I have not been writing here because I am currently in a funk. During my tenure in this funk, I have been considering the phrase 'in a funk', where it came from, why it makes sense, and why it is preferable to describing the state of funkedness in any different manner.
When I say 'I am in a funk', I am not in any way suggesting that I have entered a particularly 1970'sesque state of being, nor that I am in some way channeling the spirit of James Brown or or hanging out with the perpetually topless Keziah Jones*. Although I would enjoy that.
When I say 'I am in a funk', I am not in any way suggesting that I have entered a particularly 1970'sesque state of being, nor that I am in some way channeling the spirit of James Brown or or hanging out with the perpetually topless Keziah Jones*. Although I would enjoy that.
I believe this usage of 'funk' came from the mishearing and subsequent misappropriation of the word 'fug'. As in "a fug descended on the room", or "fug me! she's beautiful" (hahahaha an hilarious joke there). 'Fug' and 'funk' both share the annoying properties of being words that I can't say without them sounding like the word 'fuck', due to my poor enunciation on the sounds of 'guh'(g) and 'ung'(ng).
So, why is it easier to proclaim oneself 'in a funk' rather than 'depressed' or 'miserable'? It is likely that depression and misery are inherently very negative things, with no positive affiliations to speak of. There is a vulnerability in both, as well as, I would argue, the general assumption of weakness and patheticity, especially when self-diagnosing. In contrast to this, the term funk is synonymous with Messrs. Brown and Jones, and even though the understanding is that being in a funk is a bad thing, something upliftingly funky will happen soon to burst you out of it.
The unmasking, or at least understanding, of this kind of slippery verbiage is what spin-doctors would need to be familiar with. Though spin-doctors are viewed fairly negative, this is the sort of subliminal substitution most people make a million times everyday. Picking up on it and subsequently picking it apart is probably the most laborious hobby I picked up from my time in University, and from a personal point of view possibly the most valuable skill. Until such time as I make mime my main mode of expression, anyway.
This sort of spinning is made to express vulnerability in a way that hides any vulnerability as much as possible. It is a similar technique to one I cannot seem to stop myself from, which is replacing 'me' with a general 'you' when outlining something which leaves me out on a limb. Such as in the line: "So, why is it easier to proclaim oneself 'in a funk' rather than 'depressed' or 'miserable'?" where I have assumed a generalisation whereas in reality it is only me personally that I am 100% sure of, in terms of this usage.
I have to end this entry now, a sex machine just came ploughing through my partition wall, I think it's a sign to get out of my funk, and to get on up and stay on the scene.
*Some scholars believe that Keziah's chest is constructed of a muscle-alloy that is uniquely magnetic and repels all human clothing.
