Of the new gas, and encasing the Sears Tower in Jell-o
I think I first saw "ennui" used when I read Kate Chopin's "The Awakening," about a woman who marries young, as instructed, and only later discovers herself and her neglected libido, and behaves in ways contrary to what's expected of her. She sort of stops tending to her husband and children in the ways a Good Woman Should, has an affair, gets her groove on. (Incidentally, the book is also great for its delicious depiction of Louisiana, and its 19th-century around-the-bush treatment of scandalous things.)
People are scandalized and gossip in various late-19th-century ways. I sympathize with the main character not because "Yay for affairs!" but because people forced into conditions they don't deserve are always welcome, in my book, to react in disobedient ways.
Anyway, I think Chopin used ze French word "ennui" to describe how the main character feels in her circumscribed marriage and life: bored, listless, unmoved and lacking any reason for passion.
"Ennui" later applied for Permanent Status in my vocabulary at the ol' PR firm, when it appeared in a business article in a way that resonated with me and a coworker. I don't remember the story, but it was probably to do with a telco's business move, which the writer said "fills me with ennui."
Why am I doing this extensive background for what is ostensibly a quick link to a couple stories from The Onion? I don't know, really, but you don't realize how a simple word can bring you sudden joy until you see it used well -- and out of nowhere -- as you sift through hundreds of industry-specific articles each day. Concocting humor out of tedium is an essential skill.
In truth, maybe I misremembered the whole episode (save for "The Awakening" part), and the "fills me with ennui" line was from a movie review or a StoryTime email among colleague friends. Either way, it quickly became assigned to multiple telco business stories as we entertained ourselves with the absurdity of the communications business race, its lobbyists and its surprisingly high stakes.
So even today, whenever I see "ennui" used I have an extra giggle at the memory of that time -- even if I don't remember its details.
And on that note, I'm tickled by The Onion's story about the new "ennui gas" chemical weapon, which "overwhelms its victims with sudden philosophical distress over the meaningless tedium of human life and a sinking sense that everything they have ever accomplished ultimately amounts to dust."
Well-tickled, me. And on that note's note, it's fitting that The Onion features in its archive of similar stories this wonderful bit, which I never did link to before: "Conceptual Terrorists Encase Sears Tower in Jell-O." The conceptual terrorists release a three-hour video taking credit for the act:
"Your outdated ideas of what terrorism is have been challenged," an unidentified, disembodied voice announces following the video's first 45 minutes of random imagery set to minimalist techno music. "It is not your simple bourgeois notion of destructive explosions and weaponized biochemical agents. True terror lies in the futility of human existence."
That's just plain good shit. Leave it to The Onion to point out how obviously terrorism and art go together -- at least satirically -- in our 21st-century zeitgeist.
As you may have noticed, the site has changed. Sampa, the free-site host, did a version 2 of some sort.
Despite an FAQ that made it sound like allowing one's site to go through v.2 surgery would be okay, there were several flexibilities that surprisingly disappeared with the click of a button. (e.g. I cannot believe sidebars like this one are even narrower than before.)
And I'm told -- miraculously! -- that the conversion cannot be undone. Truth be told, I'm actually quite pissed. But free is free. Sampa has otherwise been good to me.
So I need to sort through site "features" to see how I can make do. Except that I don't have the time at the moment, in the middle of graduate classes and Lighthousehockey.com. (btw, I've removed that Lighthouse RSS feed so that you're not clogged with random Islanders hockey gibberish).
But I promise to touch up the accessories when I get a chance, and return to irregularly scheduled blogging.
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, which "overwhelms its victims with sudden philosophical distress over the meaningless tedium of human life and a sinking sense that everything they have ever accomplished ultimately amounts to dust."
February, 2008