If Freud Was An Animal, He'd Be A Duck

As I reflect on class, one question raised keeps coming to the forefront of my thoughts: is it fair to judge a person's views based on our modern values rather than the values of the writer's time?

Answer: no. But I'm going to do it, anyway. Why? Because we're looking for something universal, something that can apply to any time period and EVERY time period. And Freud... was dead wrong.

Perhaps it was "brilliant" psychology in his time. But the man was a quack. Just from the short reading, it is painfully apparent that under Freud's definitions, EVERYONE HAS A MENTAL ILLNESS, thus ensuring he always has work. It's utter garbage.

There is absolutely nothing of value in Freud. Look at all of the "pop psychology" of dream interpretation he's inspired! "Pop psychology" is to Psychology what "pop music" is to music: a shallow performance meant to make the listener feel good without imparting any positive value. I prefer to think of both as poison for the mind.

Perhaps Freud's biggest crime is the plague he has unleashed upon our society? His crackpot "theories" based on a complete misunderstanding of the psyche. Either way, he contributes no meaningful definition of Art to our discussion, and all I can say is "Thank goodness we're moving on from 'Fraud!'"

On Dreams

What is a dream? Is it merely the wanderings of the mind while asleep (or perhaps even awake)? Is it a wish? Is it anything at all?

Freud claims that dreams represent "unfulfilled wishes." Going along with his theme of "wishes are for the unhappy," the logical conclusion would be that happy people never dream (or never remember their dreams). I feel this is not the case.

First of all, to call a dream an unfulfilled wish is to imply that one would WANT the events in the dream to happen, on some level. Talking solely from my personal experience, I had a dream once in middle school in which I received a detention for an unmentioned offense. Am I HONESTLY supposed to believe that unconsciously, I WANTED to be in trouble? That I DESIRED a detention? If that is the case, I would concede a certain masochism on my part.

However, I would argue that such is far from the truth. I am opposed to inflicting harm on others, SERIOUS harm, in all but the most extreme circumstances, and would NEVER desire to inflict anything upon myself. From other dreams, the details of which I will not divulge here, Freud would likely diagnose me with sado-masochistic tendencies, I charge I insist is balderdash.

His claim to "universal symbols" in dreams is equally dubious. Any given event, object, color, ANYTHING, in the context of a dream, could not POSSIBLY have a universal meaning. Why? Humanity. For each individual, any given object has a unique meaning that is distinct, personal, perhaps completely opposed to what another individual would see in the same object.

Now that I have laid my case against Freud's preposterous ideas of dreams... how does this relate to art? As Freud argues that art is merely the projection of these dreams and fantasies... it has everything to do with Art. And since Freud's "interpretation" of dreams is worth little more than a lump of cat poo... how am I to take his views on Art seriously? Answer: I do not. Freud is nothing but a Fraud.

"Freud" Is One Letter Away From "Fraud"

It took me 7 hours to force myself to read 5 pages of Freud. Why?

The man is absolutely insane. To say that only "unhappy" people have fantasies shows an awful misunderstanding of the human mind. To say that fantasies are the root of psychosis is a crime against humanity.

Day-dreams are not merely, as "Fraud" suggests, "merely an extension of childhood play." They are a vital part of the human life. We MUST have day dreams. They inspire us to work harder. They give us solace. And they are most certainly NOT the root of mental illness.

A dream is harmless. A fantasy is harmless. Acting on said dreams and fantasies may not be, granted, but who was ever harmed merely by thought? When was the last time you, my dear readers, killed or raped or maimed someone merely by thought, by fantasizing about it? If any of you can answer "yes..." seek professional help.

I shall assume that most of you have answered "no" to my question, and pose this question: is day dreaming bad? Indeed, is "play" necessarily a bad thing for an adult?

My answer? No, it is not. Play is a vital component to the human condition. It is through play that we learn, and without it, we are little more than drones. Perhaps "Fraud" saw it as a sign of mental illness; I see it as a sign of mental health.

Perhaps "Fraud's" problem was merely that HE wanted to kill his father and have sex with his mother, and merely reflected that on to his "victims?" You decide.