"... and to live with intention, no matter how mundane our daily rituals might be.... Although some of the content appears aspirational — not all of us can afford a quick trip to Italy or run off to a field full of flowers, dressed in flouncy spring fashion — most of it rejects the type of messaging that pushes people to acquire material things. And it likewise renounces the 'that girl' aesthetic that promotes a one-size-fits-all path to well-being, replete with green juices, journaling and working out. One Reddit commenter found joy even while washing coffee pots at work. 'After putting a little soap in the pot, I gently squeeze the bottle to blow bubbles out... I love bubbles.'... The trend draws wisdom from different domains, like mindfulness, positive psychology and the Danish custom of hygge.... Intertwined in the online conversation about 'romanticizing your life' is the 'main character' trend.... In [Ashley] Ward’s TikTok video.... 'You have to start romanticizing your life,' the narration begins. 'You have to start thinking of yourself as the main character. Because if you don’t, life will continue to pass you by. And all the little things that make it so beautiful will continue to go unnoticed. So take a second, and look around, and realize that it’s a blessing for you to be here right now.'..."
From "The Mundane Thrill of 'Romanticizing Your Life'/A trend that took off early in the pandemic encourages people to appreciate life’s simple pleasures, a philosophy that resonates just as strongly two years later" by Christina Caron (NYT).
ADDED: I was more familiar with the "I'm the Main Character" song on TikTok (explained here, at Know Your Meme).
im very proud of this one pic.twitter.com/fMUDxqDQVz
— ramsey (@l3xapr0lesbian) May 11, 2020
Posts
45 comments:
ah to be young and skinny.
There's a fine line between being the main character and ordinary narcissism.
Lesson #1 on the path to happiness: it's not about you.
Very funny video, but I do believe Ramsay is sending us coded messages.
@l3xapr0lesbian
When everyone is the romantic hero of their own story, there are too many stories to keep track of. Henry Adams used to grouse about the movement from 12th century unity to 20th century multiplicity. He'd have more to complain about if he saw the 21st.
What the ACTUAL fuck?
It’s better to atticize your life
'You have to start thinking of yourself as the main character.
Typing away on Twitter. Moving people's thoughts with your keyboard. Ending racism, climate change, and decades-long friendships.
Knowing future generations will recognize your impact.
i touch my toes?
i pick a flower, and I lay in the road?
you can't find a rhyme for toes (while talking about flowers*), you're a LOUSY main character!
flowers*
i pick a flower and smell it with my nose?
i pick a flower and it smells really gross?
i pick a flower and i'm glad that it grows?
i pick a flower.. it's a daisy not a rose?
i pick a flower that i'm no one mows?
i pick a flower with a rhyme everyone knows?
"Looking for a sign that the universal mind
Has written her into the passion play."
She's cute, and a good example of why this country is doomed.
Women have all these problems. I wonder what Popular Mechanics is like nowadays.
Everyone is the main character in their own life. And what happens to main characters in well constructed stories? They encounter obstacles that must be overcome so that they can achieve personal growth. They're not always happy.
hhardin said...
"Women have all these problems. I wonder what Popular Mechanics is like nowadays."
I miss Tom McCahill's auto reviews.
It's....it's ....it's...just...EVERYTHING isn't it.
What's not to like?
That tweet was soaked in estrogen, dusted with a pound of narcissism.
I was waiting for a car to run her over, but the ending was OK.
I loved that video the last time you posted it. Still love it.
That said...it's not about romanticizing your own life. Lord knows we've no shortage of that going on. Our real entertainment is all around us, every day. You just have to learn to see it. It's a pretty amazing world. And not everything (believe it or not) is about politics, social commentary, and good vs. evil. Sometimes life is just about life...and not just yours. But all life around you. It's a marvelous show and it's right in front of you- every day.
Also- as if that wan't enough. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are on now. I ask you, What more do you need?
Sounds like someone fighting depression.
Sebastian said...
There's a fine line between being the main character and ordinary narcissism.
Lesson #1 on the path to happiness: it's not about you.
Was going to post almost the exact same words.
Nevertheless. . . . .I do find the basic concept rather refreshing and something I more or less stumbled upon in the last few years (nothing to do with the Covids though). I'm sure the idea has been expressed elsewhere but I can't think of where or how at the moment. But yeah, I've been trying to appreciate all that I have, even the tedium. It could be much, much worse.
Remember, these are some future person's Good Old Days. Live them well!
That first Main Character video just does not get old, does it? Still fresh!
An attitude of gratitude. Just don’t go fire-walking on hot coals.
👉🏽 https://youtu.be/fpZ2S8yNlGw
#WaitingforGodot
The way things are going we'll all be experiencing the simple pleasures of hunting and gathering...
