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PaperclipPerfector  18d ago (text post)   2322 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 11, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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What do we think of Severance? I only just started watching it because I figured it was normieslop, but I find the theme pretty intelligent. I love that all the ambient media and conversations in the show are tangential to the topic of memory. The show is thoughtfully made imo, but I’m only on episode 3.

The idea of your “laboring identity” being totally cut off from your holistic identity, and what that means for the You in workmode, is fascinating as a thought experiment in how humans construe motivation. If you were really in severance, in the show, of course you would have no motivation to work, because you don’t have the experience of reaping what you sowing, only the annoying sowing. It’s like the Homer Simpson quote, when he does something stupid for short term gratification he says “that’s a problem for future Homer”; he doesn’t know who future Homer is, and future Homer doesn’t know who past Homer is. If your identity between sowing and reaping, future and past is severed, morale / motivation suffers; the greater memory we have of joy when we work, the greater we are able to bear the annoyances of working.

So I find severance vs integration interesting because its at play in a lot of human dysfunction: delayed gratification, procrastination, low vs high time preference, work-life balance, counterfactual thinking about future events. Probably every human requires the practice of greater integration in order to increase their wellbeing, because we are imperfect forecasters and rememberers. You can even see how drug culture worsens quality of life, because so much joy is just not remembered.

It was on my 'maybe watch' list and then some stupid SJW highlighted some dance number from that show and now it's on my 'you better hold me at gunpoint to make me watch it' list.

Are you turned off simply because there is a scene with dancing in it, or that some "stupid SJW" shared it approvingly?

I'm fine with song and dancing but it can't be cringe. If it's cringe I avoid it - I hate cringe.

Parts of the show are intentionally cringe, as they are satirizing corporate America's choices, abuses, and aesthetic.

Part of the show is enjoying the severed characters rolling with corporate bullshit because they don't know any better and then later going...wait...this is so stupid.

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