American Introversion and Extroversion - Indoors and Outdoors

[PocketFullOf]

Under universal literacy naturally we are uniform, we are one form, or as you say, we are just like everyone else, but under the electronic media, we are multiform, what is interesting is how we are different from everyone else.

But how natural: as we drive forward with multiform rushing through the windshield, we look back with nostalgia to uniform in the rear vision mirror.

Okay, but in my experience I can tell you my American relatives and friends don't behave much differently than my non-American ones, and since all we really have are our experiences mine is no less valid than yours.

 

[Mal12345]

What struck me when I first met Americans at Oxford was their sheer energy. No one could compete with them. We had no idea where their energy came from. We couldn't imitate it. And they couldn't turn it off.

I was bowled over by the energy of my American girlfriends. Of course I had no idea, not did they, that their energy was an expression of the American archetype.

So it is true, in sense, that Americans take their guns and swords with them on the way to the grocery store. And this is well illustrated by the Gun Carry laws in the USA. Americans actually and legally carry concealed guns with them on the way to the grocery store.

Yes, the American archetype buys groceries.

I wish I could borrow some of that American archetypal energy.

 

[prplchknz]

What struck me when I first met Americans at Oxford was their sheer energy. No one could compete with them. We had no idea where their energy came from. We couldn't imitate it. And they couldn't turn it off.

I was bowled over by the energy of my American girlfriends. Of course I had no idea, not did they, that their energy was an expression of the American archetype.

So it is true, in sense, that Americans take their guns and swords with them on the way to the grocery store. And this is well illustrated by the Gun Carry laws in the USA. Americans actually and legally carry concealed guns with them on the way to the grocery store.

Yes, the American archetype buys groceries.

yeah we even have stables to park our horses when we go. America is exactly like the wild west. wait only americans need to eat according to mole.


brb I have a jousting competition with my neighbor in 15 minutes

 

[Mole]

Personal Experience, Protestantism, and Science

Okay, but in my experience I can tell you my American relatives and friends don't behave much differently than my non-American ones, and since all we really have are our experiences mine is no less valid than yours.

Yes, your personal experience is no less valid than mine, however we created science because personal experience so easily fools us.

Unfortunately American Protestantism is based on personal experience, so American religion itself gives authority to personal experience.

But worse, you wish to impose the authority of personal experience on the rest of us, flying in the face of science.

 

[Mole]

I wish I could borrow some of that American archetypal energy.

Your American archetype is emerging under the influence of the electric media.

To start to consciously experience our archetype after years of repressing it into the unconscious is terrifying. And naturally we prefer to remain repressed and depressed rather than terrified.

However our terror won't be denied, so the word on everyone's lips today is terrorist. Of course there are real terrorists, and they form the perfect screen onto which to project our hidden terror of the emerging archetype.

 

[PocketFullOf]

Yes, your personal experience is no less valid than mine, however we created science because personal experience so easily fools us.

Unfortunately American Protestantism is based on personal experience, so American religion itself gives authority to personal experience.

But worse, you wish to impose the authority of personal experience on the rest of us, flying in the face of science.

You do understand that the US is a diverse country, not everyone is protestant, right? So far nothing you have said has anything to do with science, where as my experience has everything to do with reality as I have lived in the US for the last 15 years.

 

[Mal12345]

Your American archetype is emerging under the influence of the electric media.

To start to consciously experience our archetype after years of repressing it into the unconscious is terrifying. And naturally we prefer to remain repressed and depressed rather than terrified.

However our terror won't be denied, so the word on everyone's lips today is terrorist. Of course there are real terrorists, and they form the perfect screen onto which to project our hidden terror of the emerging archetype.

By "electric media" do you mean the porn industry?

 

[Red Herring]

Could we please settle on what the word "archetype" is supposed to mean?

According to most dictionaries it's both a) a prototype/stereotype/cliché and b) the Jungian concept of images or concepts that are so deep-seated in human experience that they are universal across cultures and times.

If "American archetype" is used in the first sense of the word, it means nothing more than "stereotypical image of Americans" - something that can be entertaining to make fun of once in a while but has little basis in fact and is extremely superficial. Similar to the stereotype of the donut-eating cop. In any case it definitely isn't worth "studying" and is nothing even remotely scientific or objective.
If "American archetype" is used in the latter sense it is a nonsensical term because the idea of an archetype is not compatible with the idea of nationality - the very essence of an archetype (not a scientific concept either but simply a helpful term when discussing certain psychological theories) is its universality.

