Diehard pessimists, critics of civilization and fear-mongers like to claim that reality is crueler and more depraved than the darkest corners of human imagination. I always thought that was unnecessarily apocalyptic. First of all, the statement is based on flawed logic. By definition, any outcome of human action is rooted in a conviction, a motivation or a plan, in short, an imaginative process. Hence, reality may turn out for the worse, maybe because events are getting out of hand, but it certainly doesn’t have to. Second, and more importantly, the vilification of actual circumstances has never succeeded in alleviating them. If anything, it fuels a defeatist attitude that is unhelpful and counterproductive. Finally, it serves as a pretext for seeking refuge in the beguiling arms of escapism.
Let’s face it: virtually all entertainment and culture is held hostage by escapism. Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, American Idol, Mad Men, Fifty Shades of Grey, you name it – they are all designed as exit valves to cure reality overload. The nerdier and more extravagant, the better. This leads to a strange shift in perception. Reality is marginalized and substituted by countless scraps of fiction, which all make up the narrative of the great escape. In many ways, the same holds true for leisure and free time. How many people happily admit that they live for weekends and holidays alone. Everyday life, which accounts for the majority of their existence, becomes a mere afterthought, at best, and a nuisance, at worst. I wonder why that is. Can it be that our lives are generally so boring that excitement is only found in video games, TV shows and adventure travel? If so, doesn’t that contradict the version of the pessimists that the world is falling apart? Ultimately, it’s two different expressions of the same symptom. Those who consider the world hostile and beyond salvation turn inwards. Those who consider it boring or uneventful ignore it by doing exciting stuff. The result is the same: press the eject button, escape the routine and forget about reality.
Escapism has become the reality, the status quo. But where has reality gone? Strangely, it’s turned into the very reverse, into something virtual and intangible. Let’s take two completely different examples: modern warfare and corporate culture. With surgical drone strikes becoming the preferred means of combat, military intervention is evolving into an abstract concept. The new means of military firepower belie their impact and efficiency. The corporate world, in contrast, has changed relatively little over time. That makes it a prime target for parody, as evidenced by the many international versions of “The Office”. Slightly adapted to the local cultural context, it hits the spot wherever it airs. Corporate life is presented as so chaotic and absurd that viewers can laugh about it but don’t quite relate to it. Where they work, things are still a lot better, thank Goodness.
The fact about this reversal, of course, turns the argument of the harsh reality being inferior to the pure realm of imagination on its head. Because if what used to be escapism is the new reality and vice versa, the former suddenly appears in a less favorable light. That sets the record straight, in my opinion. Escapism isn’t a solution for anything and we must not kid ourselves into believing that living in its bubble is sustainable in the long term.