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The Disenfranchised Man
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| Zenchowdah |
Alienated by his friends, family, coworkers, and favorite musical groups, he searches for meaning in a capitalist world gone mad.
The distance he has from the real world is so great that he often finds himself staring into space, wondering what it is that normal people do to fill their time. His super powers include despair, confusion, and crippling boredom. He is what one would consider the mild-mannered alter ego of a tradtional superhero. Disenfranchised Man finds enough challege in his every day life, and therefore decides not to take things further, decides not to bother unlocking his full potential. This lack of ambition, caused by a lack of knowledge of how to combat his demons, keeps him from moving past disenfranchised man, keeps him from evolving into what he now considers his arch nemesis, Socially Adept Man. This transformation would bring with it the understanding and insight necesary to finally allow him to work at fulfilling his potential. Given the nature of what he is to become, Disenfranchised Man must take stock of the society that he is to become adept with. The QUESTION, then, lies in whether Disenfranchised Man can accept society as it is, and therefore become like it, or if he will remain as he is, and hope to find a small acceptance on the side. To join and accept sociey as it is, Disenfranchised Man would have to let go of his morals, his ideas, his values, in order to become Socially Adept Man.
Is it worth turning his back on everything he has ever known to realize his potential? What if he isnt't happy with what he becomes? Worse, what if he becomes unhappy with what he was? Once the process has begun, what if there is no turning back? Is he prepared to take that first step into society, risking everything from ridicule and pariahism to discrimination, or even further alienation? Is the prize worth the risks? ORM at its finest.
Seemingly, Disenfranchised Man's very nature prevents him from answering these critical questions. His mild manner keeps his fears just below the surface, ever nagging at his being, never allowing him a moment's comfort, outside of solitude. "They could never understand," he feels.
He finds a middle ground. He adapts new ideas, morals, values, and preferences while clinging desperately with all the tenacity he can muster to those of old. He rationalizes his sacrifices with the belief that he will feel safer, more secure, more appreciated, more human, and ultimately more Socially Adept with the introduction of new elements to his being. He may not be Socially Adept Man yet, but he has laid the groundwork for a path that will be long and arduous. He will become part of society bit by bit, but the question still remains, though slightly altered, is it worth the destruction of old to become part of the new?
His room, strewn with possessions serving as memories of his fading past, becomes his self-imposed cell. "If I have this, and make here like it was there, then i will feel here as i did there," he thinks. It is in this room that he spends near every minute of his day to day being. He no longer feels loneliness. One stops feeling such things after the idea has been accepted as an unavoidable truth. He no longer thinks, "I am lonely," but thinks, "I am," as his very being now implies lonely.
He delves ever deeper into his psyche, looking for meaning, searching for the answer to the bone chilling question,"why?" that has haunted him for so long. "Is this all there is to life?" if so, why go on? If not, why has meaning eluded him for so long, when it seems to have come so easily to those around him? Perhaps those around him have not even considered the question, and live joyously in their ignorance. Disenfranchised Man is flattering himself. Reise, Reise, indeed.
Chapter one of Disenfranchised Man's life is over. Perhaps it would be better referred to as Part one, or Book one, but it's over. After the 18-year buildup, it's gone in 2 months. Things change quickly, this is true, and as change will come, so will growth. Disenfranchised Man remembers writing his last Dossier of the Ego, Super Ego, and Id, and also remembers what his life was like then. It was the beginning of the climax of Part one, creating the atmosphere for a decent denouement into Part 2. Has he grown since then? Is he any better off now than he was then?
It is hard to say. He feels as though he is lacking, missing an integral part of himself that was taken away during scene change. Perhaps this is a lesson, he ponders, "do not look to others to define yourself, look only to yourself." This, he feels, is inherent with flaw, for what good is definition, if there is no one to clarify it to? Whydefine yourself to yourself? This leads but to delusion and lies.
Not so as to say the the only purpose for existence is to prove one's worth to others... or so as to say that? Man is a social being by nature. The only reason that this is being written-- why is this being written? It is being written because someone is bored, and they hope that by getting thoughts out, they will be able to ake progress on becoming socially adept man. And of course, "Someone" is referring to Disenfranchised Man.
