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  #1  
Old 09-10-2012, 18:29
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"I Know I Believe in Nothing, But It is My Nothing" Meaning

Wire said that it was one of the "catchphrases of the 90's and has become a famous manics lyric. But what do you think it means? Is their one definitive meaning or is it completely open to opinion? Discuss...
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Old 09-10-2012, 18:41
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I know I believe in anything, but not in everything
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Old 09-10-2012, 18:44
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It means what it says.

EDIT: not trying to be snarky or anything, just that in my opinion the meaning is pretty clearly stated in the words used
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Old 09-10-2012, 19:53
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Yeah I'm not sure it can be summed up more clearly than the lyric. The speaker does not believe in anything, and they feel that this in itself is personal and meaningful, the implication being that this pronounced personal lack of belief is itself as much a matter of faith or devotion as that of any other devotee towards whatever they believe in... or something.

I suppose a way to interpret it further would be "I don't understand the world through the filter of a preconceived ideal, which makes my perspective unique". Which sounds rather more trivial than the original...

Last edited by tzb; 09-10-2012 at 20:01.
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Old 09-10-2012, 19:55
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I always thought it meant something like 'I may appear to believe in nothing/something that's hard to understand but it means something to me'.
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Old 09-10-2012, 20:11
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Even if the speaker cannot clearly, truly understand anything about the world and about life, there is some solace in holding steadfast to this lack of belief and sort of identifying by it. Maybe?

Sort of like what tzb said, I guess.

I hope I made sense, I sort of struggled to find the right words.
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Old 09-10-2012, 20:13
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Very good line and can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Take the meaning however you want. It may not mean much but it means much to me.
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Old 09-10-2012, 20:42
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Pure nihilism - believing in nothing, then appropriating the nothing itself. A defiant rejection of belief whilst appropriating its antithesis



Sarte believed freedom came from nothing....that the consciousness was nothingness through which we have the potential for free will....though I could be overricheying it there
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Old 09-10-2012, 20:51
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The key part is "it is MY nothing." Even though the person believes in nothing (i.e. is nihilistic) the fact that it is HIS nothing makes it mean something to him.
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Old 09-10-2012, 20:54
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Nihilism is a thing, so it's not even that.

Which makes me think of this.
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Old 09-10-2012, 21:25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tzb View Post
Nihilism is a thing, so it's not even that.

Which makes me think of this.
I was expecting a scene from The Big Lebowski!

I always took the line as a defiant expression of individuality – don't tell me what I do or don't believe, I own that not you. 'Nothing' in your mind might not be the same as 'nothing' in my mind, I create my own meaning, not you. See also "if you stand up like a nail then you will be knocked down", "so damn easy to cave in..." – the pressure to conform to society's beliefs, expectations, the speed of modern life, even food choice / eating habits – Faster as speed, Faster as one who fasts (abstains from eating (CONSUMING) as others continue to do so).
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Old 10-10-2012, 03:51
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I think it means something like "I belive in nothing, but that's my choice". Dunno, that's the feeling I've got when I hear that phrase.
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Old 10-10-2012, 18:09
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Some kind of nothingness
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