# VULGARITY — What's Its True Power?  URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/b719e92a-da3e-4e8e-93ae-c58adee11d87 Author:: This Jungian Life Podcast ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights > Compensatory Nature of Vulgarity > Summary: > Vulgarity may serve as a compensatory element to the sophisticated and analytical presentation, similar to how the shadow is compensatory to persona in psychology. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > It's compensatory. You brought up shadow, Joseph. And so, just as shadow is compensatory to persona, it may be that vulgarity is compensatory to civilized upscales, sophisticated, dare we say, analytic presentation. ([Time 0:03:05](https://share.snipd.com/snip/c4580ec7-b492-4c3e-86fe-ef615fe2c36c)) > Vulgarity as a Catalyst for Shifting Perspectives > Summary: > Vulgarity, akin to a Zen Cohen, can highlight absurdity and incongruity that prompts a shift in perspective. > This presentation of the absurd can lead individuals to view things differently and interpret vulgarity as a form of rebellion. > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > It's kind of like a Zen Cohen, right, that just presents this absurdity. And I think that maybe a lot of vulgarity is like that, that it presents us with something that's really quite incongruous or absurd, and so it makes us shift our perspective and have To see things in a new way. > Speaker 1 > So in that way, we might interpret this particular dream as an impulse of rebellion. ([Time 0:17:23](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d08fe812-cb61-4f24-bf3e-7b3e9da5fc50)) > Embracing the Profane for Freedom > Summary: > In facing imminent death, some individuals are inclined to engage in profane and taboo activities to feel liberated and explore the forbidden. > This behavior of breaking societal norms is seen as a way to assert freedom and challenge conventional restrictions on behavior. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > That makes perfect sense that there is something enlivening and arousing with both vulgar humor as well as curse words, as well as doing things that were profane in Albert Camus' book The Plague. And he's detailing that in the face of certain death, how might different groups of people respond? And a certain group of people he imagines would seek to do every kind of profane thing, going into the cathedrals and having orgies in the middle of the cathedrals or on the altars, that Something in some of us needs to break all the rules in order to feel free, in order to try all the things that we've been told that we should not and could not do. ([Time 0:22:07](https://share.snipd.com/snip/015b4968-f2dc-4717-8f72-b58144534291)) > The Humor in Vulgar Language > Summary: > Vulgar language can be humorously impactful when used creatively or unexpectedly, leveraging the incongruity theory of humor. > The element of surprise by deviating from social expectations can provoke laughter, showcasing playfulness and a bending of linguistic norms and expectations. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > One of the things that we talk about is the shock value of vulgar language when particularly it's used creatively or unexpectedly. And it has to do with this idea of the incongruity theory of humor, where surprise or deviation from social expectations can provoke laughter. And this is sort of as a kind of playfulness, a bending of both linguistic norms and expectations. ([Time 0:23:14](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b32c07bf-00b4-4553-a8af-9cf4f793f849)) ## New highlights added March 28, 2024 at 9:22 PM > The Remarkable Capacity for Humans to Shift Perspectives > Summary: > Human beings have a remarkable capacity to shift perspectives from sincerity to humor in coping with tragedies. > This ability allows individuals to dance with darkness, using gallows humor and vulgarity as coping mechanisms and group bonding tools. These shifts in perspective not only help in coping with stress but also in redistributing power dynamics within groups. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > This goes to something that Peter Berger wrote about, which I mentioned before in his small book A Rumor of Angels, where he talks about how remarkable it is that human beings can be in A very sincere relationship to something like a tragedy in front of us and then to radically and suddenly shift a perspective to jump above the distress of something and to see it as humorous. That's a remarkable capacity for human beings and a coping mechanism. I liked what you said, Lisa, about dancing with darkness. We could go back to Jung and his terrible vision of God dropping a turd on the cathedral, but he did dance with his own inner darkness and the fear of that. For people that are in dire circumstances like you working in Yugoslavia, emergency workers, etc, the darkness is there and gallows humor, vulgarity, all of these things are ways Of dancing with