Charley and Seany, Ego and Id
Last night saw what I thought was one of the most interesting if in some ways most discomfiting moments in the history of Big Brother. Nicky’s and Charley’s hitherto simmering competition for the attention of new (and suddenly wealthy) housemate Liam boiled over into a clothes-changing war in the land that feminism forgot. To be fair, Nicky was relatively low-key—openly competing with Charley, changing clothes and make-up, but with relative modesty in attitude and attire. Charley, being Charley, was much more aggressive in attitude and in exposure of cleavage and thigh when she re-dressed for battle. Equally or even more interesting and discomfiting was how Charley was egged on in various ways by other housemates. Nicky may have played a canny hand in subtly encouraging Charley to overplay hers. Liam told Charley about his liking for confident girls who can make an entrance, tempting Charley to play to her imagined strengths. The sense of a conspiracy to make Charley make a spectacle of herself grew as other housemates predicted (rightly) that she would get changed into an even more revealing outfit and then gathered to watch after she did just that. Laura helped Charley (un)dress and then led the chanting as Charley strode back into the garden and strutted right in front of everyone (especially Nicky, though BB can do funny things with camera angles) while pouting and glowering porn-fashion at the mirror. At this point Charley did not seem to realise that she had been stitched up like a kipper, mugged into playing herself as an object of ridicule. That moment of realisation may have come when Seany shoved her into the pool. Her initial inability to mount a coherent reaction (we don’t know and never will know how she carried on after the highlights show ended) indicate that she was beginning to realise she’d been set up before being slammed and dunked. Certainly the extended howls and high-fives of derision that followed should have suggested that to her.
The whole thing and everyone’s role in this psychological melodrama is worth analysing, but the players who interested me most were Charley and Seany, respectively Big Ego and Big Id. Charley’s role as Big Ego is pretty clear to anyone who has watched the show for more than any given five minutes. Having little if any self-awareness, she also has a bizarre perspective on the forces of superego, but she nevertheless sees herself and, as far as we, the viewers, can tell, only sees herself by reference to how others see her. Indeed many of her utterances indicate that she sees that as the only way one can see oneself. And that’s perhaps why she got set up so easily last night, when any one with any self-awareness or sense of the sensibilities of others would have smelled a gigantic rodent way before they got a soaking.
But what made Seany push Charley into the pool is perhaps less obvious but no less interesting. It was a dangerous thing to do. Apart from the inherent dangers in igniting the highly combustible rage of Big Ego, there’s a risk of accusation of bullying and even of racist bullying (I don’t believe there was anything racist in how Charley was treated, but in the current climate the danger of accusation is there). So what was he thinking? I think he was thinking nothing. He was acting on impulse, pure id. He has done this kind of thing before. On his first night in the house he pulled the duvet off Lesley’s bed. He also put a condom on the head of Gerry’s toy monkey. And he has also previously put water in Charley’s boots and shoes. These events have much in common. Each of the victims has what looks like a familial role in Seany’s mind. Lesley was motherly, albeit in a strictly matronly way. Gerry seems like a sensible older brother to Seany, a role model and mentor. Charley is his twin or younger sister, and some time partner-in-pranks. Moreover, each of the pranks touched each of the victims in a private and personal way. Lesley’s bed, anyone’s bed but especially Lesley’s, was her haven, her comfort zone. Gerry’s monkey is, as he explained to Seany, the only “friend” he brought in from the outside—he talks to it and holds it at night. (That may seem silly to some, but it is none the less a real comfort to Gerry.) Charley identifies herself with what she wears, she grounds herself metaphorically as well as literally in her (for her) reassuringly expensive Gucci boots. (Again, to some that may be ridiculous, but that is how it is all the same.) So, Seany’s practical jokes (or “jokes”) centre on the things that are most precious and personal to the people he feels the closest to. In other words, they cannot escape him: even in their most private space, he forces them to pay attention. It’s not conscious or deliberate, it’s pure id, in all its attention-seeking neediness.
Tonight, Seany will in all likelihood be evicted (it may have already happened by the time you read this). As I write, he is the favourite to go at 1-7, with odious Alan Sugar-wannabe Jonathan relatively safe at 6-1 and increasingly crazy Carole even safer at 9-1. Equally likely, Charley will be out next week (although everyone says that every week, so we’ll see). Either and both departures would and will be a shame. Big Brother, as is said so often, is like a morality play. Bad people get nominated by their housemates and booted and booed by the public. As is said equally often, this is a shame—the most interesting people go first. So, if you’re going to do any voting, bear that in mind. Let’s not have a morality play this time. Let’s have a psycho-drama. It’s discomfiting in many ways, but it’s gripping TV, as gripping as anything done by David Attenborough.
