Ate, Até or Aite (/ˈeɪtiː/; Ancient Greek: Ἄτη): The goddess of error, sin, or “delusion” in Greek mythology. Ate was the goddess of mischief, fallacy, blind madness, hasty action, and reckless impulse that led people to destruction. For this, she was banished from Olympus.
DELULU PARADOX
In psychology, the term delusion refers to rigid beliefs that remain unchanged even when presented with counter-evidence.
Delulu is short for “delusional.” The term was coined about 10 years ago as a mockery, accusation, and belittlement of passionate K-Pop followers. Fans of K-pop stars believed that they would become friends with their favorite stars, have a relationship with them, and even marry them. Today, the label “Delulu” and this mockery continue to exist with phrases such as “Delulu woke people,” “delusional social justice warrior,” etc.
However, its meaning has changed since its early days: You are now a passionate fan of yourself.
“Delulu is the solulu: “Delulu is the solution.” We keep hearing this mantra more and more every day. This ironic and somewhat paranoid version of positive thinking didn’t come out of the blue, but it quickly gained popularity. “I believe that being delusional is one of the most important keys to happiness for this generation,” says TikTok influencer Moses Wong in a video that has garnered 5.5 million likes to date.
WHAT ABOUT “CRINGE”?
“Have you seen the TikTok video of a woman dancing, tossing her hair, and checking her phone poshly as if she were in a music video on a moderately crowded tube carriage in London, which clearly surprised the other passengers? This woman looks “weird,” “cringe” and acts like “crazy.” And yet, don’t we all make imaginary music videos of ourselves with the music we listen to on our commute to work in the morning? If anyone had tried to do that, most people would have been mortified with embarrassment. Well, that’s the important part to risk being “cringe.” This is because the woman in that video is fearless. She nullifies the natural capacity of her body to be ashamed. She actually becomes someone special by convincing herself that she is special. Once again, she is now a delusion, so “cringe” shatters the fear of being humiliated. She reinvents her status as a delusional star.
IS DELULU REALLY THE SOLUTION?
It is likely that delusion was already omnipresent on TikTok in many forms. Imagine, for example, scrolling through your page and a for-tune-telling video pops up that says, “If you are seeing this message, it is for you.” For some people, the promise of such videos seems to be satisfying.
Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of delusional characters on screen in movies and television, well beyond social media. Think of Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus, Succession’s Connor, Barbie’s Ken, and Margot Robbie in the first half of the movie.
The movie questions, through the world’s most popular doll, wide-spread beliefs suggesting that gender differences stem from human biology. In 2010, this movie also frequently referenced Cordelia Fine’s book “Delusions of Gender.” As a matter of fact, isn’t gender a delusion we have all been taught? And is the way to deal with gender also through delusion?”
Although the phrase ‘Delulu is the solulu’ has only recently become popular, the foundation of the new wave of delusional influencers is almost identical to the ideas surrounding the law of assumption. The law of assumption, rooted in metaphysics, is the idea that in order to get something one wants, one has to assume the reality that one already has it. Could the value of this idea be that it encourages individuals to take a more direct and provocative role in their lives regarding their desires? This adds another dimension to Paulo Coelho’s words, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
THE WAY CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCE OUR DELUSIONS
Many of us believe that our delusions are as personal as our fingerprints. But the reality is that our brains shape our illusions around the technologies and cultures of our time. Delusions seem to adapt to fashion, just like our clothing, makeup, and hairstyles.
Mass delusions are similarly affected. Before the late 19th century, delusions of being controlled or oppressed often revolved around witchcraft and the supernatural. As the 20th century approached, mass delusions shifted from reasonable environmental and war-related fears to more of an anxiety disorder. After the toxic gas used in World War I killed 90,000 people, Americans became obsessed with the fear of gas. In the early 1930s, dozens of people in rural Virginia were convinced that someone was spraying harmful gas into their homes at night. After a serious investigation, authorities proved that this was not the case.
The fear of anthrax in the wake of 9/11 also led to many false alarms among the US citizens. For example, a student and teacher claimed to have chemical burns on their arms after opening a letter in October 2001. Yet nothing extraordinary was ever detected in the envelope.
