“Ohdearism,” a term coined by filmmaker Adam Curtis, describes a state of collective paralysis and fatigue in the face of a chaotic, incomprehensible world. It’s that feeling of watching a horrific news event, saying “oh dear,” and then feeling powerless to change anything because the systems involved seem too complex or “broken” to fix.
Blackburn Rovers fans have endured 15 years of, what at best can be described as “incompetent” ownership. Top players sold, or left to run their contracts out and leaving for free, managers promised budgets that never materialised, owners that haven’t been to a match for 10 years, owners and club officials that don’t communicate with fans, or are openly antagonistic when they do attend meetings, looming relegation, lawsuits from suppliers, stadium from state of the art to in a poor state.
Who can blame fans for adopting a passive resignation that nothing can be done. Many have tried over the years and when they do it often causes division. Responses such as “Who would buy the club”, “We depend on the owners”, “We’d go bust without them” are common and quickly derail any discussion into back and forth about that, and do little other than add to the helplessness.
In his original film Curtis focuses on the media and how it presents each event as an explosion with no context, no history and that’s often how managers leaving, players being sold, executives of the club leaving and bad atmospheres at the Fans Forum meeting are often portrayed, individual events with no context behind them.
One way to combat this is not to read the “explosive” content, the articles that don’t give the full story and the “hot takes” on each event online. They’re often filled with emotion, missing any context or fact. Barely going beyond “We’re doomed under these owners”, “Venkys Out” and more of the same. Have a look at what journalists like Henry Winter have to say, or The Swiss Ramble when they look at the accounts. Understanding why something has happened, or the consequences later is a good way to reduce the oh dear factor.
Ohdearism thrives on the idea that you, as an individual, are responsible for solving global crises through “lifestyle choices” (like using less plastic). When these small acts don’t stop global warming or war, you feel helpless. This translates to the feeling of helplessness you have towards the goings on at the club. Each player that leaves, each manager sacked, every PR fumble, being sued by your suppliers all add to the general feeling of helplessness. Fans suffer from a “learned helplessness” when nothing they do seems to have an effect.
Here’s a practical list of things to do to :
Focus on what can be done, but don’t expect an instant improvement. Small actions can help restore a sense of control, especially when something positive does happen. Act as part of a group and focus on the things that felt good, even if that’s just you had a nice chat at the pub before a game with others that feel the same as you.
Replace “doom scrolling” with structured information and limit passive consumption. Replace it with structured journalism that includes explanations rather than just a re-telling of the latest disaster. Unfortunately the local paper isn’t that but people like Henry Winter of The Athletic are worth reading. Avoid the BRFCS.com forum threads on the subject but the podcasts and articles do provide context.
Join collective efforts. Even if individual actions are unlikely to work, their collective impact is often cumulative, and when they do succeed or have some small success you feel part of the group. These actions take time but you’ll also feel part of a group rather than an individual.
Ohdearism is beaten with agency, action and at the risk of sounding a bit corporate, solution based thinking.