Raising Goblins

Imagine a dystopian future. The government had made the decision to raise goblins on an industrial scale in incubation farms in order to improve society for the "greater good". At first, this seemed like a good idea. The goblins were independent thinkers, astute critics of everything that appeared less than ideal, and wanted to advance progressive ideals to create a democratic utopia.

The goblins had slovenly appearances, with matted hair and clothing that was wrinkled and stained. They had a glint in their eyes that spoke of a lack of concern for anyone but themselves. Their faces were contorted into expressions of greed and selfishness, and they walked with a slouch that showed their complete lack of motivation.

It quickly became apparent that the goblins were outrageously self-indulgent, rejecting any form of authority or rules. They cared only for their own pleasure and had no regard for the well-being of others in spite of their claims to care. They were constantly scheming and plotting. Always looking for ways to satisfy their own desires, leveraging their misery to gain more sympathy and help, all done at the expense of others who were in greater need.

They had no regard for truth, reason, tradition, or communal values, and they quickly began to reject social norms and expectations. As a result, society began to crumble as goblins along with their toxic worldview dominated and replaced human civilization. Citizens were no longer motivated to work hard and be productive, the economy plummeted, crime rates skyrocketed and there was total destruction.

The government tried to intervene and fix the situation, but it was too late. The damage had been done, and society was beyond repair. The goblins continued to live their lives of indulgence and were a force to be reckoned with, leaving destruction and chaos in their wake wherever they went. Sound far-fetched?

'Goblin mode” has been chosen by the public as the 2022 Oxford word of the year. The term, refers to “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”. Goblin mode means to “embraces the comforts of depravity” and it's apparently the new rave on social media among young people in the West.

Yet this is unsurprising to me, an astute student of where our culture is chasing madly towards. While many may see this as just another passing TikTok craze to make light of challenging times, I think it serves as a much deeper revelation of our prevailing cultural psyche. A very disturbing premonition.

Unapologetic self-indulgence seems to sum up the Kardashian effect that has infiltrated every corner of our cultural landscape. The shortest distance to fame is some degree of vulgar display of a lack of self-restraint. There was a time when it was morally unthinkable to leak your own sex tape to bootstrap your career, but this is the depravity that is all too commonplace nowadays. Today, if reality itself doesn't revolve around and conform to one's desires, preferences, and comfort, it's in vogue to attempt to hold ransom.

There is a sense in which laziness and greed are directly proportional, so we want more and want to do less to acquire it. This manifests in the entitlement we are seeing everywhere, for every grievance, and we can stick the word justice to any such activism in an attempt to claim the moral high ground.

I worry that the most impressionable minds of our society are being deeply conditioned to see themselves as the hopeless victims of history and its ongoing legacy, who are entitled to be bailed out by the state for every predicament even when patently self-inflicted.

We are being told that the structures and institutions of our society are entirely oppressive and must be undermined for the total liberation of society. If this continues on the trajectory the ultimate destination is the total rejection of truth, reason, ethics, tradition, communal values social norms, and expectations, as constructs of white heteronormative patriarchy. Isn't this exactly what we are witnessing? The logical end of this rabid solipsism, and socio-cultural anarchy?

I submit to you that we are breeding and raising such goblins that are permanently engaged in that mode on an industrial scale through their social media accounts and this is the new normal for the foreseeable future if we don't abort this nonsense.