Light and darkness

It's quite common to compare things of the past and the present. At the same time we had breakthroughs in medicine, in technology and in the achievement of respect for minority or historically repressed groups (women, homosexuals, black people, handicaps), it seems that society haven't evolved that much in the way of thinking. The critical thinking, that is not that complex once you see the positive and negative points of the things, it seems more as a “gift” than an ability that may be developed since one's childhood.

Maybe the excess of information generated by television media and internet has atrophied our brains or we lost focus on what's worthy to know. In order to absorb all, including useful and useless, literary works were ruminated for those who are lazy to think. Besides, the “opinions leaderships” still exist. Instead of listening to who have a cause knowledge (professors, experts, researches), many are based on the opinion of tendentious or sensationalist journalists and controversial celebrities, interested on the maintaining of the status quo.

We progressed here... we regressed there... Its like walking on a treadmill: we walk and keep in the same place but, if we stop, we'll fall. We can compare the society along the years with water in its different states of matters: water, vapor, ice... At the same time it changes its shape, it doesn't change its essence: it remains water, the same water of ever. And at the same time society changed in the last years, decades, centuries, it seems it behaves similar. The critical sense is an ability developed by few people, while many still venerate fame, money and power.

The problem of its lack of good sense is that almost everything seems to be divided only into “right” and “wrong”. This duality always exist, as if both, apparently antagonistic, couldn't coexist, or then, a third, forth, fifth way of thinking. We see this philosophy mainly on YouTube, news websites comments and in people's day by day talk. For a group of people, being humble to admit you don't know many about a certain issue sounds like a “certificate of lack of culture”. In order to not be out of the “well-informed” people, some convert themselves to clichezism. Among them, there's a desperate necessity to show off: if one is not handsome, hot and even nice, he tends to convert to clichezism to sounds intelligent and wants to pass the impression of being cult and having a strong personality.

And so, people start having a generalized vision of everything with it's two opposite currents, as well as stimulates ignorance and the reinforcement of several kinds of prejudice. When talking about things of Brazil, we have the chauvinists (in a few number) that blindly love their country and the pessimistic that thing that anything about Brazil works or is good. In politics, there's still a childish fight between petistas and tucanos, that try to defend their beloved parties speaking about Mensalão to not to talk about Cachoeira and about Cachoeira to not to talk about Mensalão (as if corruption was restricted to only one political party). When one speaks of religion, the bigot religious fill public institutions with crucifixes and defend the moralism to embase their prejudices. Atheists are used to be as bigot as religious are when attacking religious as a way to fight back. While some people are right and sincere, others are nasty and false. These are some examples of this cliche and immature thinking, as if everything were obvious and simple to be understood and with a already created formula to solve them.

That's why its disappointing for us to be already in 2012, 21st century, in an era that used to be imagined as that that men would stop with wars and think of the common good, and we notice that society changed not that much in its essence. Many still behave a selfish and irresponsible way: money is our modern god, a basic and finite natural resource (water) is still wasted, consuming keeps strong and alive destroying the natural resources for some people to feel better in having material goods that others can't afford, lots are still dying in traffic violence because of alcohol and etc. It's disappointing to see that with so many information available for anyone who wants to access it, clichezism is getting stronger and discouraging the critical thinking, without meaning to be rude or alienated to a narrow-minded view that everything has to be divided into light or darkness.

Carpedienzism controversy

If someone used to follow the “carpe diem” as philosophy of life before it became the clichezist's (verbal) philosophy of life too, probably didn't like the radicalization of the motto. As well as people that did read Clarice, Nietzsche, Freud and understood their work and didn't went out raking everywhere their quotes, either on the virtual People Magazine, or in the real life anyway. “Carpe diem” is now the positivist clichezist's philosophy of life. Clarice is the romantic's bedside book, Caio Fernando de Abreu the depressive's, and Nietzsche the intellectual’s.

Clichezists don't think. “Carpe diem” and the thinker's thoughts were distorted, fatally. The silly thought that the world is divided into “good” and “evil” has gained might and, of course, many people is by the side of the good because they are afraid of the pains of hell.

The clichezists carpedienzist philosophy is a utopia and once it's a utopia, sooner or later its followers will do things that doesn't match what it preaches. The carpedienzist is that one forcefully positive that sees the world with Pollyanna's eyes. Is the ideal of human being morally perfect: they're polite, love the animals, help the poorer, feel touched with the starvation in Africa, don't say dirty words, don't drink alcohol, don't smoke, don't listen to “garbage music”, don't play jokes, don't fart, forgive and don't fell resentments, are sincere, don't fell envy, respect all the people independently of their race, religion, sexual orientation, etc...

