Discordia without Discordians

[The Good Reverend Roger]

As has been amply demonstrated over the last decade or so, most "discordians" are assholes.  They don't get it.  They miss the point.  From the long-lost days of the Myspace Discordians, to the cheerfully sociopathic arse biscuits on Facebook, Discordianism is basically the last excuse for assholes.  What's more, they feel that they must band together under the fart blanket, to see who can be the worst example of a human being.  If you try to reason with them, then you're doing it wrong, and they will attempt to doorstep you, or make you think they will.

This sort of thing is why "discordian" is a label I no longer apply to myself.  I don't need the label...I am what I am.  If much of what I am fits our definition of discordianism, okay...But I am more than that.  Some of what I am fits the definition of a subgenius.  But I am more than that, as well.  So I no longer identify as either.

A few weeks ago, I got mad because I caught a ration of shit after blocking a racist.  I undid the block.  Other shit happened, and the racist was gone anyway, but I was furious because PD wasn't being MY discordia.  I also spent more than a decade writing here, and often got pissed when something I had enjoyed writing sank off the page like Brittany Spears' career.  Again, I was mad because it wasn't MY discordia, and it didn't bring me the validation I craved.

Then it was pointed out to me that a lot of this was in fact based on said validation, even to the point of doing things for people that hate me.  So much for being a biped, right?  Well, nobody is expected to start out knowing everything, and even an old dog can learn new tricks.

So I do my discordia on my own, these days.  I've dropped out of the local cabals, and have in fact found that I can have a lot more fun on my own, when it comes to shoveling sand into the gearbox.  Or fixing the gearbox.  Whichever strikes my fancy on any given day.  Hell, 10 years ago I said that if you were doing it for the admiration of your peers, you were doing it wrong, and then it turns out I was doing that very thing all along.

What I need to do is get back to basics.  I don't see the need to start a multi-generational war over a snub, because that's Eris's thing, not mine.  I don't, however, see the need to perform like a circus monkey for people who hate me.  In fact, my subgenius side tells me to ramp it up and hate those people more.  Maybe I will, I don't know.  But I'm certainly not sticking my neck out for them, or writing for them ("I don't like you, but I like your writing.  Sometimes."), or associating with them, simply because life is too short. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and I'd hate to think I would go to my maker having not hated the people who hated on me.

Discordians tend to be the most interesting people I know.  This is not to be confused with the healthiest people I know.  I love reading Hunter S Thompson, for example, but I doubt I'd have enjoyed spending 6 months with him.

So I'm flying solo, these days.  It's not for everyone, but it DOES have the added advantage of not getting poop all over your shoes when a "discordian" starts jabbering racist nonsense or starts making threats because you're doing it wrong.  I would say "you don't have to hang out with sociopaths", but the fact is that most of the people involved in all of these things DO believe people are real.  They just don't believe YOU are real.  And because of that, you have to treat them as sociopaths even though they aren't with respect to the rest of the world.

The days of the Cabal are over, I think.  Well, at least they are for me.

[LMNO]

I strongly believe in what you've written, especially the first two paragraphs.  Exposure to the FB discordians has really challenged my assumptions as to where the Discordian Overton Window is open right now.

That is to say, while everyone has their own Discorida, there's a Gaussian curve that seems to peak with people I'm fairly sure I never want to associate myself with.

I can't say I'll stop self-identifying as Discordian (or, snobbishly, "Erisian"), but I'm waaaaaay more reluctant to speak about it in public.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I strongly believe in what you've written, especially the first two paragraphs.  Exposure to the FB discordians has really challenged my assumptions as to where the Discordian Overton Window is open right now.

That is to say, while everyone has their own Discorida, there's a Gaussian curve that seems to peak with people I'm fairly sure I never want to associate myself with.

I can't say I'll stop self-identifying as Discordian (or, snobbishly, "Erisian"), but I'm waaaaaay more reluctant to speak about it in public.

Makes sense.  I'm just not identifying with it anymore, on account of it's supposed to be individualistic (cue:  YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG), and identifying with it means you start trying to classify it...And in doing so, classifying yourself.

[hooplala]

Well said.

Presently, I would be very embarrassed if someone I knew looked up discordianism on Facebook, based on something I'd said.

And I agree with you Roger, discordianism now seems to me like the doorway to Chapel Perilous (apologies for using that reference).  A starting point, a jumping off point.  It seems to me it was intended as training wheels, in a sense.

I just call myself a bon vivant these days.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And I agree with you Roger, discordianism now seems to me like the doorway to Chapel Perilous (apologies for using that reference).  A starting point, a jumping off point.  It seems to me it was intended as training wheels, in a sense.

