The Tyler Durden Effect, Part 2

With the amount of discussion that goes into such a dynamic film, it’s only fitting to break this up into two parts. Part one dealt with an introduction to the ideals presented in the film and then a synopsis of what happened. In part two, we will look even closer at the dialogue in the film and how it relates to our society.

Anti Consumerism

The most predominant philosophy embraced in the motion picture would be the criticism of material possessions and the elevated value we place on them. The narrator’s apartment is the biggest reflection of how we let our possessions define who we are as opposed to our actions, which eventually subjugates us to a lifestyle worrying more about what we buy, drive, wear, etc. This doesn’t stop at products, but extends to a class system that has identified themselves with their occupation and how much money they have. Seeing as the film is targeted towards men, the message being sent is that masculinity for a man is now defined by his career and the car he drives, which is evident in the narrator’s lifeless montage of audits for his insurance company.

Tyler aims to emancipate the men who have fallen victim to the consumer culture. While at the bar, he tells the narrator:

“The things you own end up owning you”

Let’s step back and examine what runs our lives. The people of my generation can’t go more than a handful of minutes without looking at their iPhone, either taking selfies every two minutes, texting or playing an app game. Reality TV continues to dominate network programming that contains nothing but useless content that more often than not serves no purpose other than networks looking to make a quick buck. Social media, while becoming a positive in many business sectors, still causes people to act remote to those around them and has ignited somewhat of a communication disorder among young adults and teens. While it is not necessary to wage an all out war against consumer products, we should keep in mind they are not the top priority in our lives. Minimalism teaches us that it’s good to have the things we gain enjoyment from, but let us not be completely identified with the what we purchased. So don’t be afraid to take a day and challenge yourself to limit the use of social media or burying your face in your iPhone. Embrace those and what’s around you.

Masculinity and Feminization 

While the question of masculinity is partly attributed to the consumer culture that Fight Club critiques, blame is also allocated to feminization in American society. Tyler states, “We’re a generation of men raised by women. I’m starting to wonder if another woman in our lives is really what we need.” As mentioned in post one, Philip Wylie raised the war on momism in his 1942 book, A Generation of Vipers, in which he felt that a motherhood culture that babies their sons has become an epidemic that will cause a state of emasculation among grown men. It is reminiscent of Rebel Without a Cause in how young men with absent fathers(either literally of figuratively) become lost without a strong male presence in their lives. While this may seem like an over exaggeration, young boys that are raised without a father cling to their mother for support. However, this isn’t to suggest that mothers can’t raise a boy to be a man, it’s been done countless times. But the bond a father shares with his son contains unwritten standards that a father should demonstrate what it means to be a man to his son, as sort of birthright the child has. The inauthentic image we paint of woman, Tyler believes, has spread to men, through shopping, constant state of question about self image and the fear of imperfection. That’s why the fighting in the movie, although at times grotesque, signifies the ultimate test of a man’s fear that is overcome after this first altercation. As sort of “right of passage” that is part of a boys transition into manhood.

Nihilism or Meaning 

While often referred to as a nihilistic film due to the emphasis Tyler places on rejecting the morals and social constructs we’ve become accustomed to, I view it more as a film that puts us in the position to analyze and question why we think or believe the way we do. As societies are established, so are cultural universals regarding what we believe about ourselves, family, friends, institutions and God. In Tyler’s eyes, the men of his generation are without a purpose other than becoming subservient to possessions that provide no way of proving their livelihood. He states:

“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

In addition to this, Tyler also questions the involvement of God in the “middle children’s” lives,

“Our fathers were our models for God, if our fathers bailed, what does that tell you about God?”