Maybe this is María del Barrio or some Manoel Carlos' Helena of his soap-operas. We know that this kind of person doesn't exist but anyway, the clichezists think and expect people to be this way because “they're this way”!

Even if they preach and try to follow the carpedienzism as a philosophy of life, they behave in a contradictory way when someone “hit what hurts them”. Then they reveal their “bad” personality side, or “fair” as they prefer to justify.

The quotes above illustrate a little of this duality of good and evil of the clichezist. Where's the forgiveness and all the love of that immaculate carpedienzist human being?

Clichezists are aggressive and flammable people. At the same time they are “pure love”, they are always with a rude sound-byte ready to offend their aggressor. Due to the popularization of the internet access, it's not rare to see forums that ends up in fights. These fights generally involves the clichezists during their cliches duel. The clichezists feel the necessity of winning any argumentation, specially the unworthy and frivolous ones. It's the egos war. And a safe war because the troll clichezist is behind a screen and he is too coward to join an offline a fight.

“Sincerity” became a synonym of rudeness. All the clichezists are “sincere”. Envy is a feeling everybody feels for the clichezist, it doesn't matter how frustrated he really is. Everybody wear masks and everybody's false. The clichezist is a poor one, a bullying victim and he isn't revolted because he wants, but because “the world made him behave this way”.

The carpedienzist clichezists gets hurt easily with the evilness of the world. The extremer ones attempt to control the anger and the tears face to the injustices of the world; cause big girls don't cry. And those that know that God is fair, pray asking for Him to have mercy when punishing their enemies. The politer offend in a refined way, with torn sarcasm and ironies. The ruder swear. It justifies the reason the have always a defensive attitude ready to attack in the very first threat signal.

The clichezist carpedienzism is very beautiful, but it's a utopia. The real carpedienzism is a contradiction: it's the clichezists preaching love one they are beloved, in the contrary, they'll preach hate and intolerance. It's the shelter of the naive complexed and egocentric that thinks life is a soap-opera where he is the good boy surrounded by “ villains with envy of my success”, but it doesn't matter, “your envy makes me famous”, “in a good of bad way, speak of me”. And this is so cliche, but they're clichezists. And clichezists don't think.

Non-intentional rumination

In an era in which sound-bytes prevail, thinking is not fashionable.

It's a feature of all clichezist the usage of sound-bytes and quotes for any situation in life. Any situation. It can be better observed on the internet, either in the comments of a news website, or in the comments of a video on YouTube, or even in the virtual clichezism college, the Facebook.

The need of feeling included in this order may perhaps be explained by the necessity of self-assurance plus the inferiority feelings face to the clichezists, that can be pass an image that they are cult people, that they have strong personality and that have opinion. They may impress only two types of people: the obtuse and themselves when the risk of losing an argumentation is imminent. Losing an argumentation is humiliating, they have to win all, they have to have the last word, always. And these are argumentations that are not about any intelligent issue, even because those that may sound intelligent are nothing but a “repente* of cliches”, that is, it's redundant and a clear egos war.

The problem of the clichezism is that it goes besides the difficulty of having a conversation that doesn't end up in the so-called “repente of cliches” or talking to a “cliche player” that will flow the conversation to a foreseeable end. It reflects the lack of critical sense of the person and his functional illiteracy. The clichezist doesn't think, doesn't reflect, doesn't contest the absolute truths of certain quotes. Cliches are used as shut-up arguments and its misunderstanding makes the clichezist to reproduce some quotes in absurd moments, showing that he has no idea of what he's talking about and that he isn't able to talk by himself.

If all the books of philosophy and psychology of the world were burned, jointly with all its digital copies, the clichezists would crumple. Who's would they copy sound-bytes and quotes? Would they be quiet once that don't have any ammunition? Would it occur a process of natural selection in which only the non-clichezists would survive and the clichezists would have to abandon the clichezism having to finally think by their own?

The greatest philosophers and literature writers had to think a lot, to observe, to reflect for then, be able to write their books that would become high level students' obligatory reading. They haven't underestimate their common sense and took a worthy advantage of all the the knowledge they accumulated throughout the years. The greatest thinkers haven't expected to become “ruminants” that chew the knowledge, swallow it, chew again until it be ready, compacted in a sound-byte.

Perhaps the functional illiteracy promotes the clichezism, perhaps the clichezism promotes the functional illiteracy. Perhaps both promote themselves. Such philosophers and writers books are an invitation to reflection, the the expansion of the horizons but for them to understood in its essence, it's necessary to be willing to do it. They save us to start from zero because we can't comprehend the world thinking that life can be summed up as our particular universe, besides it is a complementary reading for those who want to get closer to the reality of what he's studying.

