Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", The Uncanny, and Defense Mechanisms

After writing a very sexually themed song which has been criticized by some as misogynistic and having connotations of rape, Robