Rev Roger, Sermon #80: Pull Your Head Out of Your Ass

[The Good Reverend Roger]

There's not much to discuss here because I completely agree. Mittens, awesome post, vindaloo-salute, etc.

For the sake of conversation, I'm going to wear the asshat uniform.

Fact:  Once you've put on a uniform, you tend to filter everything through it.  You become what you espouse...A two-dimensional being that sees only the things that their uniforms allow them to see. 

If uniforms can be equated with identity politics or reality tunnels or Butt Iron Prisons, then what is the alternative? Nakedness? What would that mean?

We can't escape our Butt Iron Prisons, that is to say, we have to limit our perception in some way, we have to come at things from an angle, or to use the uniform idea—we can't escape cultural roles. There is no, "nakedness" then, if I'm understanding the metaphor correctly. Then the best we can do is be able to change our uniforms at will, and wear whatever uniform that best enables us to do what we want.

Or

Nakedness?  Nobody's naked unless they also have severe brain damage, or even more Holiness™ than myself.  Change your clothes once a day, at minimum.  No uniform can hurt you if you don't keep it on too long.

That was the meaning behind the whole TGRR/Doktor Howl thing, from which I have decided I am no longer gaining any benefit.

Has Dok been consigned to the Realm of Little Billy? 

I'm pretty sure.  I'm trying to cut out a new reality tunnel now, one that's entirely my own and not a mish-mash of other shit.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Everything you are is tantamount to a uniform. The whole ego is a uniform. Every personality trait. Every. Single. One. Burn the fucker up and start again. You'll be accused of being fake. Don't worry about it. Truth is, there's no such thing as real when it comes to personality.

There can be, and that's the danger.  If you wear any given uniform long enough, the filters become more or less permanent, and you lapse into memetic false consciousness, where you just strain information through your filters, instead of thinking.

An example of someone wearing the uniform RIGHT:  Twiddleton.  He did the Irish thing for quite a while, drove it around until he had it figured out, then moved on to something else.  This is risky, however, unless you bore easily.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

There's not much to discuss here because I completely agree. Mittens, awesome post, vindaloo-salute, etc.

For the sake of conversation, I'm going to wear the asshat uniform.

Fact:  Once you've put on a uniform, you tend to filter everything through it.  You become what you espouse...A two-dimensional being that sees only the things that their uniforms allow them to see. 

If uniforms can be equated with identity politics or reality tunnels or Butt Iron Prisons, then what is the alternative? Nakedness? What would that mean?

We can't escape our Butt Iron Prisons, that is to say, we have to limit our perception in some way, we have to come at things from an angle, or to use the uniform idea—we can't escape cultural roles. There is no, "nakedness" then, if I'm understanding the metaphor correctly. Then the best we can do is be able to change our uniforms at will, and wear whatever uniform that best enables us to do what we want.

Or

Nakedness?  Nobody's naked unless they also have severe brain damage, or even more Holiness™ than myself.  Change your clothes once a day, at minimum.  No uniform can hurt you if you don't keep it on too long.

That was the meaning behind the whole TGRR/Doktor Howl thing, from which I have decided I am no longer gaining any benefit.

Has Dok been consigned to the Realm of Little Billy? 

I'm pretty sure.  I'm trying to cut out a new reality tunnel now, one that's entirely my own and not a mish-mash of other shit.

Looking forward to that!

Not sure how to totally avoid being derivative..."I know! No, wait, that's Lost Highway..."

[The Good Reverend Roger]

It's happening, Reverend. I'm feeling myself crumble away. I feel more and more robotic by the day, and soon I fear that I'll be nothing more than an appliance of The Company. And what's more, it seems to be confined to me. My coworkers chat and laugh and poke fun at each other, and all I ever do is scrub the dishes. I scrub with silent urgency. I scrub with rage, with intensity, but still I only scrub. I scare them, Reverend. I scare my coworkers, and I don't know why. I'll think I'm just wearing my default expression, but when I get a look at myself in a thinned-out pan I see a mask of fury.

I don't actually see a downside here, unless these are people you want to like.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

There's not much to discuss here because I completely agree. Mittens, awesome post, vindaloo-salute, etc.

For the sake of conversation, I'm going to wear the asshat uniform.

Fact:  Once you've put on a uniform, you tend to filter everything through it.  You become what you espouse...A two-dimensional being that sees only the things that their uniforms allow them to see. 

If uniforms can be equated with identity politics or reality tunnels or Butt Iron Prisons, then what is the alternative? Nakedness? What would that mean?

