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Your video sucks, this was a huge waste of effort to espouse perceived absurdist existentialism in Smiling Friends, the show is just funny, people like you ruined Rick and Morty and you will eventually ruin Smiling Friends.
I feel like you’re really into this absurdism vibe but I’m not seeing it in smiling friends at all. You’re making this way more 1) complex than it should be and 2) segregated into purely western irreligion as if other modes of thought and paradigms of thinking didn’t exist. Absurdism isn’t the only “absurdist” philosophy and in fact most nihilism is found in Hindu and Buddhist schools. There’s almost no promise of anything in some eastern schools of thought and instead seek a method of enlightenment and oneness that you completely ignore. This is not to mention that you gloss over William Ploughman and what it means to have a work ethic; that is one of the must substantial meanings of life found from Homer’s Odyssey to nearly any simile. This video almost nearly ignores the whole smorgasbord of thought in the world to focus on a random 2 people in niche western philosophy. Why?
@mcnallyhamster Because this show, much like Camus, Satre, and Simone De Beauvior; are responding to a transition that was made from a world that had objective meaning (not just in the moral religious sense, but also the search for scientific objectivity). Towards the idea, that both our views on morality and the scientific questions we think are worth asking are based on the structure of society, which itself is constantly changing. this makes it difficult not to fall into moral relativism. HOWEVER meaning itself is not a lost cause. We know there is no objective meaning to the universe, but we still feel that "things" have meaning or are morally correct. And there is no nesseccary cause to why we find specific ideas/ jobs/ desires meaningful. This is the embrace of the absurd. The ability to recognise the meaningless of existence and still feel meaningful connection. This show rejects nihilism as a way of viewing the world, because meaning is not discorvered - it is created. Why would @PillarofGabage focus on concepts and philosophers that were not relevant to the absurd? Hinduism/Buddhism is not Nihilist either, because it embraces higher powers and the idea that this impure world can be trancended through reincarnation. while means that there in objective meaning that can be rationalised towards. Stioic does not equal niilist. I hope you get some positive takeaways from this comment and enjoy your journey into philisosopy :)
Its funny because the creators try to say they didnt intend to make any statements but art inherently speaks even if you dont give it a voice on purpose and the Smiling Friends railing against nihilism and toxic positivity is wonderful
There's a message in everything one does. People who say they want to make stuff without one, it will always come through because everyone has some base values they bring with them. It's better to know what you're doing in the case you might give the wrong idea to someone. Art does inherently speak for itself.
Maybe I’m just too old now, but this show and this type of humor is not funny to me at all. It’s like edgy teenagers having their first deep thoughts. It is very surface level realizations about existence and life.
Most adult animated comedies try to lead into absurdity, which often pushes them into nihilism and nothing matters sort of approach to everything. Both this show and Ugly Americans solve this problem by making their characters essentially social workers who's main purpose is to help people. This balances everything out, I feel. Because at the end of the day, they must make someone smile. It seems that this is so important to this show, that in every episode of season 1, they make someone smile, and it plays a little audio cue every single time. Making someone smile is literally in the DNA of the show.
but only through his pursuit of meaningless tasks, can desmond find happiness and meaning. and the infestation would have probably taken over at some point anyway so it was good that alan went after it.
No one EVER talks about how Desmond doesn’t just shoot the blibbli, he steps in front of Charlie to protect him. It shows he came to care for Charlie and Pym and considered them friends
This show does genuinely reaffirm why I do love art, because it is so many things at once. It is simultaneously "thing is funny when it moves really fast" and also does speak, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, to the kind of philosophy that keeps people talking about it. It's not just random internet humor, Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack pick a bit and expand upon it in order to make it a full story.
I also like how it actively defies explanation of its world. How does their business or charity or whatever it is make money? It's unclear, but they make billions according to Mr. Boss. It's like they intentionally break immersion regarding details you don't need to focus on.
3:30 small correction- he knows it’s possible because he HAS been happy. He had a wife, kids, dogs, and a job in his past that made him happy, and he lost them all. Thats why he’s so sad
@@cosmicspacething3474well I feel like that's moreso because he's an extremely popular character. Or one the creators really enjoy writing about. Desmond actually being referenced again without them knowing if people would even remember him shows that they actually had a purpose to do so.
