Rediscovering Sublimation
By Russell Campbell
In the field of Psychology, the idea of “Sublimation” refers to a defense mechanism defined as such:
Sublimation (n.) —
“a mature type of defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse.”
I personally would define sublimation as “the redirection of socially harmful behaviors into activities, roles, or creations that are prosocial.”
Nostalgia is popular now, especially among my generation, the Millennial generation.
As a Millennial, I grew up in an unprecedented era that cannot be replicated. My generation grew up seeing the proliferation of the internet, one of the most impactful revolutions in human history, period.
The meeting of so many minds through these devices created a unique liminal space conducive to diplomacy that facilitated some of the most beautiful and memorable art ever created.
One of many factors that makes this art so memorable and so nostalgic is the very real sense that this was a space where so many problems plaguing human societies—specifically those in the wake of World War II, to date the deadliest conflict in human history—could see genuine healing and remediation.
The depression many young people face is because the messages of peace and goodwill in new media turned out to be war propaganda and grooming on unheard of scales.
We were all gaslit for decades, and on psychospiritual scales unheard of before the era of commodification.
As a Millennial specifically, part of my daily social horror is knowing that the optimistic and diplomatic messages imbued in the new media I grew up with ended up subsumed by greedy and evil corporate suits that gutted the media of the original messaging to line their pockets.
Even worse, I would come to find out as an adult that many of these series were made with the express intent to groom children and use us as tools for various evil agendas, ranging from war or allegiance to foreign countries (sadly, on the lighter end) to the unforgivable atrocity of being sexually exploited and assaulted.
Propaganda is nothing new, but this last round was particularly evil because of how ubiquitously and aggressively positive the view of the world was in tandem with the sheer number of international organizations that cooperated across lines of belligerency to exploit and abuse through new media.
The intent (globally) of these media were meticulously-crafted trojan horses and brazen lies to the United Nations, the Vatican, and the Geneva Convention.
This is so regretful because there was so much hope, joy, magic, wisdom, and life infused in these new media.
I write this blog as a solemn and sincere prayer that the sublimation so many young people thought possible through so many beautiful 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s media finds its way into the hands of people whom wish to end global war.
There is so much sublimation of the darker inclinations that drove the horrors of the first two World Wars into this art, and in the aforementioned liminal space there is room to parse out and understand these parts of ourselves. If you know anything about he Jungian idea of The Shadow, then you know that conscious awareness of the Shadow neutralizes its grip over the individual. Seeing ourselves in so many fictional characters and circumstances provides a potent neutralization of a person’s more harmful inclinations. This sublimation occurs in both the creator and the audience (when the creator isn’t protected by “separate the art from the artist,” a fallacy that destroys the sublimation).
Depriving this media of that vital sublimation in favor of corporate greed is a kind of theft from the audience, because that dooms the audience to repeat things that the artists spent thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands—of hours to create.
I write this blog as a solemn and sincere prayer that the sublimation so many young people thought possible through so many beautiful 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s media finds its way into the hands of people whom wish to end global-scale warfare. People who believe in the genuine power of diversity. People who’s belief is supplemented by a knowledge of the at times painful struggles and sacrifices that accompany true change.
These beautiful and moving pieces of art are not mere escapism to be discarded by upcoming generations. Their messaging should serve as a template, a bedrock to interface with diversity and diplomacy. Personally, as Russell, I’m not going to let this beauty get reduced to being used as cover-ups and laundering. I deem necessary the contextualization and understanding of the evil aspects of the productions of these materials, then discarding the evil and making use of the enriching aspects born from these products.
Empathy Software LLC, on our journey to Empathy Software, Inc., is openly progressive, and progress has always had to fight and often bleed to make those ideals a reality versus a hollow slogan.
So much of this beautiful art is made in a liminal space where physical war doesn’t exist. A place to reconcile differences, explore the subconscious, and truly, truly heal. These liminal spaces are vital for the sublimation of the darkest places humanity explored in WW2 (a darkness that deepens today). Therefore, we won’t let these spaces perish.
Warm regards,
Russell Campbell | President & CEO | Empathy Software LLC
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PUBLISHED: 07:11 ET 19 March 2025
LAST EDITED: 15:28 ET 19 March 2025