Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Dude Network: Dude Training
The Majority of dude training takes place on college campuses - some will drift back towards folk or propel themselves toward dick structures, but college (for better or worse) is where a person is likely to explore its individuality, and how it relates to others. This also can act like a batting tee, in that this is almost never what actual living is like, in terms of how one forms a dude network.
It is at this stage that we most commonly identify the Generic Dude (Dude Chrysalis) - a presentation that is kind of like sloppy Old Navy. As the Dude builds his value system (and grapples with increased responsibility for self-maintenance), the generic template becomes tweaked, accessorized, or more dramatically altered.
Most dangerous of all in terms of dude training would be art schools, where a person is likely to excel at the one thing it is doing (making art, etc) while never being challenged in academic classes. The natural high from living doing the one thing it does well produces armies of over-confident motivated hipsters, vocal opinionists and the like.
Dudes are formed organically and there is probably a Dude born every minute. College or no, a potential dude may exacerbate his/her realization and enact their own training through regular attendance or employment at a coffeeshop, frequenting an open mike night or joining a band, declaring a lifestyle, or otherwise publicizing their attempts at individual development and perhaps the things they have to offer other dudes.
Further, intensive Dude Study can be offered through a bout of unemployment. “He is getting his Dude Masters Degree.”
Dude Network: Dude and the Internet
The Internet is the great white whale of Dude Theory, a subject under intense scrutiny by the authors and researchers.
- Fame - Strictly defined, it would be to be well known, or in the public eye. This can occur on any scale. Mongerism, promotion of dude economy, dudes able to sustain “independence”. The Social Network is indeed working.
- Autism - Without speculating on possible causal relationship, it is enough to note the rise of autism (and asperger’s) diagnoses and the compatibility of these types with the functional structure of the internet and compartmentalizing technologies in general.
The Dude Opera
The Dude Opera (embedded report)
It is nighttime. We are inside a Public Establishment. Dudes are arriving, everywhere - mingling in the room, smoking out back, minding the door, spinning the records. There is a general hum. And then: a noise, and some Dudes stop mingling to follow it. There, on the stage - more Dudes. The Stage Dudes are familiar to the Audience Dudes - their roommates, ex-band mates, partners, crushees, other bands ... so that when the Stage Dudes put on their show, the Audience Dudes - arms crossed, nodding - are implicated.
Dudes not on the stage appreciate the line of the stage, because everyone gets a shot at the stage, if they want it. But the stage is not the location of the Dude Opera. Each and every outfitted Dude who got to the place can be a player in the Dude Opera. Some Dudes got to do it big - they want to be a Network Star, to set the opera tone - they preach or shred or tremble little voices into the microphone. Or they bring their own Spectacle, sexy outfit, drugs to share, an arsenal of gossip. Or maybe it’s early yet, and it’s not trying too hard - crowd around, drinks and comments, waiting for the juice to get Dudes loose, they got some time before the opera’s climax.
Dude Opera (observational report)
This is any public event put on by Dudes and attended by Dudes, the crucial hotbed of the Dude Network. It is the Public Dude Network at its most sensational. The Dude Opera can be viewed and appreciated in looking out for its distinctive component parts: primary plumage/couture, additional accenting (jewelry, tattoos, glasses, etc), positioning of feet and ways of shifting weight from leg to leg, the array of possible positioning of hands and arms, blankness of facial expression vs. overt expressionism, attempts at dancing.
These last two attributes hint at the general push and pull of possibilities that generally mark one’s approach to the Opera- how should one allow one’s Dudeness to shine through at these key moments. Can you wear the largest glasses in four counties and still do hand stand dances?
It is nighttime. We are inside a Public Establishment. Dudes are arriving, everywhere - mingling in the room, smoking out back, minding the door, spinning the records. There is a general hum. And then: a noise, and some Dudes stop mingling to follow it. There, on the stage - more Dudes. The Stage Dudes are familiar to the Audience Dudes - their roommates, ex-band mates, partners, crushees, other bands ... so that when the Stage Dudes put on their show, the Audience Dudes - arms crossed, nodding - are implicated.