We can't escape our Butt Iron Prisons, that is to say, we have to limit our perception in some way, we have to come at things from an angle, or to use the uniform idea—we can't escape cultural roles. There is no, "nakedness" then, if I'm understanding the metaphor correctly. Then the best we can do is be able to change our uniforms at will, and wear whatever uniform that best enables us to do what we want.

Or

Nakedness?  Nobody's naked unless they also have severe brain damage, or even more Holiness™ than myself.  Change your clothes once a day, at minimum.  No uniform can hurt you if you don't keep it on too long.

That was the meaning behind the whole TGRR/Doktor Howl thing, from which I have decided I am no longer gaining any benefit.

Has Dok been consigned to the Realm of Little Billy? 

I'm pretty sure.  I'm trying to cut out a new reality tunnel now, one that's entirely my own and not a mish-mash of other shit.

Looking forward to that!

Not sure how to totally avoid being derivative..."I know! No, wait, that's Lost Highway..."

Totally different this time, I think.  I'm in no hurry.  I want to drive it around IRL for a while, first. 

[Epimetheus]

TGRR, are you calling a uniform the defined cultural role we play, or the set of personality/behavior we exhibit?

Both, but primarily the roles we assign ourselves.  That's the best part about The Machine™.  You will find your own place in it, most times.

Okay, given that definition I can see how uniforms are more inevitable. But it still looks like there's a way to move forward even without assigning oneself a role. It's not so practical if you have a goal, if you want to get something out of The Machine, but it's a possible path.

The sole difference is Discordianism, which is WHY I am a Discordian, and what makes it different is nuance.  If you're a Discordian and you have your head in the right place, everything should be as different as possible every day.  That's why, for example, the weed/libertarian/magickle/IP threads are so infuriating.  You're doing the same shit you've done before, almost verbatim.  Nothing new is being introduced.  It's a rerun.  You can get THAT on the teevee.

True, but what about the guy who hasn't seen that episode before? It's new to him.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

TGRR, are you calling a uniform the defined cultural role we play, or the set of personality/behavior we exhibit?

Both, but primarily the roles we assign ourselves.  That's the best part about The Machine™.  You will find your own place in it, most times.

Okay, given that definition I can see how uniforms are more inevitable. But it still looks like there's a way to move forward even without assigning oneself a role. It's not so practical if you have a goal, if you want to get something out of The Machine, but it's a possible path.

The sole difference is Discordianism, which is WHY I am a Discordian, and what makes it different is nuance.  If you're a Discordian and you have your head in the right place, everything should be as different as possible every day.  That's why, for example, the weed/libertarian/magickle/IP threads are so infuriating.  You're doing the same shit you've done before, almost verbatim.  Nothing new is being introduced.  It's a rerun.  You can get THAT on the teevee.

True, but what about the guy who hasn't seen that episode before? It's new to him.

He's twelve, living on a hog farm outside Paducah, and doesn't have internet access.

[AFK]

Sometimes people, knowingly, just want a little TeeVee time.  Pressure relief valve or something.  It's not everyone's bag of course, and hopefully people are able to push themselves away from the TeeVee.

[AFK]

I think another important point in this discussion is that the internet is a piss-poor medium for really garnering any kind of accurate sketch as to who a person REALLY is.  I know I'm not putting all of me out there because it just isn't practical.  I don't think you can really engender a connection or friendship deep enough to get to those inner layers, not solely through a forum or the internet.  IMO anyway.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

TGRR, are you calling a uniform the defined cultural role we play, or the set of personality/behavior we exhibit?

Both, but primarily the roles we assign ourselves.  That's the best part about The Machine™.  You will find your own place in it, most times.

Okay, given that definition I can see how uniforms are more inevitable. But it still looks like there's a way to move forward even without assigning oneself a role. It's not so practical if you have a goal, if you want to get something out of The Machine, but it's a possible path.

The sole difference is Discordianism, which is WHY I am a Discordian, and what makes it different is nuance.  If you're a Discordian and you have your head in the right place, everything should be as different as possible every day.  That's why, for example, the weed/libertarian/magickle/IP threads are so infuriating.  You're doing the same shit you've done before, almost verbatim.  Nothing new is being introduced.  It's a rerun.  You can get THAT on the teevee.

True, but what about the guy who hasn't seen that episode before? It's new to him.

PD comes equipped with on-demand.

[Don Coyote]

Everything you are is tantamount to a uniform. The whole ego is a uniform. Every personality trait. Every. Single. One. Burn the fucker up and start again. You'll be accused of being fake. Don't worry about it. Truth is, there's no such thing as real when it comes to personality.

There can be, and that's the danger.  If you wear any given uniform long enough, the filters become more or less permanent, and you lapse into memetic false consciousness, where you just strain information through your filters, instead of thinking.