So we can certainly talk about clichés about Americans but lets not pretend that there is anything deep or scientific to it and let us please not misuse the term "archetype".

 

[Bush]

Yes, your personal experience is no less valid than mine, however we created science because personal experience so easily fools us.

Unfortunately American Protestantism is based on personal experience, so American religion itself gives authority to personal experience.

But worse, you wish to impose the authority of personal experience on the rest of us, flying in the face of science.

I'd like to see the science.

 

[prplchknz]

Yes, your personal experience is no less valid than mine, however we created science because personal experience so easily fools us.

Unfortunately American Protestantism is based on personal experience, so American religion itself gives authority to personal experience.

But worse, you wish to impose the authority of personal experience on the rest of us, flying in the face of science.

 

[hacbad macbar]

As a Russian, with Arab descent, who is born in Yugoslavia in catholic family with Celtic heritage massively shaped by Slavic cultural influence, I must say, I don't know a shit about Americans.

 

[PocketFullOf]

As a Russian, with Arab descent, who is born in Yugoslavia in catholic family with Celtic heritage massively shaped by Slavic cultural influence, I must say, I don't know a shit about Americans.

That must have been tough...

 

[Mole]

From Cliche to Archetype

we can certainly talk about clichés about Americans but lets not pretend that there is anything deep or scientific to it and let us please not misuse the term "archetype".

OMG, I am being torn to pieces by Red Herring.

What can I possibly say in my defence in the face of such an onslaught?

I enlist our guru, Carl Gustav Jung, and I quote him directly thus -

"Archetypes are the psychic residua of numberless experiences of the same type".
- Jung, "On the Relation of Analytic Psychology to Poetic Art", London, 1928.

In other words, the study of cliches leads us to the archetypes. So the study of American, Australian or even German cliches leads us to the respective American, Australian and German archetypes.

But don't take my word for it, and you don't even have to take our guru's word, all you have to do is read "From Cliche to Archetype" by Marshall McLuhan. Just click on http://www.fivebodied.com/archives/audio/bob/McLuhan/From_Clich%E9_to_Archetype.pdf

Do remember, dear Red Herring, that Mole is a sensitive little beast who holds you in high regard, so please tear me to pieces as gently as possible.

 

[Mal12345]

OMG, I am being torn to pieces by Red Herring.

What can I possibly say in my defence in the face of such an onslaught?

I enlist our guru, Carl Gustav Jung, and I quote him directly thus -

Our guru? He's not my guru, that's for sure.

 

[Mole]

Our guru, Carl Jung, wrote about personality types and archetypes.

And although it is correct to talk about personality types here, it is politically incorrect to talk about archetypes. In fact archetypes are dismissed as stereotypes.

We understand archetypes through the study of cliches. And as cliched English is the only English spoken here, it would seem we are in a wonderful position to understand Jungian archetypes, if only archetypes weren't politically incorrect.

 

[Mole]

When I first joined Central so long ago I wrote in freshly minted English, which was incomprehensible to my fellow members who wrote only cliched English. So in order to be understood, I also started to write in cliched English.

But not only do we write in cliched English, we also write in the jargon of mbti.

And both cliched English and jargon point towards the Jungian archetypes.

But archetypes make the members so uncomfortable, archetypes are verboten.

 

[Mal12345]

When I first joined Central so long ago I wrote in freshly minted English, which was incomprehensible to my fellow members who wrote only cliched English. So in order to be understood, I also started to write in cliched English.

But not only do we write in cliched English, we also write in the jargon of mbti.

And both cliched English and jargon point towards the Jungian archetypes.

But archetypes make the members so uncomfortable, archetypes are verboten.

This isn't JungCentral. Its original name as you know was MBTIcentral, and it would still have that name.

 

[Mal12345]

As a Russian, with Arab descent, who is born in Yugoslavia in catholic family with Celtic heritage massively shaped by Slavic cultural influence, I must say, I don't know a shit about Americans.

Governments erect pretty buildings so they can post pretty pictures. But behind the pretty pictures lie scenes of cruel poverty.

 

[hacbad macbar]

Governments erect pretty buildings so they can post pretty pictures. But behind the pretty pictures lie scenes of cruel poverty.

Amen.