Ideological Underpinnings of Absurdity and Hypernormalization

In this chapter, the ideological underpinnings of absurdity and its normalization are explored. First, the chapter discusses a psychology of absurdity in order to understand the functioning of absurdity within the individual psyche. Furthermore, the chapter discusses how the fantasmatic investment in and internalization of absurdity enable individuals to manage the absurdities arising from the perpetual gap between authoritative discourse (e.g., companies’ commitment to climate action) and actual day-to-day practices (e.g., companies’ continued investment in fossil fuels). The chapter explicitly links absurdity and hypernormalization to its ideological functioning and is based on Žižek’s theory of ideology as fantasy construction. In this theory, absurdity and its normalization can be understood to function ideologically and are maintained through the emergence and development of a fantasy of normality. This serves a strong psychological function, in providing a feeling of security and sense of self (i.e., ontological security). The chapter finishes with a discussion of the threat that the exposure of absurdity poses to the ontological security of the individual.