I was hesitant to watch the film, "Melancholia" because the only other film I'd seen by the director, Lars von Trier, "Dancer in the Dark," was so profoundly sad, I can't even think about it in more than a fleeting way. This movie is also dark, although more ironic in tone. The main character, played by Kirsten Dunst, royally fucks up her wonderful and expensive wedding day by being a sad sack that cannot get beyond her own depression to appreciate the love others have for her. In the aftermath of her bad behavior, her mood is lifted only after the realization that a wandering planet is on a collision course with Earth. Suddenly, and strangely, her inability to see a silver lining in most events allows her to see one here - the prospect of having a planetary-level moment of universal indifference to the whims and desires of mankind coincides with her personal feelings on relationships and her own existence. Her approach to the end of the world is not only tender but encapsulates the fleetingness of all of our inevitable mortal realities.
After watching, I realized that I dislike the idea that someone is "suffering" from depression. Surely, there is suffering in a depressed state. However, like any human experience, there can be an opportunity for growth during a trying time. As an American and a teacher, I too often see a desire for only the good, the pleasurable, the positive. While I'd obviously prefer elation to depression, being consistently happy is an unattainable state. How would happiness or contentedness even be measured if not against a more negative experience? In the past, I've written about the softening of younger generations in particular, although I think most adults I encounter are as lost in a fantasy as their younger counterparts. Constant distraction through social media and entertainment (which includes info-tainment [ memes, celeb news] and edu-tainment [trying to make every classroom activity as "fun" as possible, to an absurd extent]) has permeated all parts of American society, to the point that if real events do not coincide with a predicted trajectory, there is a complete breakdown by the perceiver (hence, the feelings on Nov 9 for many liberals and progressives, as well as the continued disavowal of literally everything based in reality for Trump himself).
In the case of the current political milieu, the next four years will be living in the aftermath of a similarly massive explosion. The choice lies with those who see it as terrible to stand up and change how they not only react to such events, but also how they act in the first place. I've been labeled a "luddite" for not embracing online activism, but I've yet to see anyone in a Western-style democracy effect real change as a result of using platforms like Twitter or Facebook as their main tools. Sure, Trump uses Twitter, but to say tweeting won him the election is a dangerous downplaying of his intense ground game throughout the campaign. He stumped across the country, drawing large crowds, including demographics that do not use Twitter and the like. While these technologies are not going away, their effectiveness, especially with drawing in others who many not be of a like mind, is small. My proposal is a return to the salon, especially for the progressive left. At least two years of a Republican-controlled Congress captained by a Republican president should be a time of introspection and reflection. Read, think, write, meet and discuss. Retweeting or sharing memes, while satisfying in the immediate, adds to the cacophony of an increasingly partisan echo chamber, a trend that will not win over any hearts or minds, and may even serve to create factions within opposing forces (already I see the left balkanizing....and that's just reading over Facebook comments).
Thus, in response to this disconnect that many feel as we inch toward Jan 20, 2017, I am calling on everyone to let that awful planet hit us - hard. Sure, it won't be pleasant, but it will likely be jarring enough to ripple change through one's being. Maybe the end result will only be a slight adjustment in perception, or maybe a larger awakening will occur. Much like Dunst's character, those with nothing to lose may have an insight into how to make the best of a bad situation.