Finally, some diary room words from Big Id. He may be growing up in front of our eyes. Another reason to keep him in—let him learn, let him grow.
"I'm very spontaneous with my words sometimes and I'm very impulsive when I speak. I'm just in fear of saying the wrong thing. For once in this household, I'm going to think before I speak. I'll go and think about what I want to say to you later. I think there's something in my personality which I need to change, you know? I think this experience has helped me, in that I do act impulsively, even if it's for a laugh or a joke, and I always think my impulsive behaviour is very funny, but some people may not. So I'm going to think before I speak."
Thisisjimrockford
The whole thing and everyone’s role in this psychological melodrama is worth analysing, but the players who interested me most were Charley and Seany, respectively Big Ego and Big Id. Charley’s role as Big Ego is pretty clear to anyone who has watched the show for more than any given five minutes. Having little if any self-awareness, she also has a bizarre perspective on the forces of superego, but she nevertheless sees herself and, as far as we, the viewers, can tell, only sees herself by reference to how others see her. Indeed many of her utterances indicate that she sees that as the only way one can see oneself. And that’s perhaps why she got set up so easily last night, when any one with any self-awareness or sense of the sensibilities of others would have smelled a gigantic rodent way before they got a soaking.
But what made Seany push Charley into the pool is perhaps less obvious but no less interesting. It was a dangerous thing to do. Apart from the inherent dangers in igniting the highly combustible rage of Big Ego, there’s a risk of accusation of bullying and even of racist bullying (I don’t believe there was anything racist in how Charley was treated, but in the current climate the danger of accusation is there). So what was he thinking? I think he was thinking nothing. He was acting on impulse, pure id. He has done this kind of thing before. On his first night in the house he pulled the duvet off Lesley’s bed. He also put a condom on the head of Gerry’s toy monkey. And he has also previously put water in Charley’s boots and shoes. These events have much in common. Each of the victims has what looks like a familial role in Seany’s mind. Lesley was motherly, albeit in a strictly matronly way. Gerry seems like a sensible older brother to Seany, a role model and mentor. Charley is his twin or younger sister, and some time partner-in-pranks. Moreover, each of the pranks touched each of the victims in a private and personal way. Lesley’s bed, anyone’s bed but especially Lesley’s, was her haven, her comfort zone. Gerry’s monkey is, as he explained to Seany, the only “friend” he brought in from the outside—he talks to it and holds it at night. (That may seem silly to some, but it is none the less a real comfort to Gerry.) Charley identifies herself with what she wears, she grounds herself metaphorically as well as literally in her (for her) reassuringly expensive Gucci boots. (Again, to some that may be ridiculous, but that is how it is all the same.) So, Seany’s practical jokes (or “jokes”) centre on the things that are most precious and personal to the people he feels the closest to. In other words, they cannot escape him: even in their most private space, he forces them to pay attention. It’s not conscious or deliberate, it’s pure id, in all its attention-seeking neediness.
Tonight, Seany will in all likelihood be evicted (it may have already happened by the time you read this). As I write, he is the favourite to go at 1-7, with odious Alan Sugar-wannabe Jonathan relatively safe at 6-1 and increasingly crazy Carole even safer at 9-1. Equally likely, Charley will be out next week (although everyone says that every week, so we’ll see). Either and both departures would and will be a shame. Big Brother, as is said so often, is like a morality play. Bad people get nominated by their housemates and booted and booed by the public. As is said equally often, this is a shame—the most interesting people go first. So, if you’re going to do any voting, bear that in mind. Let’s not have a morality play this time. Let’s have a psycho-drama. It’s discomfiting in many ways, but it’s gripping TV, as gripping as anything done by David Attenborough.
Finally, some diary room words from Big Id. He may be growing up in front of our eyes. Another reason to keep him in—let him learn, let him grow.
"I'm very spontaneous with my words sometimes and I'm very impulsive when I speak. I'm just in fear of saying the wrong thing. For once in this household, I'm going to think before I speak. I'll go and think about what I want to say to you later. I think there's something in my personality which I need to change, you know? I think this experience has helped me, in that I do act impulsively, even if it's for a laugh or a joke, and I always think my impulsive behaviour is very funny, but some people may not. So I'm going to think before I speak."
Thisisjimrockford
posted by bigbrothersbigtheory @ 9:17 am
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