Chris and Nostalgia

[Owlflaps]

Chris seems incredibly nostalgic to me. I think he feeds off nostalgia because it's addictive. Reminiscing about good things make him feel good, therefore he constantly needs to relive his past. He has nothing going for him in life. Why bother trying to move forward when it's better to backpedal? His life is the very definition of escapism.

He likes to stay in a cocoon made of Legos and Model Clay magic because he's comfortable and it helps him cope with the drudgery of day-to-day living.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

My theory is that his perception of time is fucked up because of a lack of mental challenge and stimulation, compounded by lazy enabling parents, lazyness and on a very minor scale, his autism.

There are a few of his videos where he gets the date wrong by a matter of months. While that may be his "right first time" mentality, it could quite plausibly be because of a failure to register the passing of time. What is there to mark the passage of time for him? He doesn't work or socialise, so the week-to-week schedule most people live by doesn't apply. In the longer term, he hasn't made any progress in his life in over a decade. One year is very much the same as another. He can't even judge himself by the progress of others, because the only person he sees regularly is Barb.

 

[Misto]

The fuck he cant. Hes the greatest underachiever that ever graced this earth with the imprint of his ass under a shade tree.

But seriously... While i doubt he has any sense of his problems being his fault, im sure he could and very well might see himself as the perfect example of success in the face of adversity. He knows he could have or should have reached whatever stage or goal in his life, but due to his crippling disorder and the whole of society crushing down on him to keep him from being happy, look how far he has come. He is a plucky, determined go get em kinda girl, and aint nothin gonna hold her down!

So how can he accept he's an underachiever while at the same time seeing himself as the perfect example of success in the face of adversity?

The more I think about it, the more I think my theory of "Chris is stuck in 1996 because he doesn't perceive time like the rest of the world does" is correct.

Imagine that you were stuck in an island and your only sources of entertainment were a radio station that plays Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys and your only TV station played Family Guy and Seinfeld all day. When you returned to mainland, you'd be blown away by how much things have changed, right?

Chris doesn't feel the need to leave that island except very occasionally and when its for something related to something he already likes (like the Lego movie).

The last time that Chris had regular mental stimulation from sources outside his control was when he was in high school. Not coincidentally, most of his tastes in literature, music and entertainment solidified during the period from junior high to high school. It was also when he socialized the most (thus being exposed to other influences). In the Game Place he only played pokemon against little kids and was in an environment that very much resembled his own room. His only influence was Megan. And community college proved to be too much for him to handle - in part because he was already stuck in a teenage mental state while other people had moved on.

This is compounded to some extent by his autism - autists are reluctant to change, but in Chris's case it could have been very well managed with therapy and some discipline, I'm sure. But - since Chris was raised as a special individual and his parents were lazy and decided to let the TV do most of the raising, he has always had very little incentive to change and adapt. He also has a firm belief that whatever he likes is automatically the best thing in the world - because he likes it, and thus has no incentive to look for new things.

I think his only source of news and information these days is his Facebook feed which must be horrid and the "What's new in the PSN network" screen.

 

[Chikinballs]

So how can he accept he's an underachiever while at the same time seeing himself as the perfect example of success in the face of adversity?

The first part was a joke, hence the "but seriously" opening to the second part.

However, i wouldnt put double think past him, not even an inch.

The more I think about it, the more I think my theory of "Chris is stuck in 1996 because he doesn't perceive time like the rest of the world does" is correct.

Imagine that you were stuck in an island and your only sources of entertainment were a radio station that plays Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys and your only TV station played Family Guy and Seinfeld all day. When you returned to mainland, you'd be blown away by how much things have changed, right?

Chris doesn't feel the need to leave that island except very occasionally and when its for something related to something he already likes (like the Lego movie).

The last time that Chris had regular mental stimulation from sources outside his control was when he was in high school. Not coincidentally, most of his tastes in literature, music and entertainment solidified during the period from junior high to high school. It was also when he socialized the most (thus being exposed to other influences). In the Game Place he only played pokemon against little kids and was in an environment that very much resembled his own room. His only influence was Megan. And community college proved to be too much for him to handle - in part because he was already stuck in a teenage mental state while other people had moved on.

