted and traded. And to add insult to injury we now have to create them not in our own tine, but according to the quota and the schedule. “We need six concepts to show the client first thing in the morning, he’s going on holiday. Don’t waste too much time on them though, it’s only meeting-fodder. He’s only paying for one so they don’t all have to be good, just knock something up. You know the drill.
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Essays
Artists’ Rendering Of S--- Creek. “Pictoscribe” via Flickr ©2007
Oh, and one more thing. His favorite color is green. Right-ho! See you in the morning then, I’m off to the Groucho Club.”
Have you ever tried to have an idea? Any idea at
all, with a gun to your head? This is the daily reality for the creative drone. And when he’s done, sometime in the wee small hours, he then has to face his two harshest critics. Himself, and everyone else. “Ah. Sorry. Client couldn’t make the meeting. I faxed your layouts to him at his squash club. He quite liked the green one. Apart from the typeface, the words, the picture and the idea. Oh, and could the logo be bigger? Hope it wasn’t a late night. Thank god for computers eh? Right-ho! I’m off to lunch.”
Alright, it’s not bomb disposal. But in it’s own way
it’s dangerous and demanding work. And as I’ve said,
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Redding
the rewards tend to be vanishingly small. Plastic gold statuette anyone? I’ve seen quite a few creative drones fall by the wayside over the years.
Booze mostly.
Drugs occasionally.
Anxiety. Stress.
Broken marriages. Lots of those.
Even a couple of suicides.
But mostly just people temperamentally and emo-
tionally ill-equipped for such a toxic environment. Curiously, there never seems to be any shortage of eager young worker drones lining up to try their luck, although I detect that even their bright-eyed enthusiasm is staring to wane. Advertising was the sexy place to be in the ’80s. The zeitgeist has moved on. And so have most of the bright-young-things.
So how did I survive
for thirty years? Well it was a close shave. Very close. And while on the
It turns out that my training and experience had equipped me perfectly for this epic act of self-deceit.
inside I am indeed a ‘delicate flower’ as some Creative Director once wryly observed, I have enjoyed, until recently, the outward physical constitution and rude health of an ox. I mostly hid my insecurity and fear from everyone but those closest to me, and ran fast enough that I would never be found out. The other thing I did, I now discover, was to convince myself that there was nothing else, I would rather be doing. That I had found my true calling in
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Essays
life, and that I was unbelievably lucky to be getting paid — most of the time — for something that I was passionate about, and would probably be doing in some form or other anyway.
It turns out that my training and experience had
equipped me perfectly for this epic act of self-deceit. This was my gig. My shtick. Constructing a compelling and convincing argument to buy, from the thinnest of evidence was what we did. “Don’t sell the sausage. Sell the sizzle.” as we were taught at ad school.
Countless late nights and weekends, holidays,
birthdays, school recitals and anniversary dinners were willingly sacrificed at the altar of some intangible but infinitely worthy higher cause. It would all be worth it in the long run.”
This was the con. Convincing myself that there
was nowhere I’d rather be was just a coping mechanism. I can see that now. It wasn’t really important, or of any consequence at all really. How could it be? We were just shifting product. Our product, and the clients. Just meeting the quota. “Feeding the beast” as I called it on my more cynical days.
So was it worth it?
Well of course not. It turns out it was just
advertising. There was no higher calling. No ultimate prize. Just a lot of faded, yellowing newsprint, and old video cassettes in an obsolete format I can’t even play anymore even if I was interested. Oh yes, and a lot of framed certificates and little gold statuettes. A s----load of empty Prozac boxes, wine bottles, a lot of gray hair and a tumor of indeterminate dimensions.
38
It sounds like I’m feeling sorry for myself again.
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
Redding
I’m not. It was fun for quite a lot of the time. I
was pretty good at it. I met a lot of funny, talented and clever people, got to become an overnight expert in everything from shower-heads to sheep-dip, got to scratch my creative itch on a daily basis, and earned enough money to raise the family which I love, and even see them occasionally.