The clichezism preaches the superficiality of the knowledge. What's the use of saying a Freud's, Nietzsche's, Lispector's quote or any other if the person doesn't understand what they mean? What's the use reading a whole book if the functional illiteracy and the fondness for clichezism block its comprehension? Reading is not a synonym of comprehending. First of all, it's necessary to live the situation for better understand it and to be critical and have some trustworthy foundation.

The clichezists fool themselves with numbers and affirmations of people they consider more intelligent than them when, in fact, they are nothing but pseudo-intellectuals clichezists. From the moment the individual stop despising his common sense, develops a critical sense independent from his passions and logic and stop seeing the self-criticism as a “certificate of lack of self-confidence” (because we are not perfect human beings even the police themselves the more for us not to be), we will understand why the clichezism if a bad order. The clichezism blocks, reprehends the free and independent thinking, it's aggressive and offensive due to the defensive behavior of its followers, and ties the individual in a universe of fallacies and utopias, perpetuating the ignorance.

*Repente is a musical challenge in which two poets have to create rhymed verses offhand. It's more popular in the Northeast of Brazil. (example)

The clichezist order

What would it be of the clichezists if all the philosophy and psychology books of the world were burned? Who's would they copy soundbites?

Lately it hasn't been easy to have a conversation with anyone not closer besides the formalities. Not necessarily because they are empty and aliened and manipulable, but mainly because of the foreseeability of the answers plus an arrogant and inflexible behavior. Recently, the phenomenon of the clichezism has becoming more perceptible, specially on the internet, but it doesn't mean that outside it things are very different.

We can start talking about bullying. What's bullying? Some years ago this English word was unknown in Brazil for several people, even though anyone who had already seen an American film or TV series once in a lifetime, had seen a scene of a kid or teen physically stronger and surrounded by thugs to hit and ridicule another weaker and reclusive one. It was physical aggression and public humiliation: only this. But we were wrong because bullying is anything that displeases or offends and that may raise difficulties in the social relations of the victim but... is it life, specially the adult life, full of people concerned in not hurting people's feelings?

The clichezist order is also strongly present in politics. Talking about politics in Brazil still disgusts many people, but the fewer who talk about it, many of them hardly can't do it without hanging to unrestrained passions and cliches. There's a true war between the right-wing and left-wing militants. Corruption denunciations are common and done to blacken the political rival and give demagogy speeches. As it seems to be impossible to exist a serious and impartial press in Brazil, boycotts and criticisms to TV shows and tendentious soap-operas are suggested, besides that the numbers 13 and 45 are as terrible as the Nazi swastica.

The politically correct is one of the marks of the clichezist order. Words that were used for decades were replaced by others with more complex and fancy names. It was bullying. Historically repressed groups as women, black people, and homosexuals have been – finally – achieving some respect in the last years, but it seems that this respect is imposed by quotas and the psychology of the fault. If a homosexual says he is proud of being homosexual, claps to him, he overcame the prejudice. If a straight man says the is proud of being straight, throw stones against this homophobic evangelist. If a black man dresses a “100% black” t-shirt, claps to him, he overcame the prejudice. If a white man says he is proud of his color or his European ancestry, throw stones against this Nazi racist.

There's a tendency, a subtle dictatorship that promotes the homogenization of the philosophies and ideologies. We all know that perfection doesn't exist, but the human mistake it isn't very well accepted. The free thinking and the own opinion are stimulated... Teorically, because in real life, if you raise a opinion contrary to the clichezist order, they reply with aggression. The more impolite say offensive words. The higher educated one, specially the “intellectuals”, delight in ridiculing with sarcasm. Language experts corrects your orthography and punctuation according to the standard language rules. Adverbs may agree with researches and studies. The clichezists of the Geography and Statistic Institute want numbers: “majority, minority, many, few: who they are? I want numbers!”

Review your values, the argumentative clichezists anti-religious want to ridicule your faith and repudiate anything that has a religious background: “why is promiscuity bad, why is raping bad, why having sex in public squares is bad, why being a hypocrite is bad? Don't you know the answers? Where's your God now?”

