Francis Berger
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Fear and Sentimentality

8/31/2021

10 Comments

 
Sentimentality inspires mostly negative connotations today. The word has become a pejorative to define and describe anything that conjures exaggerated tenderness and self-indulgent emotionalism.

Critics argue that depictions of tender emotions like love, caring, and sympathy can be classified as sentimental when they appear contrived and artificial rather than natural and real. This not only makes sense, but is also easily observable in many works of art and literature in which sentimental depictions are an affront to decorum and good taste. 

Encountering sentimentality creates feelings of discomfort. At the most basic level, we detect that we are being lied to. Though the emotions presented are generally regarded as "good", they are presented in a manner that is too tender, too ideal, and too "good" to be true. Sentimentality makes syrupy that which should merely be sweet. 

At the same time, I have noticed that the line demarcating the sweet from the syrupy keeps moving further from the sweet and deeper in to the syrupy. More specifically, what might have been considered sweet a decade or two ago is now considered syrup; what was once considered moving and authentic is now considered schmaltzy and kitschy.

The line between the romantic and the sentimental has all but disappeared. It very much seems that all tender emotions have been relegated to the realm of sentimentalism. 

Be that as it may, most negative emotions do not appear to have suffered the same fate. Depictions of hatred, anger, or lust are rarely criticized for being exaggerated or contrived. On the contrary, they are often lauded for their sincerity and "reality". Inflated depictions of tender, positive emotions tend to leave people unmoved, while overdone depictions of harsh, negative emotions tend to move people a great deal. 

Modern people seem to relish picking out the "emotional lies" in nineteenth-century paintings and novels that idealize friendship, love, or caring, but appear oblivious to the "emotional lies" in modern news stories and government communiques that incite resentment, anger, or fear. 

Especially fear. The past eighteen months have taught us that unlike love or caring, fear appears impervious to exaggeration. Moreover, most moderns refuse to acknowledge that fear too can be contrived. 
10 Comments
Epimetheus
9/1/2021 00:54:36

There's a definite trend in Hollywood especially in glorifying high-octane psychopathy. It isn't just the ideal in shows like Game of Thrones or House of Cards. It's everywhere. Unemotional, friendless, self-contained Machiavellianism is depicted as a spiritual state of majestic godhood.

"The love of many shall wax cold."

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Francis Berger
9/1/2021 16:10:49

@ Epi - "Unemotional, friendless, self-contained." Yes, that appears to be the desired state - but unemotional only as regards positive emotions. Negative emotions and traits are strongly encouraged.

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Mike Bryant
9/1/2021 13:50:13

Winston Churchill said that fear is the foundation of obedience which could explain why it's promoted so vigorously at the moment.

Reply
Francis Berger
9/1/2021 16:23:25

@ Mike - This is why I tend to disregard the conventional line of Christian thinking that maintains that our *obedience* to God must stem from our *fear* of God.

Anyone with half-an-active brain cell in his or head can recognize that the forces opposed to God use fear as a means to secure obedience.

It strikes me as incredible that God would rely on the same tactics to *secure* obedience.

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Carol
9/1/2021 21:58:40

I have read commentary on Bible scholarship somewhere (so sorry I can't recall the source) where it was explained that in regards to relationship with or feelings about God -

- the use of the word "fear" comes from translation difficulties, as the original intent of the term/terms was meant to be along the lines of 'reverence' or 'respect' or even 'awe'...

I remember being very relieved to read that, as I don't know how anyone could be expected to love someone they are afraid of.

SebastianX1/9
9/1/2021 14:55:09

"schmaltzy and kitschy." A Yiddish word followed by a German word abused by Jewish critical theorists like Adorno.

Romantic love is a Christian construct. To our jailers, it's all just sentimentality.

Reply
Francis Berger
9/1/2021 16:09:00

@ Sebastian - Yes, romanticism of any kind is instantly classified as sentimentality. The significance of this can't be understated. I believe eclipsing of genuine, strong, positive emotions has crippled consciousness to a great degree.

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Magnus Stout
9/1/2021 15:02:44

This post reminds me of one of Bruce's posts about how he came to understand the impulse to want heaven, versus those who want hell. I think the theme of this post connects well to those ideas.

Something else I've noticed: while we are married with families, I do follow communities of mostly single men. The world they will inherit has become even more toxic with the war between the sexes. Dating and courtship (as we probably knew it) was in free fall before the Coup of 2020, but is dead now with the fear culture. When the Scriptures speak about "the love of many growing cold" as a sign of the End Time, things appear to headed in that direction.

A large part of this loss of love connects to the breakdown in the family. The evil overlord know this, which is why totalitarians always weaken the family. The family is the first place where we get to experience and be shaped by love--for better or worse. So, as this post confirms, the inability for people now to experience such emotions is not an evolution, but a devolution.

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Francis Berger
9/1/2021 16:17:26

@ Magnus - To want heaven is to want family because I believe relationships in heaven are akin to positive and constructive familial relationships here on earth - a group of individuals, all unique in their own right, yet unified by a common purpose to support each other and add something positive to creation.

The prolonged assault on the family and the relationships between men and women, which form the foundation for family, has been the cornerstone of purposive evil for at least a century.

Reply
Francis Berger
9/2/2021 06:25:55

@ Carol - " I don't know how anyone could be expected to love someone they are afraid of."

That's just it. You've touched on an extremely important point regarding the limits and pitfalls of translation and interpretation, which serves to underscore the necessity of thinking, intuition, and personal discernment.

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