Maggie Rants [and Raves]

Monsters From the Id

by Maggie Franklin | November 15, 2013 | Bookmark +

The title comes from the 1956 science fiction movie “Forbidden Planet.”  The concept comes from Carl Jung. And my oversimplified explanation comes from the elementary schoolyard poo-flinging fest taking place in my Facebook newsfeed:

 

The more we move toward this requirement to be “nice” and “get along” and be “professional” all the time, the more we ignore, fetter, and repress the naturally occurring dark side of our humble, human, selves. Until, eventually, that dark side will manifest itself into a real being.

 

Apparently, some story tellers have known this for centuries, as “Forbidden Planet” is considered a take on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” There’s even an “X-Files” episode that deals with something along these lines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia_(The_X-Files)... and looking up that link lead me here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa.

 

Folks, this concept has been around a really long time.

 

And now: let’s talk about “Nailtech Nancy.”

 

From the moment she came onto the scene, she has been accused of being “negative” in nearly everything she has said or done.

 

I can’t help but wonder if Nailtech Nancy isn’t our industry’s own Tulpa.

 

I realize that I do not follow norms, and I’m really bad at joining movements or sitting on bandwagons, and I am risking some serious shunning from a lot of people who have been colleagues, friends, and allies throughout the years for daring to even speak on this subject — but I think we need “Nancy.”

 

Nancy’s negative voice isn’t solely her own. Her blog features the secret thoughts and feelings of not just whoever the real Nancy is, but of the people from throughout our industry that send her things to post on her blog.

 

All those things we aren’t allowed to say, aren’t allowed to feel, aren’t allowed to think. Those things that we suppress because going on record with those things could severely damage our careers as educators, company reps, manufacturers, magazine writers and editors, bloggers, etc.

 

So yeah, imagine that, an anonymous voice is the voice of negativity in our industry. Wow. Go figure.

 

But right now, my Facebook newsfeed is littered with hateful comments demanding that anyone who is on “Nancy’s” friendlist must unfriend her and block her, and if we don’t? Well, then we will be unfriended and blocked. Then those are the people throwing around the “bully” word.

 

I don’t want to lose the industry contacts who have been part of my network for nearly 15 years of Internet use now. But it sickens me that my colleagues can’t seem to see themselves in the mirror they are holding up for all the mud they’ve flung on it.

 

The people who are being “bullied” here are the ones caught in the middle, like me. Caught in a classic “If you’re going to be her friend, then I won’t be your friend” school yard tantrum.

 

And the ones — like me — who are on the industry’s list of possible true identities for the mysterious Nailtech Nancy who are getting flack behind the lines now because someone thinks that’s me.

 

You gotta be kidding, right? Anyone who has followed along with my online postings should know that I have spent nearly 15 years of Internet notoriety ducking rotten tomatoes under my OWN name. Right out here in the open. Just like some of those other people who are high on the suspects list.

 

At this point, it doesn’t matter who Nancy really is anymore — because Nancy is us. All of us. All of us and our sanctimonious attitudes, prancing around, pretending to be so professional and so above all that drama until some little voice on the sidelines points out that we’re naked.

 

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