"Think For Yourself, Question Authority" - an oxymoron?

[Ahnijson_films]

I think the whole "Think for Yourself, Question Authority" thing is a joke, completely. I think the irony in it is why they say it, I think it is made to make you REALLY think... because what he is saying is absolutely an oxymoron. An authoritative figure standing and booming over a microphone to thousands of captivated people to "Question Authority" hehehe. I think James is just kind of pulling a big joke on that one, to see who gets it. Kind of like Toolarmy. I really think that is a joke (I mean, come on, on the webpage where it describes the packages, the page is called "Brainwashing"). But maybe I'm wrong.
What do you think?

[rickiep00h]

Well, it's not really an oxymoron... given the situation it's more of a contradiction in terms.

I think the point IS to get you to think, yes. To get you to ask "Why do I believe what I do?" If people take that, that idea of questioning, and come to believe that it's a good way to live one's life, that's okay, but the people that just spout it out all the time like a broken record... those are the ones that I think the band is playing a joke on.

And when I saw them and Maynard said "Now, repeat after me: Think for youself. Question authority," and all the drunks started doing it, you could still hear the laughter from the people that weren't following along because of what you just said.

Most of the people that go to a Tool show, I've noticed, go to get drunk and hurt people. The rest of us sit and do what we're doing right now. Maynard is talking to the drunk moshers, I'm pretty sure, not to John C. Intellectual.

[josh]

I think that it is some what of an oxymoron, since there is subtle irony there. It's become a Tool cliche, along with many other little "catch phrases" if you will. It's exactly like Maynard saying, "Now repeat after me.." I like that one, which i think he's stolen from The Life Of Brian.

Tool is about pushing the boundaries and trying to advocate independant thought. The old Tool cliche "Take everything with a grain of salt" (A cliche which is true, but I hate) must be kept in mind. Because, lets face it, the guys at Tool have great senses of humour. (I hope thats grammically correct)

[eon_blue]

that may be a contradictory remark but i think that the main part of that phrase to focus on is the 'think for yourself' bit. In this day and age where everything is mass produced and seems to have been spat out of a cloning machine, i think that Tool are trying to say that it is important that you be true to yourself. i'm not trying to be extra cheesy here, what i'm trying to say is that i think they are telling you to question your beliefs. Like, why do i think what i think. Did i come up with this conclusion or was it fed to me. I think it all comes from the never-ending idea of 'blind faith'...

[hyeboy]

I can see what you are saying, he's ordering you to question authority. But then think about what that means. This will be the last order you take, because from here on out, there are no rules, no confining, no controlling, no labeling. Just a sea of possibilities as endless as the universe itself.

I seem to refer to "The Matrix" way too often (see opinion under "The Patient" titled "I'm trying to free your mind, Neo"), but I have no better visual way to explain it. All Tool, Timothy Leary, and any half way intelligent person is trying to do is to get you to THINK!! Don't just follow blindly, assuming what ever role you have been assigned in life by the invisible force that I always call the matrix. Question everything. Why do you treat others the way you do, why do you dress the way you do, what influenced your choice of cars, food, music, etc. In essence, why are you the way you are? After the questions, the rest is up to you. As Morpheus said, "I can only show you the door, you have to walk through it".

[myoptika]

it's not an oxymoron:

ox·y·mo·ron ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ks-môrn, -mr-)
n. pl. ox·y·mo·ra (-môr, -mr) or ox·y·mo·rons
A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist.

[UrQuattro]

there is SOME irony there, but then that would assume that timothy leary was an authority figure...

so, if leary was an authority figure, then yeah, its ironic.

if not, then it is just another guy trying to get you to look outside the confines of what has been told to you...

[myoptika]

And in what way is Dr Leary an authority figure? So it's neither ironic nor an oxymoron, in conclusion...

[josh]

It's a voice booming over a massive loud speaker ordering us to think for ourselves. I'm no English scholar so it may not be ironic or oxymoronic in the literal sense. But hey, I think it's pretty funny.

"You are all individuals"

"I'm not!"