This is something I've pondered at length for - no joke - going on 30 years now. My conclusion (so far) is this: The Meaning of Life Is: (drum roll please...) *_The Wrong Damn Question!_* _Life creates meaning, so the question answers itself, without telling us anything._ Here, I could go on for pages and pages about some other questions that might lead to more satisfying answers, but instead, I want to look at the meaning of meaning itself. Just take a step back and look at it - *Life Creates Meaning.* We may never know _why_ we strive for meaning, but I find the fact that we strive for it to be remarkable. We're stardust wondering how stardust can wonder about itself. And I think that's wonderfully meaningful. Maybe the quest for meaning is an end unto itself - an unending end. And personally, that beautiful paradox gives me a lot to live for.
Human life strives for meaning probably because it was a viable evolutionary strategy or otherwise a byproduct of something that was- like our higher cognition allowing for cooperation and thus increased fitness for our population. That's it, that's the whole thing. The meaning is just an invention of matter that can think, whether it exists depends on how that matter wants to define it.
Im so happy to find people online whove come to a similar conclusion I find no interpretation of this where ending my life preemptively is acceptable for myself. Life is transient and unique, ive only got one shot at these experiences regardless of how painful they are. Even something as horrible as pain is something i can only experience here and now, it gives me solace. And hell, if there is something after death, it can wait. Ive got things to see here!
the fact that a show about absurdism starts off with an episode about existentialism is lowkey kinda genius, and i never even thought of it like that (for context: absurdist philosophy is rooted in existentialism.. it also goes hand in hand with optimistic nihilism)
As an Absurdist, I genuinely thank you for making this. There's so much content about existentialism, nihilism, and stoicism that it can get lonely. You get a like.
The real answer to happiness is being able to keep an open mind and explore other routes your life could take. The unhappy people are those who stick with their self-destructive behaviors, whether it be Shrimp's inability to move on from his ex dumping him to Mip stalking the princess. If you can't grow, you're doomed.
Whereas most adult swim shows are absurdist/nihilist, Smiling Friends is an absurdist yet earnest and sincere. It's the "Joe Pera" ying to Rick and Morty's yang
That's my favorite kind of absurdist media. I like the idea we give meaning to life however we want and it's not one true answer. Sure, we're specks in the universe but why wouldn't I still live life to my fullest, love to my fullest, and give kindness to my fullness?
Absurdism isn't necessarily about finding a subjective meaning in an objectively meaningless universe, but rejecting the necessity of meaning to exist altogether. You don't need a reason to exist, you just exist.
I don’t see why people choose to see no hope if there’s no meaning to anything. If the science is correct, the extreme chance we even exist is pretty cool, I think I’ll stick around and see what happens.
The world not having any secret hidden greater meaning isn’t the same as having no hope. For example, I live my life doing things that make me happy, and I strive to make others happy as well, it’s really satisfying making others feel good. And I do all that while believing that there’s no greater purpose to it, that we’re all just living our lives the best we can, we live and we die and that’s perfectly okay. Imo the idea of life’s purpose not being inherent is more freeing than anything. Just live life in a way that makes you happy, and ideally those around you too. It’s not super complicated.
Your point about existing being pretty cool is like the ant argument in the episode, it is indeed pretty cool. Being pretty cool however can be far from enough to justify some very painful existences. If you're pretty sure you're really gonna hate what happens if you stick around, then maybe not stick around. It can be hard to understand or relate to, but hope is not always there to be refused to be seen. That's why discussions about suicide can be so delicate, in some cases it's just misguided people who just need to see nice things, but in others like Desmond for instance, it can really be the only logical conclusion. The fact he finds a calling in the episode is pure and wild coincidence, and had it not happened, Desmond could've been justified in killing himself. We don't like this alternative, but it's a necessary one if we live free from meaning.
I get what you mean. I was in a group of people who were so nihilistic and they didn't care how their actions affected people and were unfortunately selfish people. I never understood the complete disregard of others for the sake of personal gain. I love the people in my life now and there are things I still have to work through myself (like fears), but i've found a purpose and what i truly love. I want to give that love I feel to others and continue to have hope.
@@manuelk1853 I think I laid out how it can pretty well tbh. Just live life in whatever way makes you happiest, and try to help others as best you can. Enjoy life and everything it has to offer. Imo if someone needs something like an afterlife just to do good, that speaks volumes more about them than anything. As for why I don’t believe in a grander purpose, I’m not religious. That’s pretty much all there is to it. The way I see it, people mix up nihilism with pessimism. That’s all.
