Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

Change your life and change the world

Published on February 22, 2005 By Toblerone In Humor

A long time ago in a share house not so far away my sister lived with a rather eccentric man (who is actually a good friend of my family). He had a penchant for playing practical jokes, telling dirty jokes in inappropriate company, a beret/hat fetish and he used to dry his underpants in the microwave. He was and still is a music teacher and quite a smart guy, just a bit strange (now that’s the pot calling the kettle African American).
Anyway one day I noticed he’d written the following phrase on the fridge in my sister’s flat:

Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

Now being young and naive (I’d never heard the word paradigm) and also having been thrown off by the poor hand writing the phrase had been written in I asked the question ‘Who is ‘Su-bert the dominant Para-dig-em (sic)?’

The eccentric housemate then explained that we live in a disposable society and we show total disregard for the environment etc. etc. The dominant paradigm is that we seem to put short gains before long-term losses. He believed that everything is connected and that all the shit we are doing to the environment is going to come back to bite us in the arse. I couldn’t agree more.
I later found out that the phrase is popular with activists in general and is used by those protesting against a range of issues from the destruction of the environment to unfair parking tickets.

Today I’d like to encourage you to subvert a paradigm that has been shitting me for ages. The paradigm I refer to is “It is better to remain silent and let people think you’re a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” I find myself in a lot of situations where people hold back just because they are afraid of looking stupid. For example in classes when a teacher asks a question and nobody answers, or when at karaoke night people refuse to sing. I personally have no problem making a fool of myself as long as it is on my own terms (as opposed to someone playing a joke on me) and I find it a most liberating experience. I think the vast majority of the world is missing out by simply being cowardly mainstream idiots rather than daring renegade fools.

So next time you have a thought in your head you think people will laugh at and you bite your tongue-unbite it-and let loose with your stupid philosophies, designs for perpetual motion machines or your feelings for a pretty girl/boy. Embarrassment will pass but occasionally your reckless stupidity will pay off and the glory will last forever.

Be strange but not a stranger,

Toblerone J. Aardvark
P.S. If you want to dry your undies in the microwave use the defrost setting....trust me on this one

Comments

Furry Canary

on Feb 22, 2005

Very funny, and great advice - particularly for teachers. Create a supportive atmosphere in your classrooms in which fear of looking foolish is diminished / eliminated, and you open the door to truly creative and exploratory learning. You get an 'Insightful' from me Mr / Ms (?) Aardvark.

Toblerone

on Feb 22, 2005

That's Mr Aardvark, and thankyou Furry for the compliments.

Teegstar

on Feb 22, 2005

toblerone, you are (one of) my hero(es). i'll definitely be taking your undies de-moistening advice and may even throw a little personal strangeness in there, just to keep life interesting.

as a wise person once said.... "Tegan is, indeed, the raddest chick in the entire universe and possibly even South East Queensland"

Toblerone

on Feb 22, 2005

Thanks Teegs. What can I say, that wise person is absolutely spot on!

ParaTed2k

on Feb 22, 2005

As a person who has spent much of his life swimming against the current, AMEN!!!!!

Champas Socialist

on Feb 23, 2005

I think you'll find me old china, that "subvert the dominant paradigm" is the most favourite phrase in the world for all of us postmodernists!!!! During my course (no prizes for guessing what it was) I heard the phrase so often, it has become a cliche. That and "social construct". Ooh watch out there science boy, you might find yourself coming over to the dark side if you're not carefful.

Toblerone

on Feb 23, 2005

I refuse to believe in the existence of post modernists. *thumbs nose* *raspberry*

NJforever

on Feb 25, 2005

I am 100% onboard Toblerone! Sometimes I say/act stupid because it's fun, and when people tell me I'm weird I just say "Thank you."

And it pays off. A friend once told me "Sometimes you say stupid things but you always make sense."

Toblerone

on Feb 25, 2005

when people tell me I'm weird I just say "Thank you."

I'm the same, I take being called weird, odd or strange as a compliment. How bad would it be if someone called you normal, what could be more boring than that?

NJforever

on Feb 25, 2005

How bad would be if someone called you normal, what could be more boring than that?

It's the ultimate insult! I'd be outraged!

TheFazz

on Feb 25, 2005

NJ, you really have to be the weirdest person I know. Take that as a compliment if you will, but whatever.

Good advice, Toblerone.

dynamaso

on Feb 27, 2005

If it weren't for those with the ability to look outside what is considered normal, we'd still be throwing rocks at Mammoths... Besides, I always thought 'weird' was another way of saying 'unique'.

Toblerone, you've done it again.

Cheers mate,

Maso

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