A few weeks ago I was listening to the Create Tomorrow podcast and someone on it mentioned absurdity as a trend in 2026.
So, I went digging. For a start, what is the psychological value of absurdity?
Jason Shimiale MD at Psychology Today has a great short article, well worth reading. “Absurdity, at its core, arises from the clash between our desire for meaning, order, and clarity and the universe’s inherent indifference.”
From a philosophical perspective, Jack Maden gives us Camus’s take on absurdity and the invitation to metaphysical rebellion. (Note: if you do click this link, it opens with mention of suicide) Albert Camus on Rebelling against Life’s Absurdity. To quote Maden, “Unable to tolerate an unease with uncertainty, we hand ourselves over to the consolation of dogma. Searching for an authentic life, we commit to inauthenticity…”
You can judge the power of absurdity by the media and marketing’s attempt to exploit it. Pauline Oudin, CEO of Gradient, talks of absurdism signaling authenticity, and thereby, engaging its audience. Laura Agricola, at Mumbrella, writes, “Absurdity doesn’t trigger the fight-or-flight response, but it does hijack the same early-warning systems that were meant to keep us alive and repurposes them to keep us entertained.”
In short, absurdity wakes us up.
The lesson that I’m taking from this, as an author, is that if you need to jolt people, add an absurdity. And because I have a diabolical mind, I’m also considering absurdity as a tool for distracting readers from a vital clue…
::wanders off to plot mayhem::
Comments
2 responses to “Absurd!”
“In short, absurdity wakes us up.”
This makes sense to me. I mean, think satire – it has long been an effective, and dangerous, tool.
Making something feel absurd can be a great way to broaden people’s perspective. But I can’t forget the comics in the mid 20th century that used it to reinforce the perception of minorities as lesser. At its worst, it can be used to further the “Othering” of people via propaganda, which is always dangerous. But at its best, it can be used to pop us out of entrenched positions, and let us see the absurdities that we’ve normalized – think The Daily Show and the old favorite, Colbert Report.
Everyone from the Fool in the King’s Court to stand-up comedians have always had tremendous ability to reshape a narrative, and it’s why they are so demonized when society starts to make a dangerous shift to extremism. Extremism demands pressure, but gifted comedians let the air out of the balloon.
I love that air out of the balloon metaphor! The use of absurdity to demonise others is something people forget as they rush to use it. I don’t like mocking anyone, but at minimum, if you’re punching down you should question your choices and their consequences. Good satire is brilliant. Terry Pratchett is my absolute fave – satire with compassion.