Algorithm Protecting Comment: I haven't seen "Smiling Friends" but I hear good things and you sold it quite well. Keep up the great work and take care!
Yeah there's a lot of cameos like that you'll hear the voices of -David Firth -Chills -Lyle the One Eyed Guy -Gilbert Gottfried and more as Season 2 drops
@@XenomorthianI’d bet money that he’s the president who they help in one of the episodes. Which is why they suspiciously don’t show the president at all in the trailer
It is a curiously wonderful thing that we are able to hold so many ideas, express so many feelings, and share so many experiences within our relatively short lifetimes. Whether or not you believe that's a sign of a higher power that has gifted us with the joy of existence, or just an entertaining phenomenon that can make meaninglessness not so depressing, I think we can all agree that that's really neat. A show that can capture that in more nuanced and introspective ways is a good show in my book
I'm really curious what Zach and Micheal would think of this video. Whether they'd have a "you nailed it bro" reaction or a "I never noticed but that's cool" one.
my take on the purpose of life is that there isn't really one, you have to make your own. yeah, in the end, everything will mean nothing. but right now, the smallest action will mean everything. in sixth grade, I became severely suicidal, seeing no purpose in life, seeing no way I could ever be happy. then, I realized that I wasn't alone in what I had gone through. other people were bullied like I was, other people fell into depression because of bullying, other people suffer because of bullying... when I realized this, I felt as though I had to do something. I couldn't let anyone go through the hell I went through and continue to go through every day. that's when I realized my purpose, a reason for me to keep going. today, I am still dedicating my life to putting an end to bullying. I've done multiple essays on bullying in 12th grade, and I'm studying psychology and social work to gain a better understanding of mental health and social interactions. I already have a head start on my research project that I'll need to do in a few years, and I don't plan on stopping there. my goal is for my research on bullying and the damage it causes to go viral, spread through the news, reach the government even in hopes of laws being put in place. the purpose I found is to save children from the pain of bullying. while this won't matter in a trillion years, it will matter in the lifetime of children. just because the universe will end doesn't mean everything is meaningless. find your purpose and use it to make the world a better place, until it no longer exists
That’s incredible to hear, I wish you the best, seriously. I had a similar thing happen, and ended up landing myself in a psychiatric hospital. Not to get too into it, but hearing the other patients’ experiences really opened my eyes. Like yeah, obviously I knew that other people struggled with mental illness and stuff. But I only knew it on paper, actually hearing them share their experiences and struggles that were so close to my own was life changing. Realizing that I wasn’t alone, that there were others who struggled with what I did, was incredibly freeing, but obviously also sad. I mean I wouldn’t wish this shit on my worst enemy. Nowadays I just do what makes me happy, and try my best to make others happy too. I really don’t have the energy for much more tbh, so I really, really respect what you’re doing and wish you luck.
I always liked that “think of how much time and energy it would take to become a balloon salesman” Like really? Probably not that much of either? I imagine the bar for entry is pretty low. A can of gas, a pack of balloons, and a permit
Yes, but if you don't know it is a daunting thought. Fear of the unknown and doubt go hand in hand, and the Frowning Friends exploit that to make other people as unhappy as they are.
@@jordanloux3883 I saw a comment on another video point out that infact their whole point about Helium is also worthless. Just make balloon animals, its the same thing and you just use abundant air instead of Helium, hell it might even be more fun and interesting there really is always a way to make your dreams true and the compromise might even be better (and 3D squelton can think of himself doing his part to preserve Earth's Helium supply)
Spoilers for Smiling Friends I am an avid watcher of OneyPlays and when I saw the art for Smiling Friends, I thought that Charlie looked like Zach Hadel. I started watching it and was immediately blown away by how real the show feels. It doesn't feel like every other adult animation (mostly those by Seth MacFarlane), more so like Bojack Horseman. I particularly love the episode where Charlie goes to Hell. Things that happen in the pilot pay off in a very explosive and dynamic way. It all devolves into a look at the meaning of life and nihilism. I adore Charlie's confrontation with Satan and his eventual return to life. Smiling Friends is one of the very few shows that made me feel something. A lack of hope.