it and not just keeping it behind a defensive wall. It's also part of group bonding and the idea of in-group language. Yes. That even our little silly wordplay from the Orestaya, that was kind of something we kept tightly. > Speaker 3 > It was like a little secret among the three of us. In fact, I think at times we tried to share it with other people and they were like, that's not that funny. But the three of us would just squeal. You have to be there. > Speaker 1 > You had to be there. It was about group bonding and then frankly jokes that we and by we I mean I could make around the training analysts, which I am not going to repeat. It was only you, Joseph. It was only you. But to depotensiate some of that stress and all the projections of power onto them. So again group bonding and shifting power that vulgarity can both give us a sense of being powerful as well as taking power away from something that is throwing us off our center. ([Time 0:32:28](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a14bd93e-3b04-460c-99d4-7d1ff011b7a0)) > The Sacred, Profane, and Vulgar: New Forbidden Words > Summary: > The shifting cultural norms have led to common words becoming considered obscene or inappropriate, creating a new form of Puritanism. > This shift is reflected in the avoidance of words like 'bathroom' or 'toilet', which are now replaced with euphemisms like 'restroom' or 'powder room'. Despite the prevalence of explicit language, society remains delicate and cautious when it comes to discussing certain topics. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > But I think what we're seeing also is the dial shifts back and forth. So we can find what would have been considered soft porn showing up easily in most of the movies that we see, but common words have now become quote unquote trigger words and now they're Obscene, they're unacceptable, they're shocking, they're not funny at all. There's this kind of new sort of Puritanism. Right. But that's part of this idea of the sacred profane vulgar, the dial moving all around. Right. There are new forbidden words and one of my favorite forbidden words, I have a couple of them, are you really ready? Bathroom, toilet, we have to call it the restroom, the ladies' room, the necessary room, the room, but for some reason we never refer to it as a bathroom or going to the toilet, a call of Nature. People are very delicate about that and in a powder room. Oh, powder room. In an age where four letter words abound, we pussyfoot around bathrooms and toilets. ([Time 0:40:48](https://share.snipd.com/snip/21448006-efe7-4222-ab22-8855798cbf83)) > Power in Primal Shock > Summary: > The ability to shock in a primitive and unrefined manner, going beyond civilized or rational boundaries, taps into primal energy. > It is the display of unpredictability and danger that grabs attention, making us pause and feel the intensity of the emotions being expressed. This primal and dangerous display, executed with conviction and power, is highly contagious and impactful. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > There is power in the ability to shock and particularly to shock in a way that feels primitive and unrefined. > Speaker 2 > Like you don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I'm going to do. I'm not going to follow the rules. > Speaker 1 > Yes, exactly. That I'm dangerous because I can break even just a linguistic rule. It accesses a layer of primal energy, of carrying it off with that kind of power in the Joan Crawford scene of its primal. And that's very contagious. We really get it when somebody is experiencing a level of feeling that goes way beyond and way beneath anything that's civilized or rational or anything. And it stops us in our tracks. And it has to be primal and it has to be a little dangerous and it has to be carried off with conviction and power. ([Time 0:44:54](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4b428277-afe6-4601-b44b-c28a07bb3094)) ## New highlights added March 29, 2024 at 6:03 PM > Episode AI notes > 1. Vulgarity serves as a compensatory element to sophisticated presentations, similar to the shadow in psychology. > 2. Vulgarity can prompt a shift in perspective by highlighting absurdity and incongruity, leading to a view of rebellion. > 3. In facing death, individuals may engage in taboo activities to feel liberated and challenge societal norms. > 4. Creative use of vulgar language can humorously impact by provoking laughter through deviation from social expectations. > 5. Human capacity to shift perspectives from sincerity to humor aids in coping with tragedies and redistributing power dynamics within groups. > 6. Shifting cultural norms have led to common words being considered obscene, reflecting a new form of Puritanism. > 7. Primitive and unrefined displays of vulgarity tap into primal energy, grabbing attention and evoking intense emotions. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/3d57e389-014c-44ba-9db7-58de7ad66300))