celebration of vanity and frivolousness

 immortality waste of time

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‘What is “fashion” anyways, but a celebration of vanity and frivolousness?

 

We should pursue higher truths: let us shed the falseness of apparel, together, and writhe naked on this carpet.’

 

=

 

Sarah Jeong

 

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“You have scattered your awareness in all directions,
and your vanities are not worth a bit of cabbage.
The root of every thorn draws
the water of your attention toward itself.
How will the water of your attention reach the fruit?
Cut through the evil roots, cut them away.
Direct the Bounty of God to spirit and insight,
not to the knotted and broken world outside.”

 

=

 

Rumi

 

—————————-

 

 

 

Well.

 

This is about fashion … and … uhm … journalism.

 

completely useless meJournalism & fashion?

 

Yup.

 

Both seem to teeter on the edge of frivolousness.

 

Both pander to the ego.

 

Both push the envelope in what they showcase all the while showcasing that which is not really helpful for the general public on an everyday basis.

 

Both seem to have a wandering moral compass.

 

And both seem to have an uncomfortably disproportionate effect on us <society>.

 

By the way.

 

Yeah.

An industry can have a moral compass. I say that because most industries do play by some ‘rules.’ And a portion of those rules are dictated by the industry moral compass. And by rules I don’t mean lying versus not lying and having some sense of overall responsibility to how they sell what it is they are selling <not selling a crappy product/service> but rather an overall sense of higher ethics.

 

This is tricky.

Maybe trickier than it looks on the surface.

 

Ethics could very very easily reside in ‘truth.’ But instead I would argue that if you are an industry in which you know you have a larger impact than just selling what it is you have to sell that you have a responsibility to a higher order of ethics.

 

I worked in advertising for a long time in my career. So I understand the responsibility to something more than ‘selling shit’ <which was my compass early in my career>.

 

The responsibility resides more in understanding that what you say and what you show and what you ‘sell’ makes an impact with regard to attitudes. How people think and creating some societal impact. I imagine many <many> people in fashion and journalism think about this an assess their actions on the moment … as in “I have a responsibility to the moment.”

 

That is the easy path.

The lazy path.

And that is the path that detours you around that beautiful little park which seems to have fewer and fewer visitors to what I will call “moral responsibility park.”

 

Each moment in fashion and journalism creates a ripple. Yes. EACH moment.

And, yes, if you look at it that way it can become a little overwhelming and possibly it creates some issues with regard to what you may actually do, or not do, in that moment. And it may even mean you take a moment and decide ‘damn, but this would have sold some shit <or created some awesome viewership>.”

 

I will be honest.

 

I am not sure if I am discussing fashion & journalism’s inordinate desire to celebrate moments of vanity <which is actually a frivolous approach to their business and overall responsibility> or if this is an overall ignorance of lack of responsibility <or possibly lack of understanding> of a higher responsibility that what they do and say each moment has an impact.

 

I can almost assuredly say that these days both industries seem to be fighting not only for some rational valued place in society <as both appear to be relegated to frivolous irrational/emotional status> and, therefore, while no one is noting it … internally both are fighting to find their inner compass and are clearly standing in the moral relativism space.

 

This should be important not only to them but to us.

 

Their vertigo, i.e., without being grounded in some way with morality each step, doesn’t just make them dizzy but also creates a spinning in overall societal attitudes with regard to what is important and what is truly happening around us <outside our own sphere of activity an experiences>.

frivolous vanity

==

 

Vertigo is when a person feels as if they or the objects around them are moving when they are not.

Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties walking. It is typically worsened when the head is moved. Vertigo is the most common type of dizziness.

 

==

 

Now.

 

I think sometimes both of these industries confuse the dizziness with ‘the light headedness associated with the celebration of vanity.’

 

They become so fixated on the dual glittering spectacle of that which they seek to sell and that who is … well … themselves.

 

Ok.

 

While I could editorialize about the misguided ego of that which is fashion and journalism I believe I will talk about some specifics. Because it is lazy to simply heap disdainful opinion upon the empty carcasses of fashion and journalism.

 

I want to discuss some specifics because when journalism and fashion get t it wrong … when they lose their moral compass and stray gleefully with vanity & frivolousness across our lives … they can fuck us, people, up.

 

How does fashion fuck us up?