With a multitude of quotes that could point to Tyler being proficient in Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy, we see the  gray area in determining nihilistic or skeptic dialogue in Tyler’s words. If Tyler truly felt all hope was lost, why engineer a fraternity of fist fights to reawaken the liveliness of then men who participate? We’ve all accepted, as we should, that each individual serves a meaning, wether inherited or self-proclaimed. Whatever that meaning is, we all face challenges of falsehood that steer us away from that meaning, and if it results in losing everything to discover who we truly are, then perhaps that is the ultimate test of finding out one’s true self and how they combat adversity. Even the narrator, who lost all meaning in his life, slowly overcomes his struggle and builds himself up again after these fights. Maybe that raises a greater theological question; did God bail on us or did we bail on ourselves? Tyler did bring up a generation with no great war or depression to combat. Maybe that is a from a lack of self accountability to fight for what they stand for.

Conclusion

This film has enough material to write a book on. While it is indeed an intriguing film, remind yourself that this is only one man’s view of the world, and is mainly targeted at single man who only have themselves to care for. Too often, people fall victim to one man’s ideals that they lose their own identity(the men of fight club eventually became a byproduct of a violent lifestyle as opposed to consumers). As i mentioned earlier, don’t take the film for the explicit viewing. If anything, use the film as motivation to break yourself of fear and put your words into action. Having said that, lets exit with the best quote not released in the film:

 “Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don’t you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can’t think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you’re supposed to read? Do you think every thing you’re supposed to think? Buy what you’re told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you’re alive. If you don’t claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned-Tyler.”

 

A Wonder Life Lesson

“I suppose it would have been better if I’d never been born at all.”

Everyone has this thought at some point in their lives. Consumed in colossal self pity, they become blind to the impact, whatever the magnitude, they’ve bestowed on someone else’s life and how others have impacted their life. This was certainly the case for George Bailey, the protagonist in the critically acclaimed iconic Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life

This is a film that chronicles the life of George, showing him in the first hour and half or so of the film how he went from being a happy-go-lucky spirit to a suicidal manic depressant. We see Bailey’s sense of unfullfilmen in his life. With intentions of traveling the world before college, his plans are cut short when his father has a fatal stroke, leaving George to take over his father’s loan business until his brother Harry graduates high school. Upon his arrival, Harry notifies George he will be working with his fiancees father, leaving George stuck at the company. While he goes on to marry a girl from his childhood and start his own affordable housing company, he is still becoming increasingly unsatisfied with his life. He is unable to enlist in World War II due to his hearing ailment, while is brother goes on to become a war hero. The pressures of his business began to get to him as a mean spirited banker, Mr. Potter, continues to minimize George’s worth, saying, “You’re worth more dead than you are alive.” He says this when George goes to him asking for a loan when his Uncle Billy misplaces the customers money, in which he refuses and even calls the cops to report fraud on George. George has nothing left, he feels. After screaming to his family, he wandered off in s drunken state, coming up going to a bridge to kill himself. That is until an unlikely presence will come to save him

Right before he is about to jump, an old man jumps into the water, appearing to drown. George dives in to save him, only to find out his name is Clarence, George’s guardian angel. While skeptical, George is still consumed on grief to be aware of what’s in front of him. He tells Clarence he feels life would be better if he was never born, so Clarence shows him what life would be like if he never existed. His brother Harry would die, his Uncle Billy would be locked up in an insane asylum, his wife would become a lonely librarian, his mother would grow into a bitter woman and the town in which he resides would become a slum with filled with bars and strip clubs ruled of mean spirited people. George cannot fathom what he sees and tells Clarence he wants to return to his life. As he returns, those who love him dearly come to him in support for his troubles. They money is recovered, the town celebrates his return and his family rejoice to the sound of his voice. This exemplifies maybe the most powerful quote in the film said by Clarence, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

Each life has meaning. Weather you believe that meaning comes from a higher power or that you create your own meaning, you only have one life to live. Too often people take about going back and changing what they don’t like about their lives or their past. This is nothing but insecure remorse that distracts us from the preciousness of our lives. Every experience you have in your life made you who you are today. Around this holiday season, reflect and be grateful for your life. More often than not, someone has it worse than you, yet they still find a way to be happy because they appreciate the good they do have in their lives. I’m not suggesting you settle for anything less, but when all else fails, try to look at the bright side of things instead of wallowing in regret and commiseration, just as George did when he saw just how wonderful his life is. For as Clarence said, “Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.”

Merry Christmas!