An Introduction to Phonyism

Hey everyone! 

    Today I will talk about The Catcher in the Rye and something I have decided to call "phonyism." Throughout this book, the narrator, Holden Caulfield, describes people, actions, things, and places as phony. To start off, what does it mean to be phony? Well, it refers to someone or something false and/or allowing said person or thing to pretend to be "in," for lack of a better word. This could be as simple as when people say, "Glad to have met you," simply because it is the "right" thing to say because it is socially acceptable. However, maybe you weren't glad to have met that person. Then it would be phony because you only said that because you knew that that was what you were supposed to say to be acceptable. In fact, even Holden finds himself doing these things and is disgusted with himself.

    Now that that is out of the way, we can discuss "phonyism." This is a term I just invented while trying to come up with a good way to go about this blog post. Phonyism is a view of the world that Holden exemplifies perfectly. It is a way to see everyone and everything around you in a very cynical, but often accurate light. Throughout the book, there are many examples of Holden describing actions and people he finds to be phony and why. In fact, only three significant people in the book do not fall into this category. The problem he has with these people is that they are doing stereotypical things for acceptance into what he views as a corrupt society. The problem that he identifies is that there is a certain point at which people lose their innocence and genuineness. After this, they fall off a metaphorical cliff into the phony adult world, full of power dynamics, judgment, and expectations. This world causes many people to act in phony ways to gain status, or even simply maintain their status. However, what Holden enjoys most in life is seeing people, usually, kids, be pure and innocent. They don't care what the world thinks of them or their actions. The only problem with this is that it reminds him that he is already moving past that stage in his own life. He finds that he can no longer quite fit in among kids, and struggles to find the same innocence they have in himself anymore.

    All of this together gives you a good idea of phonyism. It is an all-encompassing worldview where most people have already succumbed to the phoniness of the world and only the young have yet to experience it. The corrupt system that exists causes even people you would respect to act in ways that make you lose respect for them. One good example is Holden's teacher Mr. Spencer. Holden likes him a lot at first and is one of the few people that he respects. However, when the principal of the school comes and tells jokes and observes the class, he begins to act in a very phony way, sucking up to the principal so that he looks good in front of him. At this instant, any respect Holden had for Mr. Spencer evaporates because he sees that the second an authority figure appears, Mr. Spencer becomes a phony just like everyone else. 

    Holden's story becomes about trying to resist the phoniness of the world and prevent others from falling into it. This is the depressing part of this worldview; you feel completely isolated and separate from others because you appear to be the only one who sees all of the phoniness. I often find that I can relate to Holden's view of people where everybody seems to be acting fake to look good or be accepted. However, thinking like this all the time can be very toxic for you and those around you, as the book clearly shows. Still, I think we can all learn something from this. There are definitely situations that you will encounter that have a pronounced phoniness to them, and it is an important skill to be able to identify such things. It allows you to have a much clearer insight into what a person or organization might truly intend or mean behind the phony facade. A perfect example of this that I'm sure all of you will have experienced is the infamous college mail. All the letters and emails say that they want to help you find your fit and do what is best for you. In reality, they are trying to get you to go to their college. This is a pretty easy example, but a very good and relatable one. Overall, I hope you all can take something away from this book and this post because I truly believe there will be many situations, especially once you get older, where this advice and view will be useful.