Krishnamurti said it and I f*cking agree: "It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." In episode 10 we get into Charli xcx, Jack Halberstam’s The Queer Art of Failure, and the false binary between “high” and “low” art, theory, and intelligence. I read and briefly unpack parts of Halberstam’s introduction on low theory (yes, SpongeBob shows up) and explore how failure, under certain conditions, can function as a portal rather than a deficit. A way out of the punishing, heteronormative, capitalist script of success that tells us who to be, what to want, and how a life is supposed to look. We peep into toxic positivity, the myth of personal responsibility, and why the desire to be taken seriously so often turns into obedience. This is not a romanticization of struggle, and it is not a denial of structural conditions. Context matters. Power, privilege, race, class, gender, and access matter. And still, there is something radical about refusing domestication, questioning the metrics you inherited, and letting yourself imagine and inhabit alternative ways of being that feel more alive, more honest, and more yours. This is a teaser episode ahead of next week’s conversation with Dr. David Tripp, where we’ll go deeper into failure, refusal, and postmodern ways of knowing and unknowing— or really whatever the f**k naturally comes up when we meet. Stay ungovernable and incorruptible. And of course tender when possible. xSylvia Content Warning: Per usual I cuss a lot. Nothing graphic, but this episode engages with themes of failure, success, capitalism, heteronormativity, toxic positivity, and systems of power. It may feel activating for listeners reflecting on their own relationship to achievement, worth, or cultural conditioning. Please listen with care. Take what lands and leave the rest. References and Touchstones • Charli XCX, Substack writings, including reflections on high and low culture from her essay “The Death of Cool” • Jack Halberstam, The Queer Art of Failure (Introduction pages 1-6) • SpongeBob SquarePants (as cited in Halberstam’s introduction on low theory) • Little Miss Sunshine (2006), dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, written by Michael Arndt • Barbara Ehrenreich, Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America • J. Krishnamurti: “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Quote from Charlie xcx essay I mention in the episode: “My fascination with the combination of high and low has always been a big driver within my work. People who are interested in things deemed as high brow or high art or left of centre seem to feel that undercutting art with something low brow or mass produced degrades the work and people who are more interested in things deemed as low art or popular or utilizing a directness in language seem to find the acknowledgement of theory or history as pretentious. I enjoy the in-between space that this creates. There’s definitely something antagonistic about it and whilst I like that my work can sometimes lead to these sorts of conversations and yes, sometimes shock tactics are funny to me and bring me joy, the integrity of the initial work always has to come first for me to be truly interested in the work itself. If creating something does not come from a truthful and meaningful place within the artist, if it doesn’t in ways wear it’s heart on it’s sleeve, then in my opinion the work is totally f*****g DOA.”
