Why So Serious?

[LMNO]

Do you have any thoughts on the kokopelli archetype?  As trickster I mean?   

Profoundly misunderstood by pretty much every white guy who's ever written about him.

[Cainad (dec.)]

Do you have any thoughts on the kokopelli archetype?  As trickster I mean?   

Profoundly misunderstood by pretty much every white guy who's ever written about him.

Yes it is. And off the top of my head, I give it a 76.2% chance of being completely true.

[LMNO]

Also, to keep this thread on track...

In addition to Cram's questions, I was wondering what you thought about the long-term effects of this "multiplicity of identities."

Do you think a strong sense of purpose, or failing that—a strong sense of self—is necessary for someone to thrive as a trickster? If you look at Joey Skaggs, the Yes Men, and the Billboard Liberation Front, there is a definite subtext of seriousness surrounding their pranks. It seems to me that for most stunts to be successful, the trickster needs to spend some time on cold, sober calculations and practicalities. Earning one's slack...

You suggested some answers to these questions in the OP, but I was hoping you would expand on them a bit.

I think there is a need for some sort of drive, certainly.  But I think that drive exists far lower than the various identities that a trickster takes on in their various pursuits.

I'll illustrate with an example.  This rant actually came to me two weeks ago today.  I had a job interview and jobseekers allowance (unenployment benefits) interview on the same day, several hours apart, in a town about 40 miles from where I live.  Now, its a nice town, where I was, so after attending my jobseekers interview in the morning (where I projected a proffesional, eager to work and helpful air, in the hope some sympathy for my position might increase my payments), I had another 6 hours before my interview was due to start.

So I went to the park for a while.  And, naturally, I got bored fairly fast.  So I started mindfucking the public.  I roped several people into helping me find my lost dog.  I convinced an assistant manager at a store that he was heir to a 19th century collection of dog rugs, of absolutely no value whatsoever, that had been bequeathed to him upon the death of an eccentric and distant relative (I was wearing a suit and carrying plenty of documentation, it was easy).  I managed to recruit several people to hand out flyers saying "want cheaper fuel?  www.meatspin.com" that I had knocking about in my briefcase.

They were all roles, but I couldn't shake the impression they were as real as any other personality I projected at any given moment.  My meek, vaugely helpful and inoffensive personality at the job centre certainly wasn't my usual personality, but it incorporated elements from it, while supressing others.  Equally, my default personality - the one I have on here and offline, supresses other parts of my personality that may come to the fore in various situations - how I can be intensely logical, focused and ruthless, for example.  I certainly prefer certain masks, such as the one I currently use, but its all a matter of holding back certain drives and traits - enforcing order on the chaos that is the true human spectrum of expression.

I think a drive is part of that chaos, the churning seas of the subconscious.  What that drive may be, I don't know.  I suspect that various aspects of the personality interpret it in different ways, which is why the Trickster has problems forming long term and meaningful goals.  Most people rely on continual supression of aspects of their personality, they have a single, or a couple of masks at best.  However, someone who practices so many roles, who thinks in so many different ways, is exposed to so many more interpretations of the drive itself.  Understanding, and chaos, result.

I hope that's the sort of answer you were looking for.

You must really piss off buddhists.  They work all this time to strip the masks from reality, and here you are, an all your borderline sociopathic glory, switching masks as quickly as Anonymous at a Guy Faulks festival.

But you know what? I'm with you.  If we want to move within the world, we need to be adept at which masks to choose from.  Otherwise, we might as well go sit in a monastary for the rest of our lives.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Also, to keep this thread on track...

In addition to Cram's questions, I was wondering what you thought about the long-term effects of this "multiplicity of identities."

Do you think a strong sense of purpose, or failing that—a strong sense of self—is necessary for someone to thrive as a trickster? If you look at Joey Skaggs, the Yes Men, and the Billboard Liberation Front, there is a definite subtext of seriousness surrounding their pranks. It seems to me that for most stunts to be successful, the trickster needs to spend some time on cold, sober calculations and practicalities. Earning one's slack...

You suggested some answers to these questions in the OP, but I was hoping you would expand on them a bit.

I think there is a need for some sort of drive, certainly.  But I think that drive exists far lower than the various identities that a trickster takes on in their various pursuits.

I'll illustrate with an example.  This rant actually came to me two weeks ago today.  I had a job interview and jobseekers allowance (unenployment benefits) interview on the same day, several hours apart, in a town about 40 miles from where I live.  Now, its a nice town, where I was, so after attending my jobseekers interview in the morning (where I projected a proffesional, eager to work and helpful air, in the hope some sympathy for my position might increase my payments), I had another 6 hours before my interview was due to start.

So I went to the park for a while.  And, naturally, I got bored fairly fast.  So I started mindfucking the public.  I roped several people into helping me find my lost dog.  I convinced an assistant manager at a store that he was heir to a 19th century collection of dog rugs, of absolutely no value whatsoever, that had been bequeathed to him upon the death of an eccentric and distant relative (I was wearing a suit and carrying plenty of documentation, it was easy).  I managed to recruit several people to hand out flyers saying "want cheaper fuel?  www.meatspin.com" that I had knocking about in my briefcase.

They were all roles, but I couldn't shake the impression they were as real as any other personality I projected at any given moment.  My meek, vaugely helpful and inoffensive personality at the job centre certainly wasn't my usual personality, but it incorporated elements from it, while supressing others.  Equally, my default personality - the one I have on here and offline, supresses other parts of my personality that may come to the fore in various situations - how I can be intensely logical, focused and ruthless, for example.  I certainly prefer certain masks, such as the one I currently use, but its all a matter of holding back certain drives and traits - enforcing order on the chaos that is the true human spectrum of expression.

I think a drive is part of that chaos, the churning seas of the subconscious.  What that drive may be, I don't know.  I suspect that various aspects of the personality interpret it in different ways, which is why the Trickster has problems forming long term and meaningful goals.  Most people rely on continual supression of aspects of their personality, they have a single, or a couple of masks at best.  However, someone who practices so many roles, who thinks in so many different ways, is exposed to so many more interpretations of the drive itself.  Understanding, and chaos, result.

I hope that's the sort of answer you were looking for.

You must really piss off buddhists.  They work all this time to strip the masks from reality, and here you are, an all your borderline sociopathic glory, switching masks as quickly as Anonymous at a Guy Faulks festival.

But you know what? I'm with you.  If we want to move within the world, we need to be adept at which masks to choose from.  Otherwise, we might as well go sit in a monastary for the rest of our lives.

This is Full Of Win