For Chanukah I received among other delightful things a copy of Nassim Taleb's The Black Swan, which is causing a stir among those who still read books. (I nervously and perhaps myopically imagine this fandom to have a larger number of readers in it than, say, fans of any other fandom except the Harry Potter batch.) As I was starting into this tome, which I confess is very challenging to read and has caused me several times already to go back and reread whole sections to make sure I understand what Mr. Taleb is talking about, I came across an anecdote on pages 6-7 that I thought was relevant here.
Mr. Taleb describes an incident in his youth when he was rebellious (he took part in a riot), and says, "There were some obvious benefits in showing one's ability to act on one's opinions, and not compromising an inch to avoid 'offending' or bothering others. . . . It is one thing to be cosmetically defiant of authority by wearing unconventional clothes—what social scientists and economists call 'cheap signaling'—and another to prove willingness to translate belief into action. . . . I discovered that it is much more effective to act like a nice guy and be 'reasonable' if you prove willing to go beyond just verbiage. You can afford to be compassionate, lax, and courteous if, once in a while, when it is least expected of you, but completely justified, you sue someone, or savage an enemy, just to show you can walk the walk."
Could this be the path of Daria's future? In short, could she turn out to be a relatively pleasant person who still has the strong possibility of chewing someone up if she feels it is justified? I think I can see something like this after IICY?, where she knows she can screw up and takes it easier on herself (and others), but still keeps relatively high internal standards and still has lines that no one was meant to cross. She could realize the value in being a nicer person, only not all the time so that she will not be regarded lightly in any circle.
Anyway, that was just a random thought. The book is fascinating, if difficult, and I have the feeling it is something Daria could have written or at least enjoyed. Anyone else have suggestions for books that Daria would have liked, in your opinion?
3 comments:
Now I will have to go on a bookhunt for this, thanks a lot, TAG. :p
According to this book, Tom Sloane is a "Black Swan." Interesting.
I nervously and perhaps myopically imagine this fandom to have a larger number of readers in it than, say, fans of any other fandom except the Harry Potter batch.
There are readers here, but I'm not sure if the percentage of readers is greater than the percentage in the population at large. However, if I were to venture a guess about the psychology of the fandom at large, I think people identify with Daria more because she's despised for being a "brain" than for being bookish. "Brains" can be bookish, but they can also possess untutored, unlettered talents. I remember more than one fic where Daria has an instinctive grasp of probability, programming, physics, etc. that the Daria of the show displayed neither aptitude for nor interest in. I don't remember the authors or names of these fics, but I reckon you can think of some.
As far as Daria adapting the strategy Taleb outlines of general conformity interrupted by infrequent and serious efforts on behalf of principle, I think it's possible, but she would need to develop a rapport someone who made it work. For example, if Daria were to keep in contact with a Jodie who found the aspects of her personality shown in "Gifted" more useful than thos shown in "Partiner's Complaint," Daria might adopt those strategies herself.
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