Mass delusions have also changed with the popularization of new technologies. Whether or not Orson Welles’ 1938 The War of the Worlds radio broadcast caused the panic and mass delusions claimed over the years, we have seen delusions shaped by the media or the entertainment industry.
Global warming has also taken its share of our delusions. In 2008, the first delusional case of climate change was reported by doctors in Australia. Convinced that the world would face an almost certain ecological catastrophe, a 17-year-old did not drink water because he felt guilty that it would kill millions of people. A public outcry immediately followed, in which the media were accused of sensationalizing climate change and causing this teenager to become delusional.
Today, AI is used as a diagnostic tool in psychology, and maybe in the very near future, it will be able to diagnose whether or not we are delusional. How about that? Moreover, if this had been discussed in a group of friends 10 years ago, the person who came up with this idea would have been labeled delusional, a dreamer. In fact, the movie “Her,” which was released exactly 11 years ago, hinted at what we live today. The movie focused on the relationship between a new operating system that offers a “flawless” artificial intelligence program and a character named Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Sure, discussions on romantic relationships with artificial intelligence had started long before, but the movie “Her” exacerbated this debate. This topic has taken on a different dimension with movies like Blade Runner, Klara and the Sun, and the erotomania of Ex Machina. And so began the era of delusional relationships.
EROTOMANIA: A DELUSION OBSESSED BY POPULAR CULTURE
Erotomania, also known as de Clérambault’s syndrome, is a rare mental health condition where a person becomes obsessed with the idea that another person is intensely in love with them. Erotomania is a type of delusion. In the final stage of erotomania, there may be persistent stalking, harassment, or even assault against the desired person or their family, friends, or partner.
There are many cases of erotomania that have attracted media attention: John Hinckley Jr.’s obsession with Jodie Foster led him to attempt to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan; the murderer of Gianni Versace; the obsessive stalker who sneaked into David Letterman’s home; and more.
Recent examples of erotomania can be found in Eminem’s “Stan” lyrics, threats against Justin Bieber, and many more. Some experts suggest that social media can further delusional beliefs. The concept of privacy is becoming obscured due to the simplicity of following or “stalking” another person on social media. This effect of social media parallels stories of unrequited love and romantic obsessions that have long been of interest to the media.
While some portrayals in the media accurately capture the challenges of de Clérambault’s syndrome, others sensationalize and misrepresent the condition to create a dramatic effect. For example, Cassie from the second season of Euphoria has become the idol of “delusional” girls. “Yes, fuck it... I’m in love with Nate Jacobs, and he’s in love with me!” The scene of Cassie has been shared thousands of times on Tik-Tok and Instagram videos, symbolizing for many the delusion of unrequited love. However, with popular culture dramatizing and hyping this health condition, these much-touted scenes jeopardize the real challenges and harms thereof.
THE NEED FOR DELUSION AND WINDMILLS
For artists, delusion is at the heart of the creative process. This relationship encourages the artist to push their boundaries, to explore new worlds and go beyond reality. Maintaining such a relationship, however, is not always easy.
One thing is for sure: clinging to standards has never really taken anything forward. Some of the greatest artists were ahead of their time, to say the least. Perhaps they had to live in a state of delusion to be able to achieve so.
We all have some level of delusion in certain aspects of our lives. In a world that is notoriously random and sometimes quite harsh, waking up every morning with a glimmer of optimism requires faith that we can make it and build a happy life.
Delusion is, in a way, such a fundamental need in everyday life - so why not for artists? We might be worried. We might fear that by thinking in such a delusional way we might lose our ground and start living in a dream world where there is nothing but our art. Making bold choices every day is never an easy way to go through life. At times, we think it might be easier to get a “safe” career, land a 9-5 job, and just leave the arts behind.
The reality is that the path of the artist is often long and bumpy, with many emotional obstacles in the way at any moment. In order to be victorious in the battle against these obstacles, these windmills, we have to be our own greatest fans, our own “delusional ones.” If we pursue our art that really connects with the world, that springs from the heart, it will eventually be recognized and appreciated, although not immediately, not right now, not by everyone, but one day. Let’s not be afraid of self-deception, of delusions, or of maintaining the self-confidence necessary to survive as an artist.