Arrested Development and Philosophy_ They've Made a Huge Mistake - Kristopher G. Phillips [25]
Such is the temptation and danger of roles. They lead us very easily to identify ourselves with them and deny that we have chosen to occupy them. There is one role, however, that Gob occupies often, but that rarely leads him to bad faith. This is the role of the bum or the mooch. Many bums and mooches like to make excuses for their status, thereby denying the element of choice that led them to be bums. Gob, to his credit, does not. He is quite honest with himself at least, about why he’s a bum: he doesn’t like to work. Again, in “S.O.B.s,” the whole point of Gob’s little joke is the laughable idea that Gob should get a job. One may not respect the lifestyle, but there’s something to be said for the honesty. That honesty is limited however. Gob’s choice to be a bum often leads to dishonesty toward others, as when he seduces his father’s secretary, Kitty, so that Michael will keep supporting him (“Visiting Ours”), or any of the many times he lies to Michael.
The most common and poignant temptation that leads Gob to bad faith is his need for acceptance and approval. This may be the case for most of us, but it is especially true for Gob. His mother is distant, his father is disappointed, his siblings don’t take him seriously—you get the idea. But occasionally it is Gob’s striving for acceptance that leads to good faith—mainly when that striving fails and Gob realizes he is unloved for a reason. It sounds cruel, but there is a reason Gob remains unloved: he’s a narcissistic boob. As he tells Buster, “I’m the pathetic one, Buster, not you. I totally freaked out in front of that prosecutor today. Like a little girl. In a little dress. Little saddle shoes. Little pigtails” (“Sad Sack”). Realizing that he’s chosen to be a narcissistic boob is Gob’s ultimate act of good faith.
So, should we strive to live in good faith? That’s too general. Some of us surely should. But should Gob? Look at what he gets from good faith: bad faith, deceiving others, and soul-crushing revelations. That doesn’t sound like a great deal.
The Wisdom of Bad Faith
The intuition we have about the wrongness of bad faith is actually, according to Sartre, based on a faulty ontology. We believe that people shouldn’t have to pretend, shouldn’t have to deny who they truly are. People should accept themselves as they are and be happy with that. The trouble is that, according to Sartre, who we “truly are” is nothing more than freedom. For Gob to be who he truly is at each moment means nothing more than to choose at each moment. One moment he may choose good faith, and accept that each of his actions and all of their outcomes are the result of his choices, and the next moment he may choose bad faith, and believe that his actions are dictated by the role he plays or the social position he occupies. So, why choose one over the other?
We often choose one thing over the other because one will make us happier than the other. This explains a number of the choices we make, from chocolate instead of vanilla to going to college instead of going to jail. It may also point us in the right direction for Gob. When is Gob happiest? If we’re honest, we’ll have to say that he seems happiest when he’s living in bad faith. It’s easy to see why: Playing a role provides a degree of security and reassurance. For someone as fundamentally directionless as Gob, good faith must be a paralyzing experience. Gob has been called many things, most of them unflattering, but never responsible. Good faith must be a nightmare for Gob. Bad faith, on the other hand, is a fluffy down comforter. It keeps Gob safe and warm. It’s debatable whether the happiness involved in bad faith is genuine happiness, but the fact is that it seems to satisfy Gob.
Sometimes, though, we forgo our own happiness in favor of the happiness of