 

Their advertising is misguided and sucks.

 

Worse?

Their advertising may actually dictate some social norms and beliefs.

 

Yeah.

 

Advertising can do that.

 

And if they kept that style and vapid effort to themselves it would be okay … but then they convince someone else to do something “artsy” to create “buzz” and be “cool” and … well … my quotation mark key is getting worn out.

 

Look.

 

I am not disregarding personal responsibility with regard to electing what is important to us and what is not. But if you are continuously being pounded with images and words depicting what is not only socially acceptable but what is socially desirable … you will inevitably begin thinking it is truth <or maybe even just thinking that it is possibly truth>. It is a seductive path to walk. And none of us … yes … NONE of us are immune to this seduction.

We eye it equally with trepidation and thoughts of possibilities. And in doing so it creates seductive images of … well … false glory.character dignity glory worth

 

===

 

“False glory is the rock of vanity; it seduces men to affect esteem by things which they indeed possess, but which are frivolous, and which for a man to value himself on would be a scandalous error.”

 

——-

 

Jean de la Bruyere

 

====

 

By the way … this is human. This is not some sign of weakness or of lack of self identity … his is real world ‘me & you’ attitude stuff. Don’t laugh. Don’t think you are immune to it. it I how we think. That doesn’t mean you can’t fight it off but, trust me, their frivolousness is insipid and wily and is constantly trying to sneak into our thoughts and attitudes.

 

By the way … I note that last thought because that is where I believe fashion’s lack of responsibility is … well … almost unforgivable. Unforgivable because my guess is that in the back room discussion this never even comes up in the conversation.

 

 

Shame on them.  

 

How does journalism fuck us up?

 

While advertising can shape social norms and beliefs … journalism can do so exponentially so.

For while we see fashion as ‘trends to jump on’ journalism is seen more as ‘issues to jump on.’

 

Therefore if both teeter on the edge of frivolous … journalism bears the burden of irresponsibility even more so.

 

It seems like “objective” news has disappeared and now news outlets reside almost all in a partisan driven, niche opinion/attitude space … but do so under the guise of intellectual discourse.

 

They get away with this intellectual highway robbery because they are legally classified as commentary or opinion under the larger ‘infotainment’.

 

They sit comfortably in their plush moral relativity seats selling people what they wish to hear justifying the irrational hate/anger of a mob mentality against other opinions/commentary creating some sense of belonging among their viewership/readership.

 

They have lost any remote relationship to a higher moral compass and responsibility for a higher responsibility to the moment.

 

 

Shame on them.

lies we tell oursleves fingers

I can wag my finger and shake my head at fashion and journalism because their moral relativism <or lack of moral responsibility> actually falls into the same trap they are driving society into … their vanity and self esteem.

 

I am constantly amazed each industry is simultaneously preoccupied with the appearance of its own body and at the same time completely out of touch with it as well.

 

==

 

“It’s amazing to me that we can be simultaneously completely preoccupied with the appearance of our own body and at the same time completely out of touch with it as well.“

 

 

Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

==

 

 

They celebrate their own vanity and frivolousness because … well … they have lost sight of their moral compass. Or at least they have lost sight of the higher moral responsibility.

 

Let me be clear.

 

What I am discussing today matters.

 

It matters because while we would like to flippantly relegate fashion and journalism to some irrelevant chatter occurring on the edges of Life … neither are irrelevant and neither are just chatter.

 

They impact society way beyond informing our opinions … they inform and impact our attitudes. And, yes, attitudes impact our behavior.

 

Our behavior with regard to not only ourselves <how we look, eat, dress, think and do things> but also with regard to those around us <how we view how they look, what they eat, how they dress, what they think and what they do>.

 

Both fashion and journalism absolve themselves of the higher order responsibility with words like “we want to inform people so they are better aware.’

 

What bullshit.

 

That is simply their excuse to do whatever they want in the moment.

 

They are both current in the managing/maximizing the moment’ business which is knowledge higher planesimply moral relativism.

 

 

Shame on them.

 

To circle back to the beginning … my advice to fashion & journalism is … cut through the evil roots, cut them away …  and  pursue higher truths: let us shed the falseness.

 

Running business by ‘moments’ is seductive but  only leads to moral relativism. Pursue the higher path.

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Written by Bruce