[Braydon]

that right hyeboy think for yourself, question everything by blindly beliving in this matrix.

[IC]

On aenema, it's writen at the bottom something like this: Believe in nothing, a mind that believes in things cannot function. a non funtional brain is clinically dead. but think about it. if you belive in nothing, then you belive that if you believe in nothing, you will know all. that is going against the belief you dont want to have...hahaha...i was hopeing someone else had thought of that..thanks

[3rd eye]

I agree with much of what you people have said on this topic.
Although I beleive what Tim Leary sais isn't intended to be a joke, or authoritive, I meen, given that idea how else is the message going to get across to us. Maybe in live tool shows lets face it, maybe only 5-10% of the audience is really into the music and understands it, much of the rest are just sheep who go cos they wanna get pissed and I've witnessed it at one of their shows, and Tool and Maynard is obviously getting kicks out of "brainwashing" the audience, ie leading them to the point of contradiction ; "never repeat what other people say"....

I figure the 'think for yourself question authority' is a very strong message and not intended to be a joke, however it is a joke when people think they believe in it when they still live like sheep and get everything spoon fed and go along with the crowd, its really sad but true......
Is Eminem cool because all your friends like him? Do you have to agree with what people try to impose on you what they beleive is right or wrong? Does anyone have more of a right to make you believe in what they tell you? Who really is the authorities then? People who know more? People who have earned the right to make laws or people who have right to rule or influence a large extent of the way you like to live your life...?! Why should you trust things? Why does everything seem so definite under the authorities? maybe its strength of order and control that seems so comforting but superficial.....

In thinking for yourselves and questioning authority we are teaching ourselves the value of free thought and free will, something authority tries to demolish. In other words, be independent and true to yourself, don't conform for the wrong reasons.......and don't ever be deceived.

[Ahnijson_films]

I think I may be a little misunderstood on this one. I'm not saying that we shouldn't think for ourselves and that we should just follow whatever we are told blindly (although there is a small amount of inevitability that comes into play there. We all do what's popular to some degree, wearing clothing, women shaving legs, bathing regularly, makeup, piercings, tattoos, et cetera. But anyway)...
I just feel like it is something of a joke the way that they say it. It is very circular in the fact that someone is telling you to think for yourself, and that is a contradiction. That is what I mean by oxymoron. "Someone is telling you to think for yourself" is basically an oxymoron. If you're being told to do it than you didn't think of it yourself and you're doing what you were told.
Maybe that will clear things up. Or add confusion.

[Cryptoanarchist]

I think the point here is not too look at it so closely. To me the first time i heard "think for yourself, question authority" I thaught "what a good idea ill do that" and have lived by it ever since.

Who is our authority? We become our own authority over ourselves.

[Cronos]

I'm going to agree that you are all going to deep with this.

Also there is a fine line between going with the flow of things, such as mainstream popularity, and good hygiene. I would completely laughed if someone misinterpreted the Tool message, and decided he would question everything he was told and think for himself. So he ended up never taking another shower just to be defiant.

These days technically it's hard not to be categorized by group by what you wear, and there's nothing you can do about that. It's the ignorant fucks who feel that everyone has to be categorized into a group that say, oh he's wearing this brand of clothing line, he has these kind of exotic piercings, he has a tattoo of this, he must be a this. Make up isn't cool, it can be used to beautify, or alter one's own face. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look better. Shaving legs for women is just a culture thing, some cultures don't have that. Piercings and tattoos can be used as expession. If your girlfriend has the tattoo that little miss Britney Spears has, and on the same location well then that's the catch. Basically these things don't have to necessarily deal with popularity unless that's what you use them for. You pierce your belly button just like your idol, and tattoo yourself like your idol, you dress like your idol. That's when these things become a blind issue.