But what I didn’t do, with the benefit of perspective,
is anything of any lasting importance. At least creatively speaking. Economically I probably helped shift some merchandise. Enhanced a few companies bottom lines. Helped make one or two wealthy men a bit wealthier than they already were.
It all seemed like such a good idea at the time. But
I’m not really sure it passes The Overnight Test.
Oh. And if your reading this while sitting in some
darkened studio or edit suite agonizing over whether Housewife A should pick up the soap powder with her left hand or her right, do yourself a favor:
Power down.
Lock up, go home and kiss your wife and kids.
Originally posted March 11, 2012. www.lindsredding.com
Case Studies
How Do You Feel About… The Int
40
Venture Capitalist
Journalist
Reality TV Star
Apple
Postal Employee
President
Publisher
Photographer
Netflix
Weirdo on Deviantart
File Pirate
SEO Expert
Already Famous Person
Travel Agent
Harajuku Girl
Mommy Blogger
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
Case Studies
nternet
Social Media Guru
Author Dead More Than 70 Years
Amazon
Librarian
Guy On OkCupid that “looks likes Brad Pitt”
Small Retailer
Mid-Level Anything
Printing Press Operator
Content Marketer
Graduate Student
Pedophile
iOS Developer
Trust Funder Running A Streetwear Line
Traveling Salesperson
Musician
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Talking Points
Concept Patterns Any discernible (generally predictable) regularity, either naturally-occurring or as a result of man-made design or fabrication, patterns present themselves across the senses or may result through analysis in science, mathematics, or language.
Woven patterns unify single strands in an Over-Under relationship, building a fabric that has much more strength than the individual fibers could hope to alone.
Patterns are often used purely as
decoration. In the first case, one may find more delight and stimulation in perceiving the collective whole. The adage, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” applies to such patterns as those created by sea foam.
Patterns often comprise a function-
al component as well that often goes overlooked. In this case, it must be seen that the fibers of a woven pattern, while in fact possessing a more interestingly complex texture, both visually and tangibly, also imbue the resultant fabric with strength.
By incorporating an equal and
unbiased collaboration between advantage and submission, the weaker individual threads bond to become “more” through unity as a complete weaving. Disgraced Hall Of Famer Pete Rose knows a thing or two about the Over-Under.
Any imbalance in this regularity would likewise weaken and likely result in the destruction of all surrounding threads.
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Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
Talking Points
Application Binary The concept of binary numbers comes from the mathematics world, in which it describes a collection of ordered pairs of elements. Most typically these sets are reduced to the dyadic relationship between 0 and 1.
Digital electronic circuitry uses logic
gates based on binary system of digit which simplifies the differences between data in an “on” and “off” state. These gates are used by almost every modern computer-based device.
A binary string of eight digits (more
commonly referred to as 8-bit encoding) can represent any of 256 possible values which correspond to a variety of different symbols, letters or instructions. (A lowercase “a” is
“I like this one. One dog goes one way. The other dog goes the other way.”
represented by the bit string 01100001.) These strings can be combined to form larger classes of solutions to any specific problem, simply referred to as “patterns” in programming.
In the absence of zero, there can be no
relevance for one, and vice versa. Without the presence of oscillation between the polarities, regardless the number of encoded bits, only two characters would be possible to encode at any given time. Thus the likely and necessary condition of both the negative and positive are needed for the system to function.
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Talking Points
For a group with a hit called “The Whisper Song”, The Ying Yang Twins’ work contains a complexing preponderance of shouting.
Concept
Yin and Yang The concept of yin-yang is used in Chinese philosophy to illustrate seemingly opposite or contrary forces which are nevertheless interconnected and interdependent in the natural world. Many dualities (such as light and dark, high and low, hot and cold, fire and water, life and death, and so on) are thought of as physical manifestations of the yin-yang concept. It is important to note that everything must entertain both yin and yang aspects simultaneously; as one polarity cannot exist in the absence of its counterpart. (Source: More or less Wikipedia)
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Talking Points
Application Gestalt Theory By contrasting negative and positive space, the human mind is able to discern multiple figures implied by the perception of a shape created by the contrast between forms. Typically, the negative space-shape creates an illusion that seems brighter and closer to the viewer than the positive space actually drawn.
Gestalt psychology centers around the
self-organizing tendencies of the human mind. The effect allows us to visually organize and recognize whole forms instead of groups of random marks.
Social reification of patterns—the establish-
ment of “normal” through instruction— extends our perception to process more information than what is physically shown. The principle allows us to explore the versatility and ambiguity of the mind.
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For The Classroom
Chapter Test (100 points)
Section A:
Section B:
Pair Sorting
What Time Is It?
Please choose one from each of the following sets: A: Star B: Sun A: Somewhere Over The Rainbow B: So Totally Over The Rainbow A: Imitation B: Flattery A: Pizza Hut B: Taco Bell C: Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell A: Piracy B: Sharing
A: Educational Affordance B: Skeuomorphic Bulls--A: Selfish B: Self-Interested A: Delusion B: Paranoia A: Turnt B: Plurnt A: Black B: White
In each of the above analog clock faces, the correct time is shown. Consider the following: •
Is it midnight or noon, six a.m. or six p.m.?
•
Is the day over, or just beginning?
Now answer: Does how you analyze the clock say something about your perspective, or is your decision entirely of contextual
A: Connectivity B: Privacy A: American Pie B: Levy Dry
Source: Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium, Fall 2013
consequence?
For The Classroom
Section C:
Section D:
Where Is This?
Connections 4 3
2
4 5 3
5
6 2
1
7
1
6
7 8
Please choose the most appropriate answer(s): A: Where you, and many others in your school, had your first kiss.
C: Notorious junkie hangout and drug dealer’s hook-up spot.
Please choose either
B: Community hub for parents to enjoy time with their kids.
D: Reported location of Hitler’s suicide.
illustration.
Option: A or B. Connect the dots to complete the
How does the result make you feel?
Source: Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium, Fall 2013
For The Classroom
Final Exam (200 points)
Who Has The Advantage?
In today’s workplace, the objective is to gain the “upper hand” on your competitor. Efficiency is the name of the game. In the diagrams above, which company holds the advantage?
Source: Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium, Fall 2013
Trend Report
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1990
Qty.
1995
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2000
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cia So
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2005
2010
2015
e enu dge v e l e ow R le f Kn O g o ion tribut Go s i D c i t Democra lies Digital Distribution Monopo 1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
ard ash ia
ns
1990
ull Total B 1990
The K
Qty.
Hope 1995
2000
2005
2010
Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium • Fall 2013
2015
49
Final Words
This Issue of the Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium owes a debt of gratitude to the words, thoughts and actions of: Dan Benjamin
Karl Klaus
Marshall Berman
George Lakoff
Daniel Boorstin
Jaron Lanier
Dave Carnie
Geoff McFetridge
Samuel Clemens
Donny Miller
Guy Debord
Mike Monteiro
Denis Dutton
Friedrich Nitezsche
Michel Foucault
Joe Rogan
Johann Goethe
Doug Rushkoff
William Hazlitt
Jonathon Swift
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Alvin Toffler
Dedication To the legion of undead in-house designers and desktop publishers worldwide, who, without your bold interpretation of what design can be, regardless of what it should be, this publication would not have been possible.
The Journal Of Perspective Equilibrium and its associated by-products was conceptualized, written (and/or heavily pirated and/or plagiarized), edited, photographed, falsified, and designed by Sacramento-based creative professional Aaron Winters over summer/fall 2013 while in the mfa degree program at Vermont College Of Fine Arts. ©2013 Aaron Winters except where its not. “Acquired Content” courtesy of Google under the Creative Commons license or otherwise exist in that legal gray vacuum we refer to as The Internet. Any likeness to anyone alive or dead herein, unless just jaw-droppingly obvious for reasons of social commentary or satire, is completely unintentional… as is any resemblance to actual Science.
Volume 1 Part 1
Journal Of
Fall 2013
Perspective Equilibrium
Perspectives Thoughts Studies Analysis Rebuttals Resources
A joint publication of the Society for the Advancement of Spurious Connections, the Office Of The Bureau of Circular Arguments and the University Of Universal Universality at Unifordshire.