Seth MacFarlane shows don't deserve the hate. they were very unique when first on. nothing looked like family guy or futurama when they aired, its just later on after they became popular they lost their uniqueness because people copied it. if anything rick and morty is to blame for all adult animation being the same nowadays like all women on those shows just looks like summer
As someone who’s an optimistic nihilist, yes there is no inherent meaning to life, that doesn’t mean there HAS to be no meaning. Meaning in life isn’t something you find somewhere, meaning is something you create for yourself
“Perhaps Pim cannot embrace the absurd” Season 2, Charlie “The world we live in stresses me out man” Pim: “really?” I’d say S1E1 sets Pim’s expectations up quite nicely for handling the insane world they live in lol
This show is so much better than Rick and Morty. I am not even joking. This show is such a breath of fresh air after the stagnation of adult animation.
To be fair to Pim recovering after the first episode, I get like that at times, spiral for about a week either self-destructing or absolutely seething, and a good long sleep later, I'm right back to normal.
Honestly, given the utter lack of of context around the Bliblies and how aggressive and dangerous a Bliblie infestation is, I don’t like assume any of Desmond’s methods are inhumane. They’re shocking to us, sure, but the tv advertisement wouldn’t have been filmed the way it was if the public had any sympathy for them. My take on Desmond finding his calling is closer to ‘the world has a place even for the most unusual people.’ The Bliblies are a problem that doesn’t just call for violence but excessive violence, and most people are understandably too compassionate, so that’s why we need a Desmond. I think that part is very important. That it wasn’t just that Desmond got his life back, the world of smiling friends is measurably better (including the direct lives of our protagonists) with him in it.
my man, nihilism doesn't intrinsically lend itself to despair. There is no intrinsic meaning in the universe and it is the position of man to find a meaning for himself.
the pilot of smiling friends is the best episode in the entire show imo, including both season 1 and 2. "they have to help a guy who's about to kill himself" is inherently the funniest and best concept you could take the show to and i also think that because of how reasonable and relatable desmond's dialogue is, he's the most compelling character in the whole show
Its fun, silly, edgy, goofy, no politics bullshit or message to take you out of it, its just there to be silly and make you laugh. Its a true Newgrounds classic cartoon adapted as a show and Adult Swim was the perfect place for that to happen.
I mean the key thing that separates this from the more depressing nihilistic shows out there like Bojack Horseman, Family Guy, and Rick and Morty is the main characters are actually nice people. The boss isn’t cruel, Charlie and Alan may not be as happy and friendly as Pim but they’re hardly as bad as genuinely cruel characters out there. I feel like that makes this show very different
I just want to say that there’s something about Desmond that I really like. He seems like a friendly guy (he greeted Pim and Charlie very nicely when they first met, he was easy going enough to go along with Pom’s suggestions on how to cheer him up, and when Pim failed to do so he gave Charlie space to offer up any ideas he may have)
Camus became a surprisingly uplifting part of my life after reading the myth of sisyphus. NEVER thought it would tie into one of my favorite shows. Thanks man.
Why even want meaning? You don't need a reason or to have a good time. I don't see people think saying "life is meaningless." is depressing when there's no reason to even have meaning.
@@TheNeomaster15We’re also programmed to hate people that we deem as “others”. That doesn’t mean it’s good. Our brain does a lot of dumb shit because in a lot of ways it’s still programmed in a hunter/gatherer sort of way. For example, extreme anxiety inducing situations are your brain literally thinking it’s going to die, even when there’s absolutely zero danger. But no logic can override that “programming”, the only way to fix it is to expose your brain to those situations over and over again to teach it that death isn’t the result of whatever thing is causing the anxiety. We’re also pattern seeking animals, it was inherent to our survival. Both to recognize landmarks and to hunt/avoid being hunted. Nowadays all it does is cause us to assume all coincidences are conspiracies, and that life *has* to have meaning.
@@TheNeomaster15 I don't think it's a genetic program, it's more of an abyss you must acknowledge. If you are happy and distracted your whole life, the question of meaning doesn't even appear. However if you find yourself seeking for reasons to do things, and you don't take inherent meaning for an answer, you are forced to acknowledge the fact that not bothering is a valid conclusion. If you spend your whole life aware of this, and are familiar with this abyss, it is often easy to avoid, but if you had a seemingly meaningful existence suddenly stripped from said meaning, you can very easily trip into the hole apparent meaning was hiding. We are not so much programmed for purpose as conditioned by survival to have one, and existence without purpose, although justifiable, is not trivially so
Having only seen the pilot, this was a great introduction to/explanation of the philosphy of the show as a whole. Even if I don't watch it, I respect it. Thank you!
