a century of fakers

This is a quote from Belle & Sebastian and a preview of what I want to write about today.

For the past few years, I've gradually become more and more aware that really, in my opinion, everyone is a just copycat of another. I mean, in a world of 6.7 billion people, there's bound to be repetition and unoriginality. In my pessimistic view of the world, most everything humans do or stay is stolen from another source. Within pop culture alone, how many times have I heard people wittingly use the phrase "Va jay jay" that Grey's Anatomy made famous back in its first season. Or it could be Paris Hilton's "That's hot!" or Tim Gunn's "Make it work!"

I also believe movies, for example, romantic comedies play a huge part in this. How many times have we watched a romantic comedy filled with cliches and then gone home and used them still? There are ways to express "I love you" that aren't pretentious. It doesn't have to be a drawn out, dramatic metaphor.

Even in common conversations, I find we all overuse the same phrases in the same conversations with different people. How dull is that? To a point, I think it's all fake. I mean, how many times can I listen to someone try to participate in a discussion on philosophy without sounding like their full of shit? Half the time, I don't even think people know what their talking about, they just think it sounds intelligent. It all comes down to the same ideas expressed with the same words.

[In this way, I've always identified with Holden Caulfield, which is probably why "The Catcher in the Rye" is one of my favorite books. Sometimes I just can't find the value in life. Everything is the same in my cynical, jaded worldview.]

Whatever it is, I find that many if not most of my language has been affected by external stimuli as well. I can't help but steal quotes from movies, television, and books and try to pass them off as my own. In my attempt at being unique, I also fail. But in the end, there are times that I realize I am unique, even if most of me is not. I can't think of anyone else that does homework or studies at bars over a glass(es) of beer. Nor do I know anyone who after a full-night out of dancing and drinking is wide-awake on the subway at 6 a.m. studying GRE flash cards, while everyone else is completely passed out. And for some reason, caffeine has no effect on me and mosquitoes stay clear of me.

So maybe it's the minute details that polish a person off as being unique. This is my theory: 90% unoriginality, 10% original, this is what makes an individual and we can't escape it. Therefore, it's necessary to search deeper for the points of interest that truly separate us from others.