Annie Christian

Fanaticism

“Annie Christian” from the album Controversy (1981)

Fundamentalism and fanaticism are not the same thing. Fundamentalism is a belief in a religious idea that places a holy text(s) as the absolute truth above science or anything else. Fanaticism is different because it is marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion to an idea (Calhoun, 2004). Usually this devotion is to a religious or political worldview but it can be found in just about every sphere of human activity including social activism, the military and all forms of entertainment (for example, football hooligans in Europe) (Paskins, 2005). Fanaticism can be good or bad depending on the motivations for why the person is acting fanatically. If someone fanatically defends someone's right to free speech (even if the speech contradicts their beliefs) or if someone channels their fanaticism for the music created by an elfin musician from Minneapolis, MN into a psychology blog, those are examples of positive fanaticism. The slave abolitionists in the 1800's and women suffragists of the 1900's are other examples of positive fanaticism. Anne Christian however is a song that addresses the negative forms of this phenomenon.

All fanaticism starts off with a little egoism (Calhoun, 2004) as does this song, Annie Christian wanted to be number 1. The fanatic believes that they have the truth, that their way of thinking is the ONLY right way. Whether it be the sports team they support or the faith they live by. The height of arrogance is for a person to believe that they alone have the truth, all the answers to life and those who think differently from them or not just wrong but are beneath them. This type of thinking can often lead to all types of distorted, unhealthy thinking (Paskins, 2005). The fanatic usually estimates themselves higher than what they actually are, The way Annie tells the story, she's His only son. We see the delusion has begun to take over Annie's mind. I'm not sure if Prince did this intentionally but by saying she's his only son I think he is trying to show us that she has gone off the deep end thinking she is male or more specifically Jesus incarnate.

Fanatics share some similar characteristics, the first of which is an uncompromising conviction about the way they view the world, they believe that their understanding is the absolute truth (Calhoun, 2004). Thinking you are God's only son is a sure sign that you believe you have the ultimate truth. Another similarity they share is actively imposing their convictions on other people. We see this regularly with religious cults, a fundamental goal of all cults is to make the world accept their faith system or else (Lundskow, 2008). The Branch Dravidian and Westboro Baptist Church cults are good examples of this. An us vs. them worldview is common among fanatics (Calhoun, 2004). An example of this is the FBI's ABSCAM (Arab Scam) sting operation. In a nutshell what happened was in the 70's Congress started investigating national complaints of police brutality. The FBI in retaliation targeted members of Congress who were active in this investigation with the ABSCAM. Undercover FBI agents would approach the Congressmen with an opportunity to illegally invest in Casinos in New Jersey (FBI, 2005). The company behind building the casinos was a made up Arabian oil company. The Congressmen took the bait and went to jail, or as this song succinctly puts it, Liar Liar Liar! got ya in a jam, put your head on the block, somebody say ABSCAM! Instead of fixing their police brutality problem the FBI saw this as an attack that justified their us vs. them mentality, their actions prove it. They fanatically defended the shield.

Annie Christian is clearly an amalgamation of many different fanatics but the character nicely demonstrates all the negative characteristics of this group of people. The last trait I want to share is the willingness to die and kill for one's beliefs. Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley shot John Lennon and Ronald Reagan, respectfully. Here, Prince makes it clear that he is using this song to talk about the fanaticism in the world when he ascribes these two shootings to Annie, She killed John Lennon, shot him down cold, she tried to kill Reagan. With those lines the amalgamation is complete. Extremism is like being bite by a poisonous insect. Often times the person doesn't realize that they have been bitten. There might be a rash or some other non-lethal sign of the trouble that is to come. But by the time it is realized that they have been bitten the only thing that can be done is for that person to live with it until they die. This is the fate of a true fanatic (Calhoun, 2004). Annie Christian, Annie Christ!

References

Calhoun, L. (2004). An anatomy of fanaticism. Peace Review, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2004, pp. 349-356.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2005). "A byte out of history: Remembering the lessons of ABSCAM." http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2005/february/abscam_020705

Lundskow, G. (2008) The sociology of religion: A substantive and transdisciplinary approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Paskins, B. (2005). Fanaticism in the modern era. Fanaticism and Conflict in the Modern Age. Hughes, M., & Johnson, G. (eds.). London: Frank Cass Publishers, pp. 7-18.

The Sacrifice of Victor

Fear & Racism

“The Sacrifice of Victor” from the album O(+> (1992)

“1967 in a bus marked public schools
Rode me and a group of unsuspecting political tools
Our parents wondered what it was like 2 have another color near
So they put their babies together 2 eliminate the fear”

Months before he was assassinated in 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was asked to talk to the board of the American Psychological Association to talk about the psycho-social affects that racism and segregation has on African-Americans. Here is a snippet of what he said:

“In the preface to their book, Applied Sociology (1965), S. M. Miller and Alvin Gouldner state: “It is the historic mission of the social sciences to enable mankind to take possession of society.” It follows that for Negroes who substantially are excluded from society this science is needed even more desperately than for any other group in the population. White America needs to understand that it is poisoned to its soul by racism and the understanding needs to be carefully documented and consequently more difficult to reject (King, 1967).”

It is a historical fact that during slavery Black males were pitted against each other in an effort to keep them from revolting against their slave owners (Palmer, 2006). This constant fear of slave rebellions was a real part of American life as our great nation began. After the Civil War that fear of a Black uprising intensified because now they were “free” to compete for land and jobs and Constitutionally had the right to vote. It is another sad fact that the fear of losing land, political power, job, resources, etc. to Blacks that White America unleashed a campaign of terror to dissuade African-Americans from being a part of society. They wanted them to stay in there own towns and shop at their own stores and if they dared try to be a part of society beatings, lynchings and being thrown in jail for made up vagrancy crimes (i.e. staring at a White woman) were commons tools used to get that result (Forte, 1998). The Jim Crow laws replaced the Black Codes (1800-1866). Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which deemed the Black Codes unconstitutional because of the 13^th Amendment. But then the fear of having Blacks as equals was something White America wasn't ready for that because they feared that freedom in Black hands would pull society into chaos and lawlessness; therefore they rioted all over the nation. Most notably in Memphis and New Orleans (Forte, 1998). Later that year pro-Black Codes politicians won election and the Jim Crow laws were passed in the southern states, the federal government looked the other way so that more White riots didn't break out (Kellogg, 1982). So to be clear the North and South both agreed that they would still be legally able to discriminate against African-Americans even after the ratification of the 13^th Amendment. Take a moment and let that sink in.

I don't want this to turn into a history lesson but Dr. King is right the evil affects of racism needs to be carefully documented so that White America is forced to see the psychological damage that racism has and is doing to a group of citizens. We hear about people playing the race card, how White Privilege doesn't exits and that racism is over. If the people who make such statements, took a look at American History objectivity they would see the nonsense in their words. There is an actual fear of Black people generally and Black males specifically in America. It is not a conscious fear it's more subtle. Whenever you see a group of Black teenagers what's your first thought? Whenever you see a Black male with baggy pants walk by what's your first thought? When you hear a Black person speak loudly what's your first thought? Now in all those scenarios put White people in them, what are your first thoughts? Most racism isn't the intentional Ku Klux Klan variety it's more the under the radar a la, “She probably got this job because of Affirmative Action” variety. The fear that Blacks or minorities are taking over or have an upper hand causes these sorts of thoughts. Their is an inherent non-logical component to racism, how can someone be fundamentally different from me because of their melanin? Are blue sharks fundamentally different from bronze sharks because their skin is a different color? The irrationality that is racism is a taught concept born out of fear and psychological projections of an individuals insecurities (Wright, 2009). We all need to evaluate ourselves mentally and find what is it in us that makes us think less of a person because of something they have no control over. We are all responsible for the scourge of racism we have to be honest with ourselves and do the hard work of dealing with our own issues instead of blaming others.

In the above lyrics Prince tells a story that may or may not be autobiographical but we know the story that is told here took place all over America during the Civil Rights movement. He talks about how parents were using their children to “eliminate” their fear. The United States government (state and federal) were actively fighting to prevent a group of citizens from getting equal rights (for example being paid the same wage for the same work as White people). That subtle fear had come to the foreground and violence was the government's response just like during slavery, just like during Reconstruction and just like now with the epidemic of unarmed minorities being killed by law enforcement. The psychological result of fear is anger and anger almost always leads to violence of some sort. America, the people should heed the advice of Dr. King and carefully chronicle this fear that has permeated our shared history so that we can deal with it effectively. If we don't this fear will continue to tear us apart. Let's stop teaching our children to see themselves as different based on race. Let's stop teaching them to fear others because of skin color because in the immortal words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Not African-Americans, not Latinos, not the LGBT community, or any other disenfranchised group. Let's put our babies together to eliminate racial fear so that racism can finally fall.

References

Forte, D. F., (1998). Spiritual equality, the black codes, and the americanization of the freedmen, Loyola Law Review (43) 605-608.

Kellogg, J., (1982). The formation of black residential areas in Lexington, Kentucky, 1865-1887. The Journal of Southern History, 48(1), 21–52.

King, M. L. (1967). Journal of Social Issues 24(1).

Palmer, Vernon Valentine (2006). The customs of slavery: The war without arms. American Journal of Legal History 2 (48): 177.

Wright, D. & Taylor, D.M. (2009).The social psychology of cultural diversity: Social prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination,The SAGE Handbook of Social Psychology, Concise Student Edition. M. Hogg & J. Cooper (Eds.), Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, pps. 361-387.  

What Do You Want Me 2 Do?

Prairie Voles and Male Fidelity

“What Do U Want Me 2 Do” from the album Musicology (2004)

"I see you picked me out like you want something
But shame on you, baby, can't you see this ring?
I got a woman, you got a man
So we got to do what's right"

What do male prairie voles and male humans have in common? It turns out we both have a part in our brains that controls the desire to form close relational ties according to Professor Larry Young, Ph.D (Wrobel, 2010). It is a gene that manages the release of vasopressin. Vasopressin is a hormone that activates receptors in the brain to regulate behavior (Wrobel, 2010). In male prairie voles, vasopressin helps keep the male close to his mate and in turn keeps the female competition far away. It stimulates bonding centers in the brain which makes them feel attached and protective of their partner. Oxytocin in women acts the same way that vasopressin works in men. So now we know that biology plays a part in male fidelity (Wrobel, 2010). Does that mean that biology in the main factor that will determine how faithful someone will be?

According to John Gottman & Nan Silver (2012) the answer is no. Self-control is a major reason why men cheat. Whether it be for sexual or emotional reasons men simply cheat because they choose to. Many men have the option to cheat and they don't. The raconteur in this song illustrates that choice: I see you picked me out like you want something, But shame on you, baby, can't you see this ring? He is clearly aware that a sexual encounter can happen but he is not interested in straying from his mate. His vasopressin is clearly flowing freely. Yes it's true that men struggle with self-control based on a plethora of things such as upbringing, religious beliefs, cultural climate, marital happiness, etc and so forth but when it comes down to it a choice has to be made, to cheat or not to cheat (Gottman, & Silver, 2012).

A lot men of men put themselves in a position where they are more likely to cheat. If you know that you have a weakness for a certain type of person then don't put yourself in a situation that will increase your chances to cheat, don't be alone with that person, keep it professional, keep boundaries, etc. Regardless of the decision you make there will be consequences. Some men go into affairs without thinking about the results of it. They don't think about the lost relationships both family and friend wise. Infidelity is a huge deal to a lot of people and how your affair will affect you socially and familial should always be factored in. The lines I got a woman, you got a man, so we got to do what's right is great advice when you think about the long term affects that an affair can have on a person's life.

References

Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2012). What makes love last?: How to build trust and avoid betrayal. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Wrobel, S. (2010). Why do voles fall in love: And what that means for human health. Emory Health Journal, Spring (1-4).

Sister

Incest and Learned Helplessness

“Sister” from the album Dirty Mind (1980)

“Oh, sister
Don't put me on the street again
Oh, sister
I just want to be your friend”

Any sexual contact with a child can unleash a constellation of dysfunction on the victim. But sexual contact between family members creates so many debilitating problems that few victims are able to overcome them. One of these problems is confusing sexual contact with acceptance and validation. Some who have suffered through this tragedy often have thoughts such as “My dad only told me he loved me after he would rape me” or “I only felt validated when I could satisfy my dad sexually.” This confusion causes many to use sex as a means to feel self-worth which leads to promiscuity and prostitution. Also victims of incest still feel affection and love towards their abuser. They defend them and sometimes delude themselves that what is happening to them is not bad, “My brother would never hurt me, this can't be wrong” or “Daddy says I'm the love of his life, he would never hurt me.” This cognitive dissonance is expressed in this song with the lyrics: Oh, sister, don't put me on the street again, oh, sister, I just want to be your friend.”

This is perhaps the strangest song lyrically in the entire oeuvre of Prince. In it the narrator shares how his sister takes his virginity, prostitutes him on the street, physically abuses him yet he still clamors for her acceptance and love. Why on earth would someone still want to be loved by someone who routinely abuses them? It turns out that helplessness can become a learned behavior. In 1965 Martin Seligman conducted an experiment in which dogs were caged up and forced to endure harmful electric shocks with no way to escape. A second group of dogs were administered the same painful shocks but they were allowed to escape. After a a few rounds of shocks the first group were shocked again, this time with escape now a possibility, they did not leave (Maier, S.F. & Seligman, M. E., 1976). They had been conditioned to endure pain.

As humans we can learn to endure all types of pain whether it be physical or mental pain (Vastag, B., 2003). That is why it is hard for those who haven't suffered abuse to understand Battered Spouse Syndrome or Stockholm Syndrome. Just as sure as the aforementioned dogs were shocked into enduring pain, victims of incest are emotionally shocked into enduring their pain. We all want and need to be loved. If those in our lives are abusive towards us, we can learn to accept that abuse as a form of love.

References

Maier, S. F. & Seligman, M. E. Learned helplessness: Theory and evidence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol. 105(1), Mar 1976, 3-46.

Vastag B. Scientists find connections in the brain between physical and emotional pain. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003, 290(18): 2389-2390.

Pop Life

The Psychology of Poverty

“Pop Life” from the album Around the World In A Day (1985)

“What's the matter with your life
Is the poverty bringing U down'
Is the mailman jerking U 'round'
Did he put your million dollar check
In someone else's box'”

We often beat ourselves up for not living up to expectations that we or someone else has placed on us. While having expectations is a healthy and normal part of life they can become problematic if they are unrealistic. Our socioeconomic context has as much affect on our behavior as our genes do. The age old debate between nature and nurture plays a part here, we sometimes forget that nature includes our living conditions.

“Is poverty bringing U down?” For anyone who has been poor the answer to that is an emphatic YES! The stress of not having enough money to pay your bills, not being able to give your kids the best, the constant financial uncertainty, etc. has the potential to degrade your quality of life. Picture yourself after an all-nighter, being poor is like that every day (Mullainathan & Shafir, 2014). We know the affects of sleep deprivation, degraded cognitive functioning, decreased IQ, anxiousness, chronic health problems, depression, decreased sexual desire and increases the risk of death ( Moorcraft, 2013). Add on top of that the social stigmatization that “You are lazy” or “Choose to be poor” or are a criminal then we can see the massive psychological duress that the poor endure.

The overwhelmingly majority of poor people do not want to be poor and they have the expectation to get out of that situation. That is all well and good but often the way they expect to get out of their situation is flawed. The lines, “Did he put your million dollar check in someone else's box” references that. Sometimes we expect our lives to get better without the effort. We expect God to answer our prayers and rescue us from our current situation, expect to win the lottery or make it big with a get rich quick scheme, etc. I don't want to over simplify the complex nature of poverty but I do want to point out that expectation is a huge key to get out of poverty. If you expect to go to school or learn a trade that will pay a liveable wage so that you can get out of poverty that is a healthy expectation (granted it doesn't always work out that way) however if you want someone else to do it for you that is not a healthy expectation.

If you are poor and are feeling depressed or stressed out that is normal. The poor should not feel like something is wrong with them if they are feeling down, they are having a natural response to their living situation. Seeking counseling and improving their support system are steps that can be taken to improve anyone's quality of life. Prince sings that, “Everybody needs a thrill.” This is true, finding things in your life that make you happy and make you feel good about yourself is tantamount to improving how you view your world. Poverty is a daily trauma that the poor endure the fact that they continue on is a testament to their fortitude. We as a society should be expected to know the psychological pain that poverty brings and do what we can to help alleviate that strain on our fellow human beings.

References

     Mullainathan, S. & Shafir, E. (2014). Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It               Defines Our Lives. New York: Times Books 

              Moorcroft, W. H. (2013). Understanding Sleep and Dreaming. New York: Springer.

Mountains

Stop Fighting Your Negative Thoughts

“Mountains” from the album Parade (Music from Under the Cherry Moon) 1986

"You said the devil told you that another mount will appear
Every time somebody broken your heart
He said the sea would one day overflow with all your tears
And love will always leave you lonely

But I say it's only mountains and the sea"

How many times have you been told, “You need to think more positively.” That sounds like good advice on the surface because of course we should think positive who wants to be around a negative person all the time? The problem with that is that on average 80% of our thoughts are negative (Harris, 2008). That's a pretty big mountain of negativity to overcome. So what are we to do with these thoughts fight them? No, not at all.

There is nothing wrong with having negative thoughts (since we all have them) problems arise only when we start believing them. Consider the tabloid magazine industry. We all know that over 80% of what is said in those publications is false, taken out of context or sensationalized yet we believe them anyway. Why is that? For starters the stories in the tabloids remind us of the negative thoughts that we think about ourselves therefore we ascribe truth to these stories. Now you see why the Kardashians have hung around for so long (wink). Why are we conditioned to think bad thoughts. It comes down to one word: judgment. We label our thoughts as good and bad.

The reason why 80% of our thoughts are negative is because we have evolved to be problem solvers (Ramachandran, 2011). There are a lot of ways to die here on earth so we constantly have to be aware and solve whatever problem is before us so we don't die. For example while driving we notice someone is driving erratically and we think, “Look at that idiot.” Is that a good or bad thought? Neither it's just a thought born out of the desire to not want to die. Your boss says something rude to you and you think “What a jerk she is.” Again this is not a good or bad thought, it is a thought born out of either a) a desire to what to be accepted b) fear of job security or a plethora of other things.

When we start to believe our negative thoughts about ourselves that's where self-esteem, depression, etc. begin to creep into our minds. That's why it is very important to ask ourselves 3 questions about our negative thoughts: 1. Is this thought important? 2. Is this thought true? 3. Is this thought helpful (Harris, 2008)? Be truthful with yourself. Next time a thought like “I am such a _____” pops into your head ask yourself those 3 questions and if the answer is no to either one of them, then label it not true (I call them “tabloid thoughts”) and let that thought go. Thoughts are only as important as we make them. You can believe the thoughts you are having are true or that they are only mountains and the sea. Meaning they are just another part of life. Not good or bad, just another thing. In these lyrics Prince is giving the listener a choice on how they want to label the thoughts in their minds.

References

Harris, R. (2008). The Happiness Trap. Boston, MA: Trumpeter Books.

Ramachandran, V. S. (2011). The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Diamonds & Pearls

To Love And Be Loved That's All There Is

“Diamonds & Pearls” from the album Diamonds & Pearls (1991)

“Am I the weaker man
Because I understand
That love must be the master plan”

In any relationship that involves humans there will eventually be conflict. Whether it be a friend, family member or loved one disagreements happen; therefore learning healthy ways to resolve them. Compromise is a tried and true method of handling conflict. Most people think that when you compromise that is a sign of weakness (that could explain the lack of it in Congress these days). Prince touches on the heart of settling disputes in a positive way when he signs “Am I the weaker man,
Because I understand, That love must be the master plan.” When discord arrives love must be at the foreground of our minds not “winning” the argument. It takes a weak person to give into pride and try to get the other person to see how wrong they were. It takes a strong person to understand that love keeps no records of wrongs. If you aren't keeping records of wrongs than you don't have to show the person how wrong they are.

That's not to say that you don't stand up for yourself, instead when you do do it from a place of love. If you are having a disagreement with a person and your goal is to get them to see things the way you want them too, discord will be your reward. However, if you are seeking to understand where they are coming from and solutions to the problem at hand, love will be your reward. By developing a history of compromise the message we communicate is, darling, please sacrifice something for me so that I know that you love me, and in return I will stop considering you as the major compromise of my life (Ben-Zeev, 2010). Then together you both set up precedents that encourage compromise and collaboration to create solutions together instead of winning arguments. Or as Prince says in this song, “I am here for u
Love is meant for two, Now tell me what u're gonna do?” If the other person knows that you are a positive influence in their life (I am here for you) then they will want to work on the relationship (love is meant for two) and the only way to make relationships work is through compromise. So tell me what are you gonna do?

Reference

Ben-Zeev, A. (2010, September 24). Does Love Involve Sacrifice or Compromise? Retrieved May 19, 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-name-love/201009/does-love-involve-sacrifice-or-compromise.