The Rumblefish Dilemma - A 2024 Election Memo For Young Men
If you’re an 18-29 year old male, you probably didn’t know that after he made The Godfather, Godfather 2, and Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola made a small movie called RUMBLEFISH which had an all-star cast, including Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Nicolas Cage and Diane Lane. This story might sound familiar, even personal. Let me know if you can relate to any of it.
The main character is Rusty James played by Matt Dillon. He is in his late teens and he likes gang fights. Or is he just compelled to fight? He, like everyone else, idolizes Motorcycle Boy played by Mickey Rourke, who is in his twenties and the former leader of their gang. He also happens to be Rusty James’ older brother.
The backdrop: it’s a confusing time in small town America. The world seems to be turning upside down. The time of street gangs is ending or has ended. Now, finding one's purpose and personal identity, getting respect, is not easy, especially for Rusty James. He feels like he should've been leader of the pack, ascended to the throne. With gangs becoming a thing of the past he’s all twisted up in a bygone era, seeking his true path.
When Motorcycle Boy returns from a trip, a personal odyssey, Rusty James, seeing himself as dumb, follows him desperate for answers and at the point of self-destruction. Some see Motorcycle Boy as a Prince, a savior…an influencer. Rusty James sees him in this light too. He respects him and refers to him as a “pied piper.” But he is not, as Rusty James will come to know.
Motorcycle Boy does not simply hand Rusty James answers. The truth is Motorcycle Boy doesn’t have all the answers, at least not with the clarity his younger brother wants. Motorcycle Boy, who is careful with his words, is on his own path seeking enlightenment and he is gaining wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience, not teachings or being told.
Motorcycle Boy has a theory about Rumblefish (Bettas, fighting fish) which typically fight any other fish to the death when you put them both in a small confined space. So foolish, they will try to fight their own reflection when a mirror is held up to them, stressing to the point of death. His theory is if you put a group of them in a river, where they can be free, they have no need to fight. Remember from school, a theory or thesis which you then test is called the Scientific Method. Testing leads to facts. Motorcycle Boy also tells Rusty James “all rivers lead to the ocean.”
In his moment of truth, Rusty James remembers this theory. He finishes the test, completes the assignment. He also remembers what Motorcycle Boy told him about the river. He remembered and applied what he learned because he is becoming a listener, open to new ideas. He is connecting dots and self-actualizing. So he rides, now operating on all cylinders, to the ocean.
Today, to a certain extent we are all Followers, Following in an Influencer Economy. Influencers showing us the primrose path, primarily to their own wallets, to sell you something or to use you as audience numbers to sell advertisers. Trump, Vance, Musk, Tate, Rogan, modern day pied pipers, making men feel like they belong in the tough gang. I get it. Brotherhood gives us a sense of belonging. Inclusion feels good. For some, excluding others feels good, like a status lift. Otherwise there’d be no such thing as a country club.
Do you want strength, independence, and freedom…to be respected and desired? You can do that without programming, subscribing, and following. You can be independent-minded today or on Election Day when you vote. Being a lone-wolf should appeal to you. Maybe you’re not ready to completely self-actualize just yet, but we still welcome you. You’re not going to get there by following old tomes of a bygone era. No woman is attracted to that, and no hiring manager wants anger and victimhood in their workforce. Melania and the other trophy automatons? You can do better. You want a woman who sees you, respects you, who knows your intentions and actions are in sync, that you are operating on all cylinders. That you can ride. Remember when you learned how to ride a bike? No one else could do the pedaling for you. This was our first sense of freedom. It’s still out here for you.
The river is freedom. There is room for all of us, so we don’t need to fight.
Any economist will tell you the economy is not a pie, equaling 100%, meaning that if someone else gets something then you must’ve given up something. That’s not how economics work. In fact, an economy - its growth and ability to split, regenerate, resprout and pollinate is an infinite multiplier, like a limitless garden or an eternal ocean. A President who centers her economic plan on investing in innovation, small businesses and entrepreneurs understands this. It means any young person can participate, especially you. You have the power and soon you could be handed the reins.
The time of glomming onto gangs is gone. You're mature enough to realize hero-worship, especially idolizing tyrants and influencers, is beneath you. That's for real suckers and losers. Instead, you can rise and ride to freedom. The only cost is not caring what your peers and influencers think. You who are strong enough will do this. If you’re not ready now you might find the ride to freedom much different in four years. You might not be considered a potential mate to the one you want, and you definitely might feel further disenfranchised and frequently in the friend zone.
Learning is about following facts, not feelings. One candidate has a plan to build more homes and to lower the cost of home ownership by increasing supply. Basic economics. Her plan will also subsidize the cost of your first home purchase. 23 Nobel Prize winning economists agree and back her plan, calling it "vastly superior." These are real game plans for you and your future. Unlike the other candidate who might make you think he is better for the economy. He is not. These are proven facts underscored by a litany of failed businesses and bankruptcies. He might distract you with phrases like saying he’ll “get tough on trade,” an old classic. In fact, tariffs on other countries from whom we import raise the prices of your everyday goods and groceries even further. Facts. No economist disagrees. He will also give further tax breaks to the ultra-rich. That debt-burden will be placed on your back, your future, just like he did last time. This weight will drive you into the ground.
One more thing…rise above binary illusions you’ve been fed; good versus evil, light versus darkness, us versus them, Democrat versus Republican. These are great metaphors for games like football, which I love, and epic fantasy stories. But there is only one country, above party, and we are united.
So vote for your future. It’s time for true grit. Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance; the will to push through what you think is your boundary of capability. Yes, you can. Be that lone-wolf. You will have the support and admiration of people, programs and plans that are real, not vapor. This is a river you can ride. It will take you there if you paddle, adding your grit along the way. This is your shot to becoming an independent, strong provider who finds his path.
The alternative? Following a false prophet posing as a tough guy, up into the mountains which will get you lost or worse. It will cost you time, opportunity, respect and affection.
In the meantime, no matter what happens, if you want to feel seen then step into purposeful roles. If you do not have a job, let people see you be of service, volunteering or helping others. Lean into a challenge, maybe something that scares you. This will open doors and opportunities that lead to more rivers. Quality of life and love come from engagement.
Rusty James might have sacrificed his chances with the woman of his dreams. Then again, maybe she'll return to him. But he knows there’s a bigger world out there. It’s better to be a small fish in the ocean than a big fish in a small pond. It is his renaissance, his rebirth. He has learned you do not let another person define you with their path. He doesn’t have to fight or be self-destructive anymore.
Ride the river or ride your bike but know this: there is not one single end-goal destination that delivers you the true meaning of life or a single purpose. You can succeed and score multiple times. You are capable of this and much more, so enjoy the ride. It’s the journey that matters.
Rusty James found his journey and maybe his mission. Will you?
Sources:
Pirsig, Robert M. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. William Morrow, 1974.
Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New Directions, 1951.
Ruiz, Don Miguel. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. Amber-Allen Publishing, 1997.
Harris Walz. A New Way Forward. A Plan to Lower Costs and Create an Opportunity Economy, 2024.
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