Conformity Comes in Many Costumes
It is a common conception, especially in young people, that having an “attitude” brings independence and freedom. I call them the “Too Cool to Care” crowd. Whether it is being a slacker, punk, goth, counter-culture, anti-establishment, or whatever, the philosophy of flippancy is the idea that by being contrary to what is proper one creates an independent identity. I see this often in college students today. They are too cool to care about learning or the world (of course the hardcore flippant ones are “too cool” to even go to college). They are focused only on themselves and their life; oh, and on looking cool. Because being flippant and sarcastic is cool in their perspective. Flippancy has been cool since at least “Easy Rider.” Or, I should say, thought to be cool, because it isn’t, it’s a dead end.
It’s a myopic world view. Sarcasm can be fun; I use it too. But if cynicism is all that you bring to the table, you’re pretty lame. Snide, flippant, and sarcastic comments may get you a laugh but the laughter stops pretty quickly and you’re left with what exactly? Actions and appearances also are made to be flippant and snide and coalesce around certain fads. Punk, goth, death metal, blah, blah, blah ad nauseum, are personas of the counter-culture – identifiable norms of not being “normal.” Gravitating toward a counter-culture identity is fundamentally no different than gravitating toward a culturally-approved identity. They are just different costumes, equally superficial, equally vapid.
Kierkegaard wrote in his book Either/Or about the flippant mindset. In it, a young man describes his personal philosophy of flippancy: being as unpredictable as possible, moving from one role to the next, never doing what was expected of him. In this way, he said, he was free from society because no one knew who he was and no one could say he fit into what society expected. Life is a game, he said, a masquerade ball of masks and tricks. Kierkegaard has another character tell the young man how stupid he was being:
“Life is a masquerade, you explain, and for you this is inexhaustible material for amusement; and so far, no one has succeeded in knowing you; for every revelation you make is always an illusion…Your occupation consists in preserving your hiding place and that you succeed in doing, for your mask is the most enigmatic at all. In fact, you are nothing: you are merely a relation to others, and what you are you are by virtue of relation.”
In rebelling against society, the young man is still defined by his relation to society. Similarly, the flippant person today, by their rebellion against society, is defined by their relation to society. To be counter-culture is to be determined by culture. Flippancy is not freedom it is just another role; it is consciously choosing to be contrary to societal norms. Society tells you to behave appropriately; flippancy is saying you won’t. But since proper behavior is defined by society then being flippant is also defined by society. Being “Too Cool to Care” requires knowing what one should care about and consciously desiring to not do it.
Anyone who is truly free does not care what the roles are, does not notice and is unconcerned by what is culture or counter-culture. Real freedom begins when you stop trying to impress others.
