Posted by Gemma13
(here)
I recently watched the film "Hell or High Water". I enjoyed watching Westerns with mates years ago but my metaphysical interests have prevented me from looking into other genres for many years, until Yellowstone piqued an interest to look into what else Taylor Sheridan has written.
In the film, when dialogue emerges between two Texas Rangers, it appears racist, bigoted, and unnecessarily cruel. So much so that I find it hard to imagine many claiming to be "woke" being able to continue watching the film after this point. Heck some might even run off for therapy for being traumatized. And that's a problem, because the language crafted between Cowboy and Indian is far from hostile.
Both Rangers have inherited the arc of racism from their cultures, but instead of harbouring aggression toward each other they have bonded in deep friendship, and this is cleverly reflected in the powerful disabling force of Friendly Social Sarcasm (FSS). A vocabulary that will be missed by many though, if the outer layer of language, words, is the only tool applied to interpret the relationship.
I understood the FSS vocabulary between the Rangers because it's similar to Aussie outback speak and I commend Sheridan for his writing prowess in bravely tackling it. For example, I have an older mate who has lived and worked both the sea and rugged outback all his life in ways that would make young boys shudder. A couple of years ago he had a stroke and was flown to the city where I have had to live for the past 12yrs.
Being one of those fortunate enough to have been exposed to FSS vocabulary, as well as being able to engage fluently, I was able to translate to the city nurses on a daily basis. This ended up being crucial as my friend was going to be categorized with mental issues, and drugged accordingly, because they thought his ramblings were hallucinatory instead of actual fragments of his life in the bush. And when the drugs and damage wore off I was also able to explain his FSS vocabulary so that medical staff could recognize compliments instead of default interpretation of his personality as cranky and nasty. This man would, and could, move mountains to help someone in need, but it is hard to spot in his rugged exterior.
We eventually got him transferred to a country hospital because, as you might well imagine, the city is kryptonite to him, and now he is back doing what he loves. When I return to the country for a visit though, the first thing I would likely say to my friend is, "FFS aren't you dead yet?"
And then it would be on, with neither of us missing an opportunity to take the p!ss out of each other. I might say something to someone and he'd say, "Don't listen to that idiot she hasn't even used her brain yet, it's still wrapped up in plastic." The FSS vocabulary that flows constantly between us is recognized and loved by many, but to someone new it can be shocking. People often whisper to mates, "WTF... do these two hate each other, or something?" To which our friends laugh and reply, "Far from it. They're best mates."
There is another extremely important layer to FSS vocabulary that many don't understand. The gift of being able to break down inherited cultural barriers that we unknowingly carry around as excess baggage. When one of us brings a newcomer into a social den full of people well versed in FSS vocabulary, which I've sadly only experienced in the country, the first thing to be identified is their race, or clothing, or voice inflections, or handicaps, or whatever.
Then the games begin... and any awkwardness the newcomer may have felt in the first 3 minutes is rapidly dissolved as they start laughing at themselves,
as well as everyone else, because no-one is immune from being a target. In other words, all layers of difference and division are quickly dispelled with FSS. Everyone then has a great time communicating from the hidden layer that we are all commonly bonded in...love and friendship. God I miss that!
Hopefully this brings me to my point, which is the insane ignorance of the language police and Cancel Culture that are trying to distill complex human communication into basic a,b,c's. This is devolution, imo, not evolution toward further understanding the intricate tapestry of words, thoughts, emotions, body language, and love.
At least Siri will be happy as humans continue to retard their vocabulary, and the power of Friendly Social Sarcasm, let alone comedy, becomes a dying relic so that artificial technology can catch up.
N.B. Narcissists and sociopaths don't stand a chance in a room full of people fluent in Friendly Social Sarcasm Vocabulary... there's just no room for them, and you have to be super quick to avoid being cut off at the knee caps. So it makes sense that they too would want to partner up with Siri.
On a good note though, apparently this film was nominated for numerous awards. I have to wonder why...