Dudes not on the stage appreciate the line of the stage, because everyone gets a shot at the stage, if they want it. But the stage is not the location of the Dude Opera. Each and every outfitted Dude who got to the place can be a player in the Dude Opera. Some Dudes got to do it big - they want to be a Network Star, to set the opera tone - they preach or shred or tremble little voices into the microphone. Or they bring their own Spectacle, sexy outfit, drugs to share, an arsenal of gossip. Or maybe it’s early yet, and it’s not trying too hard - crowd around, drinks and comments, waiting for the juice to get Dudes loose, they got some time before the opera’s climax.
Audience Dudes can’t wait - they need sensory. Like a chorus, they start with a weird normalcy of standing still, facing forward, looking and listening, each Dude, this Dude, that Dude, known Dudes, Hey Dude, a group of young Dudes get aggressive with each other, amping up the hum, people come, go, Hey Dude, little groups, attraction and repulsion, out to smoke, in to drink, looser now. Some laugh some dance some chat some cheat and now it gets interesting. Someone’s getting silly; someone’s getting dangerous. News travels fast, maybe someone’s getting angry. General escalation on all fronts, intimate clusters gather in corners. The big sound and the low lights make a sensory smear.
And what now? More, perhaps more still. It’s a rare opera that has a single climax touching all participants, and that will come to be an Opera of Renown. More likely, climaxes break in large and small waves through the crowd, moments of hilarity, accidents, connections and disasters. For all in the opera, the night leaves the sense that something has happened - if not of life-changing importance, then at least deepening one’s presence in and awareness of the Dude Network. And on and on … until sleepy hours force some dudes away - but rest assured some push on, sending expeditions to whatever afterparties and enclaves echo the opera into the dawn.Dude Opera (observational report)
This is any public event put on by Dudes and attended by Dudes, the crucial hotbed of the Dude Network. It is the Public Dude Network at its most sensational. The Dude Opera can be viewed and appreciated in looking out for its distinctive component parts: primary plumage/couture, additional accenting (jewelry, tattoos, glasses, etc), positioning of feet and ways of shifting weight from leg to leg, the array of possible positioning of hands and arms, blankness of facial expression vs. overt expressionism, attempts at dancing.
These last two attributes hint at the general push and pull of possibilities that generally mark one’s approach to the Opera- how should one allow one’s Dudeness to shine through at these key moments. Can you wear the largest glasses in four counties and still do hand stand dances?
Dude Relationships
Notes on FOLK TEMPLATES
The Folk templates often inform relationships among Dudes, who are known to play plastically with relationships.
Partnered Dudes
Although partnering (esp. heterosexual) has been heavily tainted by Folk tradition, Dudes still fall in love and want to hang out like all the time. Self-conscious dudes in partnerships may report the “Sitcom Effect”, which occurs when trivial difficulties in communication and suspiciously accurate heteronormative irritations disrupt partnered dudes (regardless of gender). These Dudes feel an inexorable pull to Folk hilarity that is not welcome.
Old Dudes - in terms of Local Dudes, basically Dudes who have stuck it out in the Opera, year after year. “Old Dudes” refers to a variety of relationships that can occur over years (seven or more), generally indicating some degree of acceptance and familiarity. Old Dudes, together or in passing, may have a feeling of camaraderie, having outlasted countless Transient Dudes. They may have plenty of shit to shoot or conduct a relationship of Nods.
Friends - In the Dude’s quest for individuality, finding truly Like Humans within the often superficial Dude Network is a poignant situation. While celebrating each others’ differences, Friends share a likeness (They like each other; they relate on some or many levels). To have a Dude (“she is my dude”), or to identify a directly connected Dude relationship (“we are dudes”) is generally a confirmation of that friendship feeling, an intimate sense of shared experience, and implied trust. Obviously, simply being a Dude in the same Network as another Dude does not mean you all are Friends, and perhaps some Dudes, even with all their network maintenance, are unable to have Friends (see the Living Nerve).
