Today, a bit of an esoteric signal - as I look at the fourth wall of modernity coming down, though the lens of Ryanair's irreverent and rather tasteless TikTok account that mocks its own customers for complaining about discomfort and being mercilessly charged for add-ons when they are as the airline points out, getting on the plan for less than its real economic and environmental cost. (The customer and the company are both, once we strip back the curtain, participants in the same exploitation capitalist game trying to get more than they are worth and what they paid for.) I consider how all this relates to David Graber's "bullshit jobs" concept - the idea that we know we (many of us) are doing value-less work and getting paid for it (often handsomely!) nonetheless - leading to global, collective cognitive dissonance at the nihilistic absurdism of it all - and shame and fear for our futures as technology and communications advances are finally forcing us to confront this.
Watch the video for more of my trail of thought, and enjoy me mispronouncing "absurdism" because my mind works faster than my mouth can keep up (see? look what I did there extending the forth wall metaphor - meta!) and let me know your thoughts here.
Where else is the fourth wall coming down and showing us up for what and who we are? Forcing us to confront the fact that our shared illusions (delusions??) about money and work and consumerism are necessary for us all to keep believing in if we are to continue enjoying the discount party where so many of us get more than we should - as long as everyone else pretends not to notice...
Once we move past nihilism and into absurdism, what comes next?
Will we re-build the fourth wall and agree not to mention it again? Or will we tear it all the way down and focus on REAL value and non- zero sum games instead?
I don't know - but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Read more:
Who’s Ryanair looking in the mirror? https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/60650/1/ryanair-tiktok-account-dark-twisted-heart-of-capitalism-advertising-social-media
Bullshit jobs : https://www.vox.com/2018/5/8/17308744/bullshit-jobs-book-david-graeber-occupy-wall-street-karl-marx
Me on bullshit jobs :
https://twitter.com/bronwynwilliams/status/1696779433896554609
The fourth wall is coming down