The whole point of Think For Yourself, Question Authority is so that you can hopefully question your own beliefs. When one begins to question himself, he can truly open his mind, and will see things in a new light. You'll think back to all the things your parents have spoon fed you, even things like teachers which you could consider so microscopic is a powerful authoritive figure. Everyday they can spout their beliefs onto young, listening, new generations everyday. The TV is another powerful medium that will spoonfed you what it wants the ideal citizen of the US to be. The Pope, The Church, The Government, The Military. The will all tell you how to think. These influences can be reflected on you to your parents. From birth you can be raised to be your parents religion.

That's brainwashing right there. The easiest way to start an un-questioning army is to raise one from birth yourself. Don't believe it? Look at what Hitler was trying to do with the Arian race.

It's a simple message. Nothing hard to it. They just don't want anyone selling themselves short, having people make decisions for you. So the next time a branch of the military calls you and tries to help you make your future decision, you can tell them, "Not interested, don't call here again." and they won't. Honestly, they won't. The recruiters are a telemarketing service and they will get fined if they call back after you told them not to.

[doug galecawitz]

maybe the whole idea of thinking for yourself is highly overated, i think.

cogito ergo sum

[dawn]

thats right up there with "obey your thirst"
making an image out of not havng an image

you should be original and unique.....just like everybody else

[LeoDV]

"Think for yourself/Question authority"

One leads to the other, but that doesn't mean it's an oxymoron. Nuances.

Interesting theory however. I wouldn't be surprised if that was at least part of what it means.

After all, there are thousands of people now repeating that catchphrase which says to stop and think "Why am I doing what I'm doing?" before you do what the guy in front of you is doing...

Wouldn't be surprised at all.

But the phrase isn't an oxymoron either, at least gramatically speaking, so... *shrugs*

I guess it can be interpreted every way. As with everything TOOL.

Heh. I just realised, ending a statement with "Everything TOOL says can be interpreted one way or the other" and taking it all the way means shutting down this bboard.

So I'm going to end with something a little more personal : I think it is a true appeal for people to think for themselves, but they laugh at the metalheads who buy shirts with that motto on it (I know there aren't any (?), just saying what goes through my mind) to be cool.

[damnable]

Thinking for oneself and questioning authority does not necessarily mean dismissing everything that everyone else says all the time. That's ignorance. Therefore, in my opinion, that quote is meant as a statement of sincerity, a hint, if you will, to those who aren't raised to think for themselves. Of course it can be taken as a joke and, yes, it is ironic, especially since Leary IS regarded as an authority to much of the drug culture. Thompson thought "the Good Doctor" was an authority until he realized that upon their meeting, Tim Leary was trying to get people to leave him alone. If you can believe "Fear and Loathing" (the book, not the movie) is autobiographical and truthful. I think being one's own final authority, as suggested by Cryptoanarchist, is a good idea, but it doesn't mean that one should dismiss anyone else's words without thinking about it.

[Thrakandor]

Originally posted by damnable
I think being one's own final authority, as suggested by Cryptoanarchist, is a good idea, but it doesn't mean that one should dismiss anyone else's words without thinking about it.

Damn straight.

If you are honest with yourself and are settled in yourself, listening to others can at worst bore you.

If it comes around that they are right and you are wrong about some way that you live your life, and you can admit that to yourself, then it's no big deal, because it might sting a bit, but you can change it. All we really need to know is why we do something, then we can make an informed choice as to whether we want to be a part of that why or not.

[holy reality]

It's a simple message. Nothing hard to it. They just don't want anyone selling themselves short, having people make decisions for you. So the next time a branch of the military calls you and tries to help you make your future decision, you can tell them, "Not interested, don't call here again." and they won't. Honestly, they won't. The recruiters are a telemarketing service and they will get fined if they call back after you told them not to.

Tell that to people out here and you'll get punched in the face, eveyr other day I hear stories of recruiters that won't leave them alone even after they tell them to.

Thats what they get for taking ASVAB I guess.... glad I dropped out of taking it...

Also about "think for yourself" I believe it's a paradox, as its untrue because upon hearing it you cannot think for yourself ever again because if you do you'll be doing what they tell you and it isn't your own thought. But then again you CAN think for yourself and think of whether or not you really want to think for yourself....