Disenfranchised Man writes his own description, for he has no one to do it for him. He has no one to define himself to, so he defines himself to himself. Perhaps this shall serve as the base definition, equeal in gravity and wonder as Descartes' "I think, therefore I am," only Disenfranchised Man is attempting to take it a step further, and define "I". He cannot deny that he can deny, thereby proving his existence to himself, but this ihe had taken as implicit. To feel free, realize his potential, and become socially adept man, Disenfranchised Man must define "I", assess himself as he has been, is, and hopes to be.
So, still, he wonders--
Is this all there is to life?
(There Must Be More!)
He chooses to tell himself that he is not depressed. "Depression is worse than this. I'm being a melodramatic Hypochondriac." Disenfranchised Man doesn't know the definition of depression, so who is he to diagnose imself with such a disease? Disenfranchised Man will not fall prey to such an egotistical display as to suggest that he feels pain. To admit that one feels pain is to bring pain to those who care. Disenfranchised Man will do no such thing. They need not worry about him. He is strong. He has pulled through in the past, and will do so again. It will take time. It will take thought and effort and sacrifice, but it will be overcome. Disenfranchised Man will not be defeated. He will take solitude as his friend, boredom as his hobby, and insanity as his entertainment. Negate all that is, and all will cease to be. Will this foundation hold? Can one build happiness from the acceptance of sadness?
Is this all there is
to life?
No more hard stuff, he decides, and switches to chill mode. Disenfranchised Man is reminded of riding with the main protagonist female in the chapters leading to the end of part 1, and it pains him. A great many things remind him of this particular character, he finds. Dis-en-fran-chised Man sees himself not as he was then, but as a new person entirely, stripped of his hard work, as he finds that said hard work has been to the benefit of his supporting cast, rather than to himself.
He realizes that whenever he was presented with questions about himself, he would avoid them, and some episode in the life of his supporting cast would come up to distract him. Disenfranchised Man was under the impression that these events built his own character, but it seems he was wrong, for he is no better for it now. Perhaps this is the essence of character, to not want to be better, but to "just be". However, given that Disenfranchised Man has wants, this seems impossible, for one will always try to fulfill those wants, no longer being, but in the process of becoming. A dry spell from becoming. Disenfranchised Man has not felt the effects of becoming anything, as of late. He wants to BE socially adept man, he wants to share these ideas with someone that can appreciate them. Disenfranchised Man wants. He cannot "just be", for he "Is Not." He has work ahead of him that thirst for completion WE ARE NOTHING and demands attention. So still, he wonders,
"Is this all there is to life?" |
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| Nautilus |
| Welcome to the disenfranchised club. |
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| Orbax |
| is this about mcdonalds? |
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| dj_bas |
| sounds like meat katie & elite force - slagg |
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| Arbiter |
To be just another brick in the wall might seem appealing, until you're stuck in one place and bearing the weight of a hundred others.
This man has trapped himself in a maze of his own questions. For if one is to pose contrived questions, one should be prepared to respond to them them with contrived answers. Mistakenly believing the route to his social salvation lies in conformity, he has lost his identity and now is neither socially adept, nor man!
What point, after all, is there to sociality if everyone is the same? Everyone could just save themselves the effort, and have the exact same conversation with themselves.
Self-doubt is foremost among this man's problems. Whether or not that doubt is justified may depend upon part of the story yet to be written. |
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| Zenchowdah |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_bas
sounds like meat katie & elite force - slagg |
Derrick Carter - Where You At, a little bit of Timo Maas - We Are Nothing, and clearly, Tiesto, Just be. |
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| dj_bas |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zenchowdah
Derrick Carter - Where You At, a little bit of Timo Maas - We Are Nothing, and clearly, Tiesto, Just be. |
oh yeah derric carter! the cd i have uses that accapella over slagg :) |
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| Orbax |
| Disenfranchised man could be a super hero |
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| Zenchowdah |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orbax
Disenfranchised man could be a super hero |
if you read it, i make parallels.
super powers, arch nemesis, mild mannered alter ego.. etc |
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