A Superfluous Generation

I believe that it was Nikolai Ogarev who first brought the ‘Superfluous Man’ to the fore in Russian literature.  In his writings, and in the writings of his close friend, Alexander Herzen, the Superfluous Man functions as a type respresenting their peers — the young Russian gentry who, although they are surrounded by great evils and great possibilities, choose to remain on their estates, pursue the cultural interests of their day, focus on their families or their particular hobbies, and  consequently fail to engage in any activity that is historically or politically meaningful.  Sadly, the term is one that even comes to apply to Ogarev and many of those who, in the middle of the 19th century, longed for a more just, more egalitarian society (and who especially longed for the emancipation of the serfs), but who found that all their efforts bore no fruit.  So, disenchanted, beat-down by autocratic powers far greater than they could ever hope to be, they retreated to their estates, to various forms of the arts, and vanished into insignificance — i.e. they became superfluous.  A generation that could be deleted from history and would not be missed.

I wonder if history will judge my generation (myself included) in the same way.  A generation also surrounded by great evils and great possibilities, but a generation too apathetic, too self-indulgent, and too easily distracted to confront the evils and actualise the potentialities.  Thus, although we know that the vast majority of our clothing, our children’s toys, and our electronics (to pick just a few things), are produced by children working in slavelike conditions, we do nothing to address this issue and instead, simply by continuing to consume these products, allow those who produce these conditions and systems to grow wealthy.  Further, although we know that automobiles are not required for urban living, and although we know that purchasing an automobile will drive us into debt and severely limit our ability to serve our communities, or put our resources towards the needs of our communities, and although we know that driving oil-based automobiles is an unsustainable activity due to the environmental destruction is causes, we continue to purchase and drive automobiles.  Finally, although we know that a little money goes a long way with people who are homeless and although we know that greater services and social assistance is needed for people who have experienced traumas or who possess debilitating disabilities, we continue to support governments that slash taxes and cut social services, just as we continue to ignore the poor whom we encounter in the street.

Apathy, self-indulgence, distraction — all marks of a superfluous generation.  A generation lacking only the will, and not the knowledge or the means necessary to create change.  Thus, despite all of our flowery talk and sensitive rhetoric about the homelessness crisis or the AIDS pandemic (or whatever), it must be said that we simply do not care.  We simply do not desire that things be any other way.  So we live lives lacking in any historical or political significance.

Yet there are some who dare to dream, some who try to confront evil, some who attempt to actualise the great possibilities of our age, some who take the Bible seriously when it tells us to abhor evil, cling to what is good, and enter into solidarity with the poor and needy in the land.  What, then, is the fate of these few?  Is it not the same as the fate of Ogarev?  To fail many times, to be beaten down by autocratic powers (although in our day we are confronted with the nexus of powers clustered around Global Capitalism, which is an even stronger and more destructive force than Tsarism in 19th century Russia), to become weary and disenchanted,  and to retreat to cultural pursuits or the arts (like, for example, shifting our theological focus from liberation to aesthetics or, to choose another example, to go from discussing class barriers to discussing film).  So, these too share the fate of their generation.  They are simply too few in numbers.  Too overwhelmed by opposition.  They are made superfluous.

Therefore, I conclude with the lyrics to ‘Singer Songwriter‘ by Okkervil River.  This song is to us — the apathetic, the self-indulgent, the distracted.  This song is for our superfluous generation.

Your great-grandfather was a great lawyer
And his kid made a mint off the war
Your father shot stills and then directed films
That your mom did publicity for

I saw your older sis on the year’s best book list
And your brother, he manages bands
And you’re keen to downplay but you’re quick to betray
With one welt and that wave of your hand

You came from wealth, yeah, you got wealth
What a bitch they didn’t give you much else

I heard ‘Cuss’ by The Kinks on your speakers
I saw Poe and Artaud on your shelves
While ‘The Last Laugh’s’ first scene on your flat panel screen
Lit Chanel that you’ve wrapped around yourself

You got outsider art by an artist
You arguably kidnapped to pin on the wall
Your designers have slyly directed the eye down
Pink lines here in your well lit pawn

You’ve got taste, you’ve got taste
What a waste that that’s all that you have

Oh, you wrote your thesis on ‘The Gospel of Thomas’
You shot some reversal film in Angkor Wat
And this book you once read said there’s less people dead
At this point now than those that are not

And this film we once saw was reviled for its flaws
But its flaws were what made us have fun
And the lives some folk have might have made us feel bad
Why feel bad, man, it’s nothing you’ve done

It’s all in your hand, it’s all in your hand
Like a gun, like a glove, like a grand

And this thing you once said disappeared from my head
In the time that it took to be amazed
And this thing you once did might have dazzled the kids
But the kids once grown up are gonna walk away

And your world is gonna change nothing
And your world is gonna change nothing
And our world is gonna change nothing
And our world is gonna change nothing
And our world is gonna change nothing