I feel sorry for this person's parents. On second thought, they probably think it's cute and creative. That lack of serious purpose in some people now is astonishing. What happened?
This is a terrible way to live your life. You are not the main character in some novel that someone will read later. The only person whom you want and need to remember you is God, in whose image you were made. Become an image of Christ, something which may involve humility, stillness, a lack of plot development, and being uninteresting to future imagined readers of your life's novel.
She's obviously *satirizing* narcissism.
Some of you male chauvinists are so sure women aren't funny that you fail to consider that what you're looking at is funny. You might be able to have a lot more fun if you began with the hypothesis that women are human.
'Some of you male chauvinists are so sure women aren't funny that you fail to consider that what you're looking at is funny.'
Many women are funny, but few women are funny-funny.
Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett lead the list of the latter.
Nobody else really close...
You might be able to have a lot more fun if you began with the hypothesis that women are human.
Are you a biologist???
Ann- Are you assuming it's satire or is that somewhere in the thread? My reaction to it has nothing to do with the sex/gender of the person. I would have had the same reaction if it was a male. The fact that I think the video is silly and pretentious does not make me a chauvinist.
That hypothesis might not be particularly apt. Some of the worst people in the world are human.
That was not bad maybe Lauren Michaels can give her a job. She's already better than the current crop of SNL sketch artists.
I think it's pretty funny the idea of romanticizing your life. Maybe not the best way to put it. Obviously you can do it without attracting attention. And yes indeed it is quite effective at preventing the onset of depression. At least in my experience. We will soon have the rest of eternity to be dead in darkness. Rather than hope that death will be heaven, make heaven right here right now in the light and air of Spring.
Romancing the life... in moderation.
the hypothesis that women are human
Equal in rights... humor and complementary in Nature/nature.
Better to be the main character than an NPC.
You might be able to have a lot more fun if you began with the hypothesis that women are human.
A man needs a woman like a fish needs a bicycle.
Cute and clever, but I'm still not seeing the funny.
But I have never been the target demo for this kind of thing, and depend on Prof to curate the best for us, so I'm not complaining.
My first thought was recollecting that sheer sense of freedom in peak childhood (I wanna say, 11-13). I sensed it was fleeting, but I wanted to hold on to it as long as I could. Steve Sailer has speculated that much of the current pre- and early pubescent Trans identification phenomenon in girls is just that desire to hold on to the freedom of non-sexualized individualism. To dress and walk around how you feel that morning, without the burden of seeing and being seen through sexualized eyes.
Certainly, live is richer if you don't overlook the wonders in daily life. But it seems so much of this goes back to the "look at me, I'm paying attention to the little thing" social media need for the attention of others. It's one thing to be the main character in your own life, but another to think others are your supporting cast, or worse, your audience who owes you attention. Life is a mass of one person improvs interacting in random ways, like street performers who rarely garner a crowd but give each passerby a snippet of entertainment.
The sadness in all this are those who feel they can demand the attention of others. Have others exert the energy to remember someone's preferred pronouns, etc. As a comedian observed, they use pronouns because they can't be bothered to remember someone's names, what makes them think they'll try to remember their pronouns.
QuidProJoe and his minions are orgasmic at the prospect that Ramsey is modeling behavior for the country.
Or, as they say in New Zealand, "No worries, mate." Vote Democrat!
The Ramsey video was an expurgated version of the opening scene of Katie Holmes' "Miss Meadows." Very funny video in that context. Outrageously funny movie, right on target for this thread.
The TikTok message is confusing. A young woman lives her life in her bedroom so she can do her dance alone in the neighborhood at the same time every day? And that's a way of romanticizing your life? One would think that a life where she gets out of the house during the day would be far more romantic than staring at the computer screen in your bedroom.
"not all of us can afford a quick trip to Italy or run off to a field full of flowers, dressed in flouncy spring fashion"
I think I could probably swing the flowers thing. What exactly does "flouncy" mean? That could be an issue.
OK, if it weren't satire, she'd be wearing a kartrashian level of makeup. That should have tipped us off.
After an intentional fart, I dropped a romantic turd in the toilet. Should I have made a video of it?
I listen to (and sometimes watch) the birds each morning while eating breakfast which often includes fruit I've sliced but the plants only get watered a couple of mornings a week. Who knew I was 'romanticising my life'?
All of this nonsense is eminently mockable of course but the truth underlying all of it is that human beings' hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, Lord: neither Saint Augustine nor any other of the countless saints would have any trouble recognizing the fundamental emptiness that plagues so many souls in these latter days (thus 'in real life' I don't actually mock such people).
Lucky for her she wasn't aborted. It wouldn't have been much of a video.
“She's obviously *satirizing* narcissism.”
Narcissism is silly. Solipsism is the way to go.
https://old.reddit.com/r/ImTheMainCharacter/
Post a Comment