Attitude

Attitude

To some people from the old school, “attitude” is synonymous with paying attention or not. But to others, and not just lately, it is the differentiator that makes you your own person, distinctive, unique, but not too rarefied, because it’s not much point striking wonderful postures without an audience.

For the young, coming into the angst and yearnings of hormonal upheaval, “attitude” is at best a fragile thing, sometimes strong as a giant and at other times incoherent, inchoate and subdued as a church mouse. Older people cannot tell it apart from personality traits in general, resorting to well worn adjectives like “vivacious” or “dour” or colloquial descriptions like “pataka” and “cold fish”.

So why is it that today “attitude” is the major consideration in marketing programmes, advertising, and social positioning? The answer is wonderfully simple—all sorts of personality traits and environmental influences have been converged to create a sharply etched self-image which is tuggingly sympatico, being both aggressive and vulnerable at the same time. It extends to clothes, shoes, cars, hairstyles, colours chosen, holidays taken, drinks preferred, stress on the body beautiful, sensible eating, design, working hard at one’s aspirations and playing to win. In short, an absolute plethora of things that are sitting on the razor’s edge between wants and needs. The “me too” generation has run on into history hand in hand with their “try harder” compatriots. That sort of self-deprecation for being second best does not cut much ice these days. But how frightening! After all, how can everyone be a winner? The answer is direct and doable—develop yer “attitude” of course! Attitude that says I am me and I am the best at being me.

The concomitants of developing attitude are a thorough self-examination in order to highlight the trendiest aspects of both the inner and outer selves. Then, having got the colours onto the palette, it is necessary to paint the wide picture, inclusive of the accruements that extend this “attitude” thing. Now do you see why there are salesmen at the door??

The whole thing, to be sure, is running quicksilver away, akin to the cow jumping over the moon, and the “dish” eloping most willingly with the enterprising and devastatingly whatever “spoon”, (chamach?)

Entire films convey little more than a mood today, its current translation being “attitude”. So do certain novels, paintings and a whole lotta popular music. It was Noel Coward who said—“Strange how potent cheap music is”. And I say, you can say that again!

Then, there’s shoes. Lots of character readers look at shoes. And nail polish in deathly hues for those who like to divine by looking at hands. The walk, the talk, the multi -layered hair styles, almost shorn to the skin in places, and seductively long in others. Consider the conditioner, shampoo and gel wallahs when you try to translate this sort of seeming inanity into sales. It be indubitably true that there is nothing if there is no tomorrow, but today, here and now, your best bet is to acquire an attitude and don’t be embarrassed about the ingredients. Remember, it’s older than “Blue Suede Shoes”, even older than “Play it again Sam”, older than Othello’s blind jealousy or the merchant of Venice’s greed, older than Karan’s heroism and Lord Krishna’s cosmic amorality. It’s one old dude. “Attitude ‘98 is a time capsule dug up to define the millenium generation.

Attitude today, no relation of the magazine with similar mien, can be a vocal, mute or action packed expression, but oddly, it has quite a lot in common with both dancing and sex. This dancing thing, the mating ritual, is perennially popular with every kind of creature that moves. It was George Bernard Shaw, among the most quotable of quotables, who said dancing or the waltz “ is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire”. Heh, heh! Clever. Still, I suspect that’s exactly where “attitude” is headed, rather like buying condoms at the chemist, and why ever not? All the swank cars, the glitzy bars, the wiggly women, the hunky men would be out of business without it, and the rest of us would have nothing to emulate. What a famine of a thought!

But it’s not all simpering and pizzazz. There is a good deal of true grit involved. That’s why “Dirty Harry” Clint E and J Wayne plus drawl were/are such icons, not to mention my favourite Bruce Willis, causing the more questionable sections of society to die harder in each successive saga of vengeance and retribution.

Perhaps the best quote on this one is from Marshall Foch of France, viz. “My centre gives way, my right retreats, situation excellent. I shall attack.” The brave man signaled this message to General Joffre during the second battle of the Marne in July/August of 1918.

But all this machismo is a lure, no more, in the serious business of attitudinising. The last word must still, as always, go to the lover. So come on out from under the Madison County bridge Clint, and wherefore art thou Romeo, and down boy Wayne Bobbitt, I fully believe you can, and let me congratulate you on a simply superb attachment!

So be well, and if your spirits start to course their way towards your boots, and it isn’t the Robbie Burns night kind, remember there is someone out there in the cosmos and probably in your bed, who loves you, and makes your life complete.

(917 words)
By Gautam Mukerji

First published as "Do you have an Attitude '98" in The Pioneerwww.dailypioneer.com on February 14, 1998 on the Edit page in the Second Opinion column