the Wakefield Doctrine

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

(As so often happens, here at the Doctrine, a phrase popped into my head that seemed to be a whole Post…provided I could put into words the feeling that were [embedded] in said phrase. When I wrote today’s Post subtitle, I immediately had two thoughts, a) Readers are going to misunderstand and respond by saying, ‘aww, don’t feel bad, we all think you’re doing great’ and 2) I really need to get back to this kind of post, one that is written to the clarks who are encountering the Wakefield Doctrine for the very first time. And, of course, c) my own re-appreciation of how much things have changed since I first started writing this blog… not the content and nature of the Doctrine, rather the nature of the readership and, even more germane, the changes the Wakefield Doctrine has wrought in my own self. So, what say I give it try?)

When I was young(er), I retained an unshakeable faith in two things: a) my friends and b) my capacity to endure and survive. Now I am no longer younger. More to the point, (of this post), I am now possessed of an understanding of my predominant worldview (clark/Outsider) and that enables me to see a lot more of the ‘why’ of my behavior and beliefs, actions and responses to the people and the world around me. This is an improvement. This knowledge, this insight into the way that ‘I relate myself to the world around me’, does not, in and of itself, change anything. It does, however, make any desired change much more attainable and sustainable. That is the good of the knowing of the Wakefield Doctrine.

The title today? (And the introduction above, that suggests that perhaps writing a Post to appeal specifically to the brand new clarklike Reader, might be more difficult than I think?) All of what underlies, and thereby giving rise to the sentiment manifested in the subtitle remains true in me, in all clarks. I still have the …. er…. not so positive self-concept that is the initial premise shaping the worldview of the Outsider, and I still, very much value the friends that I have. Most of us, (including rogers and scotts), will recognize, in the second half of the sub-title an implication,  a… ‘yes but’, a ‘hedge’, if you will, on the claim to being valued by others. There is something to the way the statement sounds that is a hallmark of the clarklike personality type. It’s necessary to a clark, this ‘hedging’ of a claim of self-worth or value (to others), a pre-defensive defensive, if you will.

You want a physical example of what I’m trying to convey? (It’s also a primary characteristic of clarks.) Watch a clark smile. Most of time, especially when ‘in public’ or not in a totally secure environment, which is pretty much everywhere except bed or the bathroom, clarks will smile by compressing the lips, putting a slight upwards motion to the corners of the mouth, while watching the other person very carefully. Hedging their bets. Being careful. Keeping the escape route viable. You know, as an Outsider, we’re all about interacting, all while keeping an eye on the door. Find me a classroom, I don’t care if it’s First Grade or Grad School, if the individual student is allowed the choice of seats, you will find a preponderance of clarks in the back row. Near the door. And while one might think that this choice is simply to avoid being noticed, one would be almost correct. It is, in fact, to provide the option to escape, to not be forced into the focus of attention.

That’s part of what the clark personality is like. Tomorrow we may look at scotts, ( ‘I think, therefore I scream‘) or perhaps rogers (‘there is no ‘i’ in herd, there’s only me and everyone like me’)

Since I’m doing kind of a old-style Post, I thought I’d include a music video, well, just because.*

*excuse me!! excuse me!!  because, well, holy shit!!  (lol)  you want to know the real, totally-honest-to-god reason why I find writing Doctrine Posts so ….so  incredible?  Ok, so I’m finishing up the final edit and I decide… sure, lets keep the music vid, because I love the song. The last thing I needed to do was to find the ‘cover photo’,  you know, the Post’s thumbnail that shows only on the landing page. Well I think, ‘lets look for an image associated with Grieg and ‘the Hall of the Mountain King’, (today’s vid)…at the top of the results page is a link to the wikipedia, so naturally I go to read it ( I’m a clark, remember?)  anyway, here’s what jumped out of the screen at me, it made me laugh:

The piece is played as the title character Peer Gynt, in a dream-like fantasy, enters “Dovregubben (the troll Mountain King)’s hall”. The scene’s introduction continues: “There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. Dovregubben sits on his throne, with crown and sceptre, surrounded by his children and relatives. Peer Gynt stands before him. There is a tremendous uproar in the hall.” The lines sung are the first lines in the scene.

Grieg himself wrote “For the Hall of the Mountain King I have written something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and ‘to-thyself-be-enough-ness’ that I can’t bear to hear it, though I hope that the irony will make itself felt.” The theme of “to thyself be… enough” – avoiding the commitment implicit in the phrase “To thine own self be true” and just doing enough – is central to Peer Gynt’s satire, and the phrase is discussed by Peer and the mountain king in the scene which follows the piece.( italics added)  (wikipedia.com)

…no!! really!! lol  man! do I love this Wakefield Doctrine!