I never could relate to that part in Fight Club in which Tyler tells Jack that self-improvement is pointless. Isn't self-improvement the meaning of life? Better yourself until you die so that you can go knowing that you did absolutely the best you could. Everyone benefits from you living up to your own high expectations. We've all been around those people that do nothing to better themselves or anything around them. Tiresome.
It's hard, though, isn't it? I fight laziness and moodiness every day, to varying degrees. Telling people "no" when I feel taken advantage of. Sticking up for myself at work. Suffering fools. Knowing when confrontation is necessary. Eating well, getting enough exercise, not smoking, et cetera ad infinitum.
Maybe I interpreted that scene incorrectly.
4 comments:
it's been a few years, but i thought they were talking specifically about physical self-improvement. you're talking about the scene on the bus, right, in which they notice an underwear ad and call working out masturbation? even then, i can think of much worse ways of masturbating.
maybe let's not talk about chuck palahniuk anymore, or ever again. i'm pretty sure it all leads to PUA nonsense sooner or later anyway.
but whatever. i get what you're saying, and i think you're right, if only for the sake of contributing something decent to someone's day. good for you.
yeah, you're right, now that i think more on it. he pointed to the calvin klein underwear ad on the bus. well sheeeeeeeeeeit. i can think of much worse ways to masturbate too. specifically. mmmm-hmmm.
what does PUA stand for?
GOOD FOR MU! < :) >
I wrote a long reply to this and Blogger lost it. Poor, poor me.
So my take on that line is that it doesn't just apply to physical self-improvement. I think it's a dig at the fact that the idea of self-improvement in general is to our contemporary culture what the idea of divine salvation was to a more Christian culture. It's sort of like Marx saying "religion is the opium of the masses" (that is, intentionally comparing something revered to something self-indulgent and base). I think the point of the line is that trying fervently to save ourselves (in the most existential sense) through simply being fitter or richer or more well-read is doomed to failure, because we can't achieve the sort of transformative salvation that we secretly crave through incremental betterment of our surface lives.
On the other hand, I also don't think that Palahniuk (who i know that Barry dislikes but I do) is saything that Tyler Durden's "solution" of basically pointless violence is any better. I don't think Palahniuk is as nihilistic as the character in his book....if anything, I think it's sort of mocking the way that nihilism is celebrated in our pop culture. But that's my take. I've always taken Fight Club much too seriously.
Also, I am all for self-improvement, and I do treat it like I hope it'll save my soul because what else do I got to hope for?
yeah. you make lots of sense.
my soapbox up there was one of being kind, motivated, righteous, you know.
i really liked fight club, the book, too. i've liked most of what chuck palahniuk has written. i think the movie brought us a bit too close to the knuckle-heads who, dare i say, didn't get it, though. i agree about palahniuk having a laugh about nihilism. didn't the movie end up much differently in the end with jack not ending up dying in the crumbling credit card building? important part, if i remember it all correctly.
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