An example of someone wearing the uniform RIGHT:  Twiddleton.  He did the Irish thing for quite a while, drove it around until he had it figured out, then moved on to something else.  This is risky, however, unless you bore easily.

I think this is (an unconscious) reason I decided to finally join a group doing HEMA that is "different" from what I was taught. I need to see what other people are thinking and doing.

[Richter]

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?

There's been some serious backsliding in this here church.  Once the haven of those who could laugh at adversity until their sphincters popped, the home of a breed of mutant that wore NO MAN'S UNIFORM, there seems to be a little bit of the old Grey creeping in.  People are running around with causes.

Everyone IS there Cause now.  Some strange brain felching shift, once they could no longer by defined by their material possessions, they had to be defined by whatever pre - packaged revolution was available. 

And we all know that there is only one "cause", and that is Chaos, in all her forms and glories. 

There can never be any canon other than the St. Howitzer and the truth she spews.  If this were not the case, then this statement would be IT.

Of course, people will deny their uniforms, even as they straighten their collars and brush lint off of their epaulets.  "This is just one side of me", they say, "There's lots more, but I don't choose to express the rest at this time".  And so they click their heels and smack their heads on the backdrop in an effort to march off into the glorious sunset.

Fact:  Once you've put on a uniform, you tend to filter everything through it.  You become what you espouse...A two-dimensional being that sees only the things that their uniforms allow them to see.  Then they fuck off to Facebook or whatever, because they can't get Discordians to stay interested in that topic forever.  And may Eris have mercy on what's left of their souls.

I heard a lot about people being "worn" be their uniforms.  I couldn't relate until I had put on the black trench coat and boots, and realized I was letting someone outside of me define my head space based on what rags I had draped around.  Patently ludicrous.  Sure, some folks can wear the same thing and be fine, but it just wasn't ME. 

Quick self-check here.  Be honest.  If you put it on, and an IMAGE is more prominent in your mind than anything else, then take it off unlss you're in a play.  Walking down the street thinking you are a Clint Eastwood character is useless unless you actually are.
Lashing back in the opposite direction against this would just be another way of letting the drapes determine how open the window is.  In a fecal monsoon.

Like the man said.  Fuck it, look silly.  This is the logic that got me into polo shirts in the office.  I am silly looking and comfy as a beach bum.  This only helps.

That uniform won't save you from the coming Weird Times™.  I doubt much of anything can...But there's no sense getting all SERIOUS about things you can't do anything about.  Laugh a little.  No, scream your laughter until your vocal chords come out...BRAY SPITTLE AND LAUGHTER IN THEIR UNCOMPREHENDING FACES UNTIL THEY FINALLY BRING YOU DOWN.

Beats the fuck out of ulcers.  And it beats the fuck out of pretending you're something you're not.  In short, it beats being Pink.

Or Kill Me.

RAH.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Hell yeah.

[P3nT4gR4m]

I took off my uniform. Took some getting used to but after a while I felt liberated. I was free, free to think without the constraints of uniform thinking, free to act without the constraints of uniform acting. I'd reached nirvana. Only thing was, for some reason this pissed off the uniforms. They crowded round me like so many white blood cells round a virus. I wasn't wearing a uniform, I was an invader.

I ran like hell and hid in a warehouse, shaking with adrenaline and cursing myself for being so naive. Of course I wasn't the first one. Of course the machine had defences against this kind of thing. I thought I was free. Who the fuck was I kidding? You can never be free. Not in that sense. They'll destroy your free radical ass. Hell, there's uniforms devoted to doing nothing else. I was seven shades of fucked.

I looked around at the racks in the storage facility I'd blindly run into. Racks and racks of uniforms. I picked up one my size and, with grim resignation, I put it on, steeling myself for the inevitable opressive loss of identity. The seconds ticked past. I opened my eyes. Nothing had changed. Here I was, all dressed up in a uniform and I was still me.

I tentatively stepped outside, into the sunlight, amongst the uniforms who, for the most part ignored me, busy as the were with their own little narratives. That's when I realised the key to surviving, as a non-conforming member of this ultra-conformist society. When is a uniform not a uniform? When it's camouflage. When it's a disguise.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I tentatively stepped outside, into the sunlight, amongst the uniforms who, for the most part ignored me, busy as the were with their own little narratives. That's when I realised the key to surviving, as a non-conforming member of this ultra-conformist society. When is a uniform not a uniform? When it's camouflage. When it's a disguise.

Exactly.  Precisely.

There's the danger, of course, of becoming the disguise...But a little careful selection gets around that.  My personal disguise is Joe Blue Collar, at least in terms of general appearance.  I have no issue with blue collar folks in general, but I've known enough yahoo jackasses to make me NOT want to act as I look.