Here’s the other movie about ddolls. It’s really interesting to be placed in front of a camera and told to talk. It actually makes me uncomfortable. I usually prefer to be on the other side of the camera, though I may continue this experiment of filming myself speak. I like trying new things, especially if they make me feel awkward.
Lately I’ve been thinking about self-deprecation (it started when ephermata pointed me to the Goffman paper, and then I read some other things including a paper about other people’s opinions influencing your perception of yourself). In greek myth heroes proclaim their might and valor, whereas we prefer our modern heroes humble and modest. With increased wealth our society has become ‘nicer’. When you’re not worried about where you’re going to sleep tomorrow, you have more energy to devote to helping that old lady across the street. When a person calls himself an loser, I am likely to disagree and highlight why he is not a loser. Self deprecation is ‘useful’ because it makes people less likely to be mean to you. Everyone is insecure about something so perhaps we empathize with the dejection that often comes with failure. We don’t like to kick people while they’re down (unless it’s deserved). We do, however, like to kick arrogant people when they fall. The punishment, then, is for arrogance and not for failing.
