Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag and 2022 Supreme Court Justices are Two Peas in a Pod
I watch a lot of television and film. My weakness is good visual moving art, my strength is loving it hard. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's series Fleabag is one of the pieces of art I love even years after the series finale. The main character is a fleabag and the Fleabag. She lacks self-awareness, and accountability, and makes inappropriate assumptions that facilitate inappropriate behaviors. The series is the opposite of the utopian escapism we might crave in our current climate. Yet here I am, rewinding to the series as if it offers the secret to the question of How to Make The World Make Sense When The World Makes No Sense.
It is because her crassness is a reminder of what strains relationships and thus communities. When we act like Fleabag, which is to allow greed, egotism, and shapeless virtuousness to direct our behaviors and beliefs, we are putting ourselves and everyone around us at a deficit. Many decisions made by the conservative bloc of the current Supreme Court are putting our communities at a deficit.
Where there once was bodily autonomy, separation of Church and State, and bipartisan decision-making, there is now a sense that many Justices are taking a morally higher than thou approach that is democratically unsound. Like Fleabag, these decisions appear rooted in greed, egotism, and shapeless virtuousness. These characteristics caused Fleabag complete disequilibrium. No meaningful relationships mean no community, and no sense of community correlates to self-serving decision-making.
Some of the decisions made by the conservative bloc of the Supreme Court are derived from and for a singular community, not the greater American community. The ethics surrounding that type of decision-making is questionable. John Dewey's moral philosophy included a priority on "improving methods of moral inquiry over advocating particular moral conclusions." Dewey's moral philosophy is worth examining today because it involves reflection, inquiry, and the evaluation of all potential consequences. These are elements that leaders like conservative Justices appear apathetic towards. Many individuals who agree with overturning some rights and limiting some protective measures also seem uninterested in the broader consequences of current stances.
If we decided to go in a Dewey direction, we would replace our need for fixed moral rules and ends with more intelligent inquiry and experimentation. If we think of our friend Fleabag, she lied to everyone around her and made decisions that awarded her whatever prize she set her sights on. If she assumed a reflective, inquisitive approach that sought to minimize negative consequences for herself and individuals around her, how different would things have been for her? Especially during season one.
What can we learn from the blind spots of the world's Fleabags?
It is beneficial to understand our motivations. Are we making global decisions (i.e., voting) that suit the ends we find relevant, or are we making global decisions that offer the best quality of life and fewer consequences for our society?
We don't have to take from others to fulfill our desires or maintain our beliefs. If our devotions are authentic, they will remain even as someone else takes a different course.
Reflection never hurt anybody. Think about the how and whys. Find the fun in making connections between your opinions, actions, and the world around you.
If we think about more than ourselves, we got this.