The issue about nihilism is that you can yourself decide not to care either. Absurdism is about acknowledging this possibility as a necessary outcome of meaningless existence and justifying alternatives
I feel that the philosophy of Smiling Friends can be applied to this quote by the character Angus Delaney from Night in the Woods: “I believe in a universe that doesn’t care, but people who do.” Cosmically, the universe is indifferent to our existence and the actions we take in our day to day lives. But it’s our cognizance as a species that allows us to find meaning in the little things.
Never seen your channel before and might be the only time I visit, only clicked on cause i search for smiling friends analysis. Congrats on the 100k subs
As someone who has read a lot of Camus, I thought that this was really good! One thing I would expand on though is that essentially adopting Camus' absurdist approach to life does to a certain extent involve realising not to take any of this too seriously, and indeed to have a kind of deprecating mockery to all things, including oneself, while at the same time holding on to values and beliefs that you consider important. In that sense, I think that Smiling Friends nails it perfectly.
To see a far stranger semi-deconstruction of the very idea of people finding and talking about greater purpose or meaning in life, Adult Swim's previous series Xavier: Renegade Angel tries to... well, it is hard to tell what exactly is happening in it, actually. It is definitely unique and memorable, however.
it's been 4 weeks have you seen the show yet? the creators of the show are popular animation RU-vidrs that have been on the website for a decade, they take inspiration from Old School RU-vid humor
Nothingness is the foundation of life and creation. Can’t have something if you don’t start with nothing. So why not see what kind of things we can build in that emptiness before we can’t?
Nihilism doesn’t inherently *lament* the lack of purpose. Nihilism is literally just believing in that lack of purpose, not that it’s necessarily a bad or good thing. You can just as easily have someone who’s indifferent to the world not having inherent meaning, or even someone who’s happy about it. Perhaps they make their own subjective meaning - doing what makes them happy and striving to make others happy as well, all while believing that there’s no greater purpose to existence. This was just a long winded way of saying that nihilism and sadness aren’t intrinsically linked, even just on a basic definition level. Nihilism is just the philosophy, not the emotions that may or may not come with it.
Purpose of life: literally the purpose of life for sentient creatures is to aid your species in reaching the top of the food chain and improving the overall quality of life of all living beings. Anything that gets in the way of that is anti-life Society owes you everything and you owe society everything
I still think the pilot is one of the most brilliant things to air in a long time that was a tough act to follow up but they more then jumped through the flaming hoop for me with season 2 some of those frames where incredibly clean I just knew in a matter of days I’d be seeing Gwimbly blow up all over social media n it’s like they did it again made a pilot episode quality episode to a degree I still think the sub plots where kinda obvious where they where all gonna lead up to but I’m still really excited to see what season 2 has to offer really excited for the UFO one
Zach’s formula is essentially just making really relatable almost in a sense office humor jokes with just horrendous cartoon characters then break up the dryness with crazy sucker punch jokes that almost jump scares u n are just so sporadic in nature, I like to imagine he hates rehab for fictional characters one of his old cartoons but that and a few obscure things like the Mr men show where inspirations to what the show is today. I still see a lot of really big yellow smiley face water towers in the Midwest so I think that could be a inspiration for the logo cuz it’s around where Zach grew up mixed with Micheals questions for ted animation but they have a formula I think is genius and I am just so happy it was worth the wait in comedy gold cuz season 1 besides the pilot was pretty rushed so I’m just glad this season got more time in the oven
Have a kid Haha, I used to literally lean into this so fucking hard but then I had a daughter and now I know I don't matter BUT I have a purpose and a reason to keep going and even a reason to strive to provide the best life (for someone else). Even thinking back I feel like such a self centred truck for feeling that way but now everything seems to make sense and I feel the same would happen for others if they weren't single, aimless and alone like I used to be in my early to mid 20's.
In my understanding its not so much camus expresses desire to find meaning in the meaningless, after all that would make him whats called an active nihilist as opposed to a passive one that accepts meaningless and doesnt seek any. Rather camus pushes the idea that the absurdity of our existence is the meaning/meta narrative.