This is compounded to some extent by his autism - autists are reluctant to change, but in Chris's case it could have been very well managed with therapy and some discipline, I'm sure. But - since Chris was raised as a special individual and his parents were lazy and decided to let the TV do most of the raising, he has always had very little incentive to change and adapt. He also has a firm belief that whatever he likes is automatically the best thing in the world - because he likes it, and thus has no incentive to look for new things.

I think his only source of news and information these days is his Facebook feed which must be horrid and the "What's new in the PSN network" screen.

I dunno, man. I would say he probably doesnt understand time like most people do, and how fast and far people and situations change, but as far as an extremely warped perception of the passage of time...

Im not even sure what youre getting at to be honest. Are you saying he thinks its not 2014?

 

[Misto]

Im not even sure what youre getting at to be honest. Are you saying he thinks its not 2014?

No, obviously you'd have to be a very special individual to think that he does not know what year it is. Chris knows it's 2014. The screen on his phone reminds him every day.

I will try again to explain this and simplify:

Obviously he does feel nostalgic for his "best" years. But there's another component to what we call "Chris's nostalgia" which is related to his perception of the passage of time.

How many life changes have you experienced in the last 10-12 years? Roughly the time since Chris attended PVCC.

Let me talk about my own experience which I would think is fairly typical. Not to compare myself with Chris which would be frankly retarded, but to illustrate my point:

Since 2002 I got a degree, I went back to school and got another degree, I moved, I got my first job, my grandpa died, I changed jobs, I moved, I had a girlfriend, I changed jobs again, I married my girlfriend, moved, was married for a few years, I divorced her, I moved, I met someone else, my dog died, I traveled to Canada, South America and all over the US, got a motorcycle, had a motorcycle accident, dated again, broke up. All this while interacting and meeting new people, experiencing changing economy and work circumstances. During the last ten years I have read probably two or three hundred books, seen a similar amount of movies (I am a voracious reader but don't care for most movies), been following the news online and watching TV, changed my views a thousand times, learned new skills and had to adapt and grow at every junction in my life.

And this is me as a pretty average individual unworthy of much attention. My life may be even more boring than most people. But still, all these things have helped me change and have affected my perception of time. That's the case for pretty much everyone else.

Now, let's think about Chris's last ten years:

- Sleep, play videogames, obsess over china and consume mass media (typical sheltered teenager activities). No real work. Human interaction limited to the Pokemon tournaments, Megan (who was the last big influence on Chris's tastes), his two fossilized parents and church, trolls (whom I convinced have provided the most excitement in Chris's life in the last 10 years), the Wallflower, Mary Lee Walsh, Rocky and Mike Snyder. Bob dies. There's a fire.

Only a few of those events are real landmarks in Chris's life.

For Chris, most days melt into the last. If you ask Chris what defined 2005 for him he'd probably say it was the release of Pokemon Purple or whatever. His points of reference are very limited because of the bubble he lives in. He has had very little pressure or incentive or motivation to grow his tastes and expand his awareness and therefore, he has little point of reference to know time has passed. He is aware of time passing but the effect of time passing on Chris is not the same as it is for everyone else - because the rest of the world is experiencing much bigger changes and adapting as a result, and that influences their perception of time.

Since Chris is autistic and therefore reluctant to change, and since Chris has such a big ego, he can't understand that other people have moved on and evolve and therefore the things that were so important to a bunch of high schoolers 15 years ago are not important to them anymore. But they still are to him. He's living in a bubble, not only sheltered and cozied by Barb but also in regards to his life experience and therefore his perception of time.

 

[Marvin]

I don't know, I have human interaction, and even then, I'm very lucky to hear about recent happenings in the news. I just don't pay attention to the news.

 

[Chikinballs]

No, obviously you'd have to be a very special individual to think that he does not know what year it is. Chris knows it's 2014. The screen on his phone reminds him every day.