That is BANG ON what I was trying to say.  It was a good way to START thinking for myself, but sooner or later I had to ride on my own.

[hooplala]

And I agree with you Roger, discordianism now seems to me like the doorway to Chapel Perilous (apologies for using that reference).  A starting point, a jumping off point.  It seems to me it was intended as training wheels, in a sense.

That is BANG ON what I was trying to say.  It was a good way to START thinking for myself, but sooner or later I had to ride on my own.

I can't imagine anything more "greyfaced" than calling someone a fucking greyface. 

The only way to do it wrong, is to do it at all.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And I agree with you Roger, discordianism now seems to me like the doorway to Chapel Perilous (apologies for using that reference).  A starting point, a jumping off point.  It seems to me it was intended as training wheels, in a sense.

That is BANG ON what I was trying to say.  It was a good way to START thinking for myself, but sooner or later I had to ride on my own.

I can't imagine anything more "greyfaced" than calling someone a fucking greyface. 

The only way to do it wrong, is to do it at all.

Well, the "greyface" thing is just another demonization of The Other.

It calls to mind people who run around laughing at "sheeple" because God knows THEY aren't sheeple.

[hooplala]

Another variant of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Another variant of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Sure.  Humans are not really wired for the level of complexity/number of stressors to which we have subjected ourselves.  That's why we wobble off into weird shit like that.  I would be amazed if it weren't as common as it is; I am surprised that it is only as bad as it is.

[hooplala]

Another variant of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Sure.  Humans are not really wired for the level of complexity/number of stressors to which we have subjected ourselves.  That's why we wobble off into weird shit like that.  I would be amazed if it weren't as common as it is; I am surprised that it is only as bad as it is.

That's what I tell people ALL the time: I am eternally shocked that we don't have Columbine-like shit going down every single day.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Another variant of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Sure.  Humans are not really wired for the level of complexity/number of stressors to which we have subjected ourselves.  That's why we wobble off into weird shit like that.  I would be amazed if it weren't as common as it is; I am surprised that it is only as bad as it is.

That's what I tell people ALL the time: I am eternally shocked that we don't have Columbine-like shit going down every single day.

There was some guy proposed the future as banal and horribly violent at the same time.  I'll look it up in my nook when I get home tonight.  It's worth a read.  He basically says that the sniper at the McDonalds will be viewed in the same manner as a traffic jam...A pain in the ass, not a horrorshow.

[hooplala]

Another variant of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Sure.  Humans are not really wired for the level of complexity/number of stressors to which we have subjected ourselves.  That's why we wobble off into weird shit like that.  I would be amazed if it weren't as common as it is; I am surprised that it is only as bad as it is.

That's what I tell people ALL the time: I am eternally shocked that we don't have Columbine-like shit going down every single day.

There was some guy proposed the future as banal and horribly violent at the same time.  I'll look it up in my nook when I get home tonight.  It's worth a read.  He basically says that the sniper at the McDonalds will be viewed in the same manner as a traffic jam...A pain in the ass, not a horrorshow.

I would say we are more or less there already... some beautiful rich white celebs get their naked pics leaked online, and that's a much bigger outrage than journalists getting their heads sawed off.

Yes, I would be interested in reading that.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Another variant of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Sure.  Humans are not really wired for the level of complexity/number of stressors to which we have subjected ourselves.  That's why we wobble off into weird shit like that.  I would be amazed if it weren't as common as it is; I am surprised that it is only as bad as it is.

That's what I tell people ALL the time: I am eternally shocked that we don't have Columbine-like shit going down every single day.

There was some guy proposed the future as banal and horribly violent at the same time.  I'll look it up in my nook when I get home tonight.  It's worth a read.  He basically says that the sniper at the McDonalds will be viewed in the same manner as a traffic jam...A pain in the ass, not a horrorshow.

I would say we are more or less there already... some beautiful rich white celebs get their naked pics leaked online, and that's a much bigger outrage than journalists getting their heads sawed off.

Yes, I would be interested in reading that.

I'll dig up the name of the author tonight, if I have time (we're moving on Friday, so...), and post it here.

If not today, then tomorrow for certain.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Found it, Hoops:

http://zenarchery.com/full-text-of-the-grim-meathook-future-thing/

Josh Ellis.  He's written quite a bit about it, this is the tl;dr version.

[hooplala]

Found it, Hoops:

http://zenarchery.com/full-text-of-the-grim-meathook-future-thing/

Josh Ellis.  He's written quite a bit about it, this is the tl;dr version.

Thanks!