PetiteEtoile- 1-23-09

Tmesis: the words behind the words. The thoughts that erupt in our minds as we are reading or writing or speaking that go unspoken. It’s such an incredible concept, yet such an infinitely simple one. We are different people from different backgrounds with different experiences so even something as insignificant as one word or a picture or even a color begins an entire theatrical event within our minds. I think a great example of this is the show Scrubs. The main character JD’s unconscious thoughts are constantly being shared with the audience and none of the other characters in the show can hear it. Sometimes someone will make a small remark and it will launch a ridiculous memory sequence in JD’s mind which anyone else would have never thought of. I think one of the most intriguing aspects of tmesis is that the author cannot control it. No matter how carefully written the piece is, whether it be a story or a movie or a billboard, he has no way of knowing everyone’s backgrounds and thought processes and what they will see and how they will react. It is this missing element, or the jouissance, really is the most interesting or attractive part. And what is really worth studying, at least to me, is the fact that we cannot control our own tmesis at times. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. There are certain songs which remind me of certain people no matter how hard I try not to think of them, but then again there are certain songs that make me laugh because they remind me of other people and other good times. If we could understand this better the possibilities are endless. Victims of abuse, or those suffering from depression, or people who have been scared by the images of war, could lead endlessly better lives if we knew how to alter their tmesis. But then again, if we are capable of doing that is that considered brainwash and is that ethical? Anyway, back to the topic, there are two types of text: writerly and readerly. Writerly text encourages the reader to rewrite the text with our minds and is the most common, as even the simplest things can send one’s thoughts on a spin. Readerly text is designed to be very upfront and specific and dry, such as an instruction manual, and not inspire any creativity. This is not always constant however because people are so different. For instance, if I read a manual about putting together a blender, I would remember the incident the blender I was using exploded and I had to go to the hospital and get 8 stitches. I guess this could be considered intertextuality, the thoughts we automatically think when we hear something. I think a better example would be every time my mom hears or sees something relating to Rollins, she thinks about me. And calls…But anyway, when one looks at a text differently or takes the excepted everyday meaning and turns it around, it’s referred to as perversion. The word perversion makes it sound like a bad thing, but I think this kind of “perverse” thinking is a great thing. I think taking the norms of our society and the way we handle things and turning them upside down could do a lot of good. Just because something is traditional and normal doesn’t always mean it is the best way or only way. A great example of this is the food pyramid, which not too long ago was the food square. Imagine believing it was healthy to eat just as much ice-cream as you do vegetables. In my East Asia studies class we discussed how in post-modern asia farmers were the most important because they created something out of nothing and artisans were the second most important because they created something even though they needed materials. Merchants, or business people, were the least important because they merely sold other people’s goods and made trades for profit. In today’s society the opposite is true. Farmers are simple working people usually barely getting by and businessmen have all the money and power and prestige. Artists and writers get very little recognition, and people who decide to major in arts get a lot less respect than those who decide to major in business. It used to be, at least in post-modern Asia, that art was seen as character building and a luxury that if you could afford you would invest in it. When did this all change? I’m not saying that one way is definitely more correct than the other, but it was astonishing to me to see the drastic shift that has occurred. Maybe one day drug dealers and prostitutes will be considered prestigious and they’ll be the ones running for office. That is quite a stretch, and I hope it never becomes a reality, but it is something quite interesting to think about.