And the clichezism on Facebook not only recycles classical cliches, as well as it reaffirms the obvious and sells utopias of a world where everybody is immaculate, perfect, wise and full of causes for us to worry about. Obviously every Facebook's perfect human being respects the elderly, the women, the gays, the black people, the children, the nature, the animals, God and all the religions. “It's an absurd that a soccer player receives millions of euros to kick a ball and what about the corruption, what about the violence, what about starvation in Africa, what about education, what about the hospitals? I want chu, I want cha, I want to complain about the success of popular music while the world is dying. What the world will think about Brazil, oh my God, Valesca has a song that says 'take my pussy and suck it', oh my God, wake up to corruption, Brazil, that's why this country doesn't go ahead, everybody's concerned in watching Big Brother”...

Thanks to the clichezist order, people feel the necessity of converting, of being part of this movement for them to feel included in a group that they hate so much. You can't be an ambulant metamorphosis, your opinions must be equal to the clichezist's because theirs are right and absolute. Have a opinion about everything, everything! And as it is impossible, adopt the clichezism. Have a learned by heart saying for any situation in life, like an intelligent humor page on Facebook. Read two hours of synopsis on the bookstore website and have argues won by the rest of the month. Clichezists get satisfied with superficial arguments and ideas because their knowledge is also superficial. It isn't necessary catching the essence of the books, the less reading them because soundbites and the writers thought and expressed themselves by you. With clichezism, you can disguise you necessity of self-affirmation through phrases with chewed philosophies. You don't need to think. Just take part of it.

Dry seeds, infertile soil

Dry seeds, infertile soil

The clichezist farmer sold the seeds to the naive peasant. He told him that for the seeds to germinate, to grow and to provide the food, he was supposed to bury the seeds, to water, to take care, just it. So he could sit on the bench, Claudia, he had just to wait the plant to develop.

It wasn't what happened. The peasant followed the clichezist farmer's advices but the seeds didn't develop even with all his efforts. Nothing of the plant growing, nothing of fruits, nothing of food. The peasant fell died on the ground and his body was devoured by the vultures. Dry seeds were planted in the infertile soil in a desert somewhere in Algeria.

You should read at this

You should admire Bashar al-Assad.
You should admire who is richer than you.
You should be a trendsetter.
You should be a vegetarian.
You should be against abortion.
You should be against Belo Monte building.
You should be against corruption.
You should be against deforestation.
You should be against the capitalism.
You should be against the death penalty.
You should be against the government aid to the poor.
You should be against the progress for the progress.
You should be against the same-sex marriage.
You should be against the social ascension.
You should be against the socialism.
You should be concerned about others life.
You should be concerned about your reputation.
You should be concerned of all.
You should be cult.
You should be disgusted about the violence.
You should be patriot.
You should be proud of being an African descendent.
You should be successful.
You should believe that celebrities are smarter than you.
You should believe who you believe is as smart as you are.
You should believe you are nothing.
You should boycott Globo Network.
You should buy original products.
You should change your status on Facebook to “in a relationship”.
You should concern about the global warming.
You should dispose your garbage in the garbage can.
You should do a spiritual trip to India.
You should do several things.
You should drink fancy beers.
You should drink responsibly.
You should feel guilty for being born man and white.
You should feel the center of the Universe.
You should feel unhappy if you are fat.
You should fight for a better world.
You should hate terrorism.
You should hate the human race.
You should hate the USA.
You should hate the Workers Party.
You should hate this text.
You should have an opinion about all the issues people talk about.
You should have fun in the Carnival.
You should have your own ideas.
You should hit naughty children.
You should honor your parents.
You should like samba.
You should live in Cuba.
You should live your day as if it was your last day on Earth.
You should love Nietzsche.
You should love this text.
You should make people cry swearing their idols on Twitter.
You should not be victim of envy.
You should not give alms.
You should photosynthesize.
You should plant a tree.
You should practice yoga.
You should pray for the people in need.
You should read a book.
You should read the Bible.
You should recycle.
You should rely your problems on the God's hands.
You should respect all religions.
You should respect the elderly.
You should respect the Pope.
You should respect your boss.
You should save water.
You should share funny pictures.
You should shock the politicians sharing pictures on Facebook.
You should show how superior you are.
You should smoke hookah.
You should speak as if you lived in the 18th century.
You should speak Polish.
You should spend your vacation in Paris.
You should stop breathing.
You should stop buying Chinese products.
You should stop drinking.
You should stop smoking.
You should stop starvation in Africa.
You should stop using plastic bags.
You should support president Dilma Rousseff failures.
You should think you are better than the others because you are rich.
You should think you are the most interesting person in the world because you are hot and gorgeous.
You should to work at Zorra Total as a humorist.
You should use swear words to call others attention to you.
You should vote.
You should walk on the road crossing.
You should watch an alternative movie made in Uzbekistan.
You should watch an American TV series.
You should work out for the summer.