On Tricksters

“Tricksters are boundary crossers; they destabilize structures,” Hansen explains. Many, if not all, cultures have trickster characters in their histories. For the Greeks it was Hermes. At least one characteristic of the trickster archetype should be obvious, a propensity for deceit. Tricksters, by definition, violate taboos and break social norms. They often have extravagant, unusual sexual tastes. Tricksters are also marginalized by society; however, to consider them unwilling recipients of discrimination is not altogether fair. Tricksters themselves often do not desire to be a part of the establishment, yet they are often, by their own anti-establishment views, fully embedded in the rich edifice of culture. The most significant generalization that can be made of all tricksters is that they are associated with disorder. The archetype of the trickster has tangible effects in many societies.
- Michael Shermer, Skeptics Society Newsletter

In questioning the boundaries, the trickster not only destabilizes the structure, but also makes it stronger. The above paragraph has a lot of generalizations about trickster characteristics, focusing primarily on the chaosness of tricksterness. But that is only one side to the yin/yang of the Trickster. The trickster's role is to stir the pot so patterns and order can be pulled, created, defined, discovered. The first step to creating order, is to manage the chaos. But that first step is so close to the chaos, it's hard to see the difference.

How do I know? Because my sacred hunting grounds are the knife edge between chaos and order, between the known and the unknown. You must have guts of steel to venture into chaos, balls and courage to capture your prey, cunning ruthlessness to cross the line, and it never ever goes by the book (there is no book).

Comments

[Thogek]

Disorder challenges order. Perpetually, randomly, like a Tourette's-driven pop-quiz. If a specific instance of order (such as a rule or law or taboo) still has strong enough cause and support to exist, it'll survive the challenge; if not, that instance has probably outlived its usefulness and should be retired.

U.S. "Free Speech" and similar rights are supposed to play some part of that role in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. Government. How well that works today is rather debateable, but... somehow, an image of Ben Franklin as a loyal people's Trickster comes to mind. :-)

[heathervescent]

Thogek - good to see you! I had never thought of Ben Franklin as a trickster before. Nice. I'm sure all our founding fathers were tricksters. Too bad the tricksters get a bad rap, when the bad they do, make it all better.