untitled
an essay on deformity and identity with a structureless writing style
A pulp (“/pʌlp/”) is a soft, moist, shapeless mass of material. (read: also synonymous with the word ‘destroy’ in the case of publishing)
Humanity has constantly been searching for its identity for years. We may look at different forms of media that display this, in many different eras of the world. For example, The Catcher in the Rye, a book written in the 1950’s by J.D. Salinger, which had been hailed as a form of true resonance with teenagers, containing many themes of alienation and isolation. Ironically, it had been meant for adults rather than adolescents. Another example is The Breakfast Club (1985), a largely unscripted movie that still relates to many teenagers, as it is about the problems faced by them, and how they all handle it. The film itself shows a large focus on identity, with the teacher asking the students to write an essay on who they are. There are many other examples that show humanity’s obsession with identity (read: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower).
Identity is the set of qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, or expressions that characterise an individual or group. However, many individuals feel threatened when another individual shares one similar quantity, or grow defensive.
The obsession with identity began around the 1500s, when the Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment began moving people away from the idea of seeing themselves as a part of a group.1
There are many ideas in which social identity can be constructed- occupation, one’s virtues, one’s vices, and adjectives by which one can be described. But, is that really all humans are to be summed up with? Personality traits and the doings of the person?
A large issue with the popularisation of identity is that people truly and genuinely believe that society’s views of all is the accurate view. They therefore attempt to come off as A or B, and grow disappointed when society views them otherwise.
The other demographic, the ones that don’t seem to care about society, believe they are alone in that fight, and that there is no one else that doesn’t care. Their heads have been so inflated that they seem to believe they are “the chosen ones.” These people apparently believe that not caring about society itself is a personality trait, and one that they have stolen from classical authors, which in itself is more frustrating than the former.
In both cases, we see people that, regardless of their self-proclaimed beliefs, care about their perception. How certain people view them, or how certain ideas of them are conveyed.
So, everyone cares about their identity, and how they’re perceived.
But what does that mean, what does it define about society?
Humans are constantly searching for an answer about everything. So, ever since we’ve believed in our own identities, we’ve been begging for our qualities. The issue lies in where we search.
We, as humans, constantly thrive on validation from others, as we believe we have no accurate hold over ourselves. For example, a person might believe they are brilliant because they are told so by others, but they could be as dimwitted as one who is told the opposite. This is due to certain contextual reasons, such as a child good at academics but not exactly bright in other aspects.
In fact, if you read this essay to its completion, you will notice that this essay has no proper structure. The essay made me super uncomfortable in writing, by the way.
Anyways, human beings are constantly put into words, into specific traits, or doings, rather than experiences. Rather than the ability to let people live, we have decided to judge them, to ridicule them. In this method and many others, we have all failed as a society.
There is beauty in human interaction, and in memories of times with human interaction. However, since we have forgotten this, nothing will come out of this essay than an epiphany in one reader.
Our identities were made for ourselves and not for others- enjoy your own company, and let no one else in the chance that they see a flaw.
In this essay, the definitive argument is up to the reader, and what they take from this essay.
Cover image: Bird on Money - Jean-Michel Basquiat (1981) // The New Abnormal - The Strokes (2020)
Paradoxically, around this time, humans began understanding and fixing the issue of “Me versus Them” and is still trying to understand the “Us versus Them” although this does not pertain to the essay.
This speaks to so much. We so desperately crave to be understood and identified with, we create these labels that function as a means to abbreviate our wholeness so we can communicate our interests or facets of our personalities in an attempt to form connections. Unfortunately, it also becomes derivative and shallow at times.
perception being receptive to circumstance and the subsequent thoughts that take shape around it, labels and signifiers pointing inwards (a clusterfuck of beliefs that vary in density and half-lives; also called an identity) is one of the coolest things ever and has led to most of the things we have (period) but then again THE ATTENTION ECONOMY and the commercialisation of ugh nvm i feel like a cynical unc again and also whatever bojack horseman id bring up has been beaten to death already but yeah i wanted to say cool write up props