Dude Grouping
A relatively temporary manifestation, occurring any number of times, this is a confluence of Dude Friends/Dudes Who Share Likeness. The book “Nurture Shock”26 suggests that children who were more individualistic (dude prototypes) are also more prone into falling into groups, very specific groups. While this might manifest in some as Faux-Folk groupings, there are also a wide variety of temporary gatherings that invite a recurring and/or rotating cast of participants, satisfying both the urge toward individual expression and the desire for more consistent contact.
These can be a House Party or a Private Party in a Public Space. Varieties of the Dude Grouping include but are not limited to Drunken Melee (Dance Party), Potluck (Soup Night), Work (Craft) Circle or Motivated Group Effort [see Production Issues under Dude Values], Street Meet (Explorers), Art Appreciation, Activist Actions, Community Commerce, Ironic Excuse Gathering (Ugly Sweater), Festival Feeling (Fire), Family Holidays, Spirit Seeking (yoga class, meditation group), In The Band, and Dude Opera (High Drama Alert !!)
A Dude’s Death
This can come in a minor form, like a dude moving from your city and either disappearing or transitioning to a non-communicative exterior dude, or the major form, when a dude fully moves on from their investment in dude values (individual development and/or production and/or consumption of culture) to folk, dick or monster concerns.26 The Stinging Death is its most extreme, when a user dude (technically an asshole, see Jerks) casts you aside because they have nothing left to gain from you professionally, financially or (worst) dudally. In either of these situations, the jilted Dude may state “[Name] has died as a Dude (to me)”. The Dead Dude may continue in the rest of his life with some dudish pretense, but the conferred “Death of the Dude” seriously weakens his actual standing as a strong dude. Thus we see that there is some kind of relativity in being a Dude, at least there is a greater amount of Dudism conferred upon those with a great many Dudes of her own - a core factor in establishment of strong dudes (versus weak dudes), though there is more to the phenomenon than mere popularity.
The Folk templates often inform relationships among Dudes, who are known to play plastically with relationships.
- A dude may understand a certain other dude to be as a sibling, Brother or Sister. This does not necessarily follow traditional gender assignation, and the subtle qualities of an individual relationship can be brought out in deviation; e.g. a woman and a man who identify as Sisters.
- There may be a Grandmother, a generous female figure who connects well with a variety of people. Her home is a common gathering ground and she is a willing, natural hostess. There will be tea.
- It is rarer to encounter identification with Mothers, even less so Fathers, but informal adoption does exist.
Partnered Dudes
Although partnering (esp. heterosexual) has been heavily tainted by Folk tradition, Dudes still fall in love and want to hang out like all the time. Self-conscious dudes in partnerships may report the “Sitcom Effect”, which occurs when trivial difficulties in communication and suspiciously accurate heteronormative irritations disrupt partnered dudes (regardless of gender). These Dudes feel an inexorable pull to Folk hilarity that is not welcome.
Old Dudes - in terms of Local Dudes, basically Dudes who have stuck it out in the Opera, year after year. “Old Dudes” refers to a variety of relationships that can occur over years (seven or more), generally indicating some degree of acceptance and familiarity. Old Dudes, together or in passing, may have a feeling of camaraderie, having outlasted countless Transient Dudes. They may have plenty of shit to shoot or conduct a relationship of Nods.
Friends - In the Dude’s quest for individuality, finding truly Like Humans within the often superficial Dude Network is a poignant situation. While celebrating each others’ differences, Friends share a likeness (They like each other; they relate on some or many levels). To have a Dude (“she is my dude”), or to identify a directly connected Dude relationship (“we are dudes”) is generally a confirmation of that friendship feeling, an intimate sense of shared experience, and implied trust. Obviously, simply being a Dude in the same Network as another Dude does not mean you all are Friends, and perhaps some Dudes, even with all their network maintenance, are unable to have Friends (see the Living Nerve).
Dude Grouping
A relatively temporary manifestation, occurring any number of times, this is a confluence of Dude Friends/Dudes Who Share Likeness. The book “Nurture Shock”26 suggests that children who were more individualistic (dude prototypes) are also more prone into falling into groups, very specific groups. While this might manifest in some as Faux-Folk groupings, there are also a wide variety of temporary gatherings that invite a recurring and/or rotating cast of participants, satisfying both the urge toward individual expression and the desire for more consistent contact.
These can be a House Party or a Private Party in a Public Space. Varieties of the Dude Grouping include but are not limited to Drunken Melee (Dance Party), Potluck (Soup Night), Work (Craft) Circle or Motivated Group Effort [see Production Issues under Dude Values], Street Meet (Explorers), Art Appreciation, Activist Actions, Community Commerce, Ironic Excuse Gathering (Ugly Sweater), Festival Feeling (Fire), Family Holidays, Spirit Seeking (yoga class, meditation group), In The Band, and Dude Opera (High Drama Alert !!)
A Dude’s Death
This can come in a minor form, like a dude moving from your city and either disappearing or transitioning to a non-communicative exterior dude, or the major form, when a dude fully moves on from their investment in dude values (individual development and/or production and/or consumption of culture) to folk, dick or monster concerns.26 The Stinging Death is its most extreme, when a user dude (technically an asshole, see Jerks) casts you aside because they have nothing left to gain from you professionally, financially or (worst) dudally. In either of these situations, the jilted Dude may state “[Name] has died as a Dude (to me)”. The Dead Dude may continue in the rest of his life with some dudish pretense, but the conferred “Death of the Dude” seriously weakens his actual standing as a strong dude. Thus we see that there is some kind of relativity in being a Dude, at least there is a greater amount of Dudism conferred upon those with a great many Dudes of her own - a core factor in establishment of strong dudes (versus weak dudes), though there is more to the phenomenon than mere popularity.
A curious dude may embark upon a Burning Bridges Tour, catching up with exterior dudes to see if in fact they will still be your dude or not- if it’s clear (one way or the other) that you won’t be dudes you can cut those ties consciously or inadvertently. Can be similar to weeding out your junk when you move.
Dude Network Communication Hubs
The MAN/LADY-ABOUT-TOWN
This is perhaps the consummate dude, well-known for being well-known. The M/LAT is relative to the Town Crier, as both keep the Dude Network alive in their physical activity. The M/LAT is a potential Monster. The M/LAT may be a natural Charmer (see Vibrational Studies).
JOLLY HATER (DUDE ABOUT TOWN)
Here is a curious person. The Jolly Hater is compulsively social and charismatic. Like the Man/Lady About Town, its ability to maneuver within the Dude Network is phenomenal - but the Jolly Hater does not stop there. Dicks, Folks, Monsters and Dudes alike are all on the social radar of the Jolly Hater, who possesses an aggressively exacting mind and holds no illusions about humanity. With cheerful demeanor the Jolly Hater admits its hatred of much of humanity, which in no way impedes his social endeavors. It seems to take pleasure in learning as much as possible without actually liking people. May be a sociopath or ex-Monster; Fun Times.
SECRETARY - for this person, being social is kind of a job, and he acts as an information hub. Some might identify this as gossip, but it is a certain service and can be done honorably, by cutting through a certain pettiness that arises through miscommunication. Note well-crafted, subtle yet precise text messaging skills.
THE SEXUAL DYNAMO (Pornographer)
This Dude experiences power through its natural prowess in sexually charged Dude Groupings. They keep the interrelationships of the Dude Network fresh and exciting through their various exploits over years of partner switching. Booze is related.
This is perhaps the consummate dude, well-known for being well-known. The M/LAT is relative to the Town Crier, as both keep the Dude Network alive in their physical activity. The M/LAT is a potential Monster. The M/LAT may be a natural Charmer (see Vibrational Studies).
JOLLY HATER (DUDE ABOUT TOWN)
Here is a curious person. The Jolly Hater is compulsively social and charismatic. Like the Man/Lady About Town, its ability to maneuver within the Dude Network is phenomenal - but the Jolly Hater does not stop there. Dicks, Folks, Monsters and Dudes alike are all on the social radar of the Jolly Hater, who possesses an aggressively exacting mind and holds no illusions about humanity. With cheerful demeanor the Jolly Hater admits its hatred of much of humanity, which in no way impedes his social endeavors. It seems to take pleasure in learning as much as possible without actually liking people. May be a sociopath or ex-Monster; Fun Times.