I will try again to explain this and simplify:

Obviously he does feel nostalgic for his "best" years. But there's another component to what we call "Chris's nostalgia" which is related to his perception of the passage of time.

How many life changes have you experienced in the last 10-12 years? Roughly the time since Chris attended PVCC.

Let me talk about my own experience which I would think is fairly typical. Not to compare myself with Chris which would be frankly retarded, but to illustrate my point:

Since 2002 I got a degree, I went back to school and got another degree, I moved, I got my first job, my grandpa died, I changed jobs, I moved, I had a girlfriend, I changed jobs again, I married my girlfriend, moved, was married for a few years, I divorced her, I moved, I met someone else, my dog died, I traveled to Canada, South America and all over the US, got a motorcycle, had a motorcycle accident, dated again, broke up. All this while interacting and meeting new people, experiencing changing economy and work circumstances. During the last ten years I have read probably two or three hundred books, seen a similar amount of movies (I am a voracious reader but don't care for most movies), been following the news online and watching TV, changed my views a thousand times, learned new skills and had to adapt and grow at every junction in my life.

And this is me as a pretty average individual unworthy of much attention. My life may be even more boring than most people. But still, all these things have helped me change and have affected my perception of time. That's the case for pretty much everyone else.

Now, let's think about Chris's last ten years:

- Sleep, play videogames, obsess over china and consume mass media (typical sheltered teenager activities). No real work. Human interaction limited to the Pokemon tournaments, Megan (who was the last big influence on Chris's tastes), his two fossilized parents and church, trolls (whom I convinced have provided the most excitement in Chris's life in the last 10 years), the Wallflower, Mary Lee Walsh, Rocky and Mike Snyder. Bob dies. There's a fire.

Only a few of those events are real landmarks in Chris's life.

For Chris, most days melt into the last. If you ask Chris what defined 2005 for him he'd probably say it was the release of Pokemon Purple or whatever. His points of reference are very limited because of the bubble he lives in. He has had very little pressure or incentive or motivation to grow his tastes and expand his awareness and therefore, he has little point of reference to know time has passed. He is aware of time passing but the effect of time passing on Chris is not the same as it is for everyone else - because the rest of the world is experiencing much bigger changes and adapting as a result, and that influences their perception of time.

Since Chris is autistic and therefore reluctant to change, and since Chris has such a big ego, he can't understand that other people have moved on and evolve and therefore the things that were so important to a bunch of high schoolers 15 years ago are not important to them anymore. But they still are to him. He's living in a bubble, not only sheltered and cozied by Barb but also in regards to his life experience and therefore his perception of time.

I agree with you logic, but i think saying he perceives time differently is kind of a clunky way of describing it. I would call it arrested development. I definitely think he doesnt understand how vastly different people can become in a short amount of time, let alone a decade, because he hasnt changed much. He probably thinks most people still play with their childhood toys like he does, and he probably thinks all bonds made between people stay as fresh in their minds as they do in his because he never builds new ones. Basically we are on the same page, just call it different names.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

Does Chris really know he's an underachiever? I think not. Chris has proven time and time again that he firmly believes he's always right. As I mentioned before, he lacks the capacity for introspection. He can't have a massive ego and consider himself an underachiever at the same time.

I think one factor is present that makes Chris able to have this dichotomy, though: even though he may fear the reality that he is an underachiever, he is constantly telling himself that the world should be a different way for him.

 

[A-Stump]

I don't know, I have human interaction, and even then, I'm very lucky to hear about recent happenings in the news. I just don't pay attention to the news.

Me either due to the fact that it's usually just about people killing babies or mass murder fellation. The news if for people wanting to hate the world.

 

[Tubular Monkey]

I think one factor is present that makes Chris able to have this dichotomy, though: even though he may fear the reality that he is an underachiever, he is constantly telling himself that the world should be a different way for him.

And woe befall anyone that knocks over that precarious psychological apple cart.