SECRETARY - for this person, being social is kind of a job, and he acts as an information hub. Some might identify this as gossip, but it is a certain service and can be done honorably, by cutting through a certain pettiness that arises through miscommunication. Note well-crafted, subtle yet precise text messaging skills.
THE SEXUAL DYNAMO (Pornographer)
This Dude experiences power through its natural prowess in sexually charged Dude Groupings. They keep the interrelationships of the Dude Network fresh and exciting through their various exploits over years of partner switching. Booze is related.
Dude Values: Issue of Production
Dude Occupation (Projects, Jobs, Careers)
A Dude might have a Job (likely) or a Career (less likely), but it is very likely that the (productive) Dude is entertaining some Project.
Some Places where Dude in throes of Project may have a Job:
Coffeeshop, Bar (may compromise Project)
Co-op, Burrito restaurant, other Food Service
Library
Dogwalking, other unskilled child care
Movie Theater, Video Store
Motel, Front Desk
Record Store (if Project is music-related)
Office - either as Temp, Temp-to-hire Receptionist, or in a “weird office”
Drug Dealer
Odd Jobs for Employer (Tube Dude Type, see above)- Friend or through Craigslist
Free-lance journalist for Alternative Weekly29
Many Dude Jobs are public and increase the Dude Network, which is essential for emotional support of the Dude Project. A noteworthy difficulty of the Creative Dude Project is the problem of Dudes Marketing to Dudes. This is not to say that a Projecting Dude is expecting a material reimbursement for his efforts - often, a simple audience is all that is desired. In the early stages of self-expressive production, the only humans likely to appreciate or experience resonance with the Dude Project are other Dudes. Such a successful Dude Project might include some or many other Dudes in its production, exponentially expanding the receptive Dude Network.
As the Dude gains mastery of its craft, it may feel pressure to utilize the traditional template of economic gain, generating a Product and offering it for Sale. If a Dude has a personal familiarity with his audience as Friends and/or any kind of strong anti-Dick feelings, this may prove an insurmountable obstacle, stalling the Project before it can reach professional realization. Perhaps only the Motivated Hipster, with its Careerist Leanings, has no qualm about profiting from fellow Dudes, and the jump from treating Friends as a Dude Network. Surely the anonymity of the internet has helped many Dudes get off the ground professionally by providing marketing access to non-Friend Dudes (see Monger).
A determined, focused Dude may use its eventual mastery or the force of its unique product to forge a Career from its Project. Congratulations to this Dude.
Dude Careers:
Owner/Operator of Bike Shop, Vintage Shop, Skate Shop, T-Shirt Shop, Dude Bar
Produce your own Fashion Line, Internet Comic
Professor or PhD, if not Academia Folk or inherent Dick
Massage Therapist, Hair Dresser
Free-Lance Artist, Musician
Home Marijuana Farm
Founder-member of Co-operative/Community ____________
Operate Recording Studio, Print Shop
You are not a Dude. You are a Dick.
“I launched a line of Energy Drinks.”
“My hip coffeeshop/music festival is one small limb of my Real Estate Development Empire.”
A Dude might have a Job (likely) or a Career (less likely), but it is very likely that the (productive) Dude is entertaining some Project.
To a Folk or Dick, a Project might be mistaken for a Creative Hobby, especially if it takes the form of drawing, music, performance, “artsy” &c . But the Dude knows that its skills and talents (in whatever stage of development) have the ability to be recognized and the potential to be rewarded, thanks to various Dude Networks/Internet. The Project(s) may take preeminence in a Dude’s life, and define the Dude’s self-identity - in this situation, any Dude without access to some sort of trust fund will have to find a Job.28
Some Places where Dude in throes of Project may have a Job:
Coffeeshop, Bar (may compromise Project)
Co-op, Burrito restaurant, other Food Service
Library
Dogwalking, other unskilled child care
Movie Theater, Video Store
Motel, Front Desk
Record Store (if Project is music-related)
Office - either as Temp, Temp-to-hire Receptionist, or in a “weird office”
Drug Dealer
Odd Jobs for Employer (Tube Dude Type, see above)- Friend or through Craigslist
Free-lance journalist for Alternative Weekly29
Many Dude Jobs are public and increase the Dude Network, which is essential for emotional support of the Dude Project. A noteworthy difficulty of the Creative Dude Project is the problem of Dudes Marketing to Dudes. This is not to say that a Projecting Dude is expecting a material reimbursement for his efforts - often, a simple audience is all that is desired. In the early stages of self-expressive production, the only humans likely to appreciate or experience resonance with the Dude Project are other Dudes. Such a successful Dude Project might include some or many other Dudes in its production, exponentially expanding the receptive Dude Network.
As the Dude gains mastery of its craft, it may feel pressure to utilize the traditional template of economic gain, generating a Product and offering it for Sale. If a Dude has a personal familiarity with his audience as Friends and/or any kind of strong anti-Dick feelings, this may prove an insurmountable obstacle, stalling the Project before it can reach professional realization. Perhaps only the Motivated Hipster, with its Careerist Leanings, has no qualm about profiting from fellow Dudes, and the jump from treating Friends as a Dude Network. Surely the anonymity of the internet has helped many Dudes get off the ground professionally by providing marketing access to non-Friend Dudes (see Monger).
A determined, focused Dude may use its eventual mastery or the force of its unique product to forge a Career from its Project. Congratulations to this Dude.
Dude Careers:
Owner/Operator of Bike Shop, Vintage Shop, Skate Shop, T-Shirt Shop, Dude Bar
Produce your own Fashion Line, Internet Comic
Professor or PhD, if not Academia Folk or inherent Dick
Massage Therapist, Hair Dresser
Free-Lance Artist, Musician
Home Marijuana Farm
Founder-member of Co-operative/Community ____________
Operate Recording Studio, Print Shop
You are not a Dude. You are a Dick.
“I launched a line of Energy Drinks.”
“My hip coffeeshop/music festival is one small limb of my Real Estate Development Empire.”
Dude Values: Issue of Production
Motivated Group Efforts
Some Projects are so large - especially the fostering and securing of Dude Empires - that they require the participation of several or many Dudes; however, this is specifically not referring to the self-centered efforts of the Motivated Hipster and his ilk. (We can judge the difference by observing the nature of the Motivation. If there is a major motivation stockholder - ie, if this specific person withdrawing from the project would mean its collapse - then we do NOT have a Motivated Group.) There are numerous varieties of and purposes for group endeavors, but the functioning core of each type of Motivated Group is specially constructed to reasonably distribute responsibilities (and rewards) among participants. There are many degrees of success on the path of the motivated group - the beauty of a Strong Dude Network can really shine through in these instances, or perhaps a fatal weakness may be exposed. Furthermore, the positive presence of Motivated Group’s Dude Empire may result in the fostering of Strong Dudism in many up-and-coming Dude youth.
Some Projects are so large - especially the fostering and securing of Dude Empires - that they require the participation of several or many Dudes; however, this is specifically not referring to the self-centered efforts of the Motivated Hipster and his ilk. (We can judge the difference by observing the nature of the Motivation. If there is a major motivation stockholder - ie, if this specific person withdrawing from the project would mean its collapse - then we do NOT have a Motivated Group.) There are numerous varieties of and purposes for group endeavors, but the functioning core of each type of Motivated Group is specially constructed to reasonably distribute responsibilities (and rewards) among participants. There are many degrees of success on the path of the motivated group - the beauty of a Strong Dude Network can really shine through in these instances, or perhaps a fatal weakness may be exposed. Furthermore, the positive presence of Motivated Group’s Dude Empire may result in the fostering of Strong Dudism in many up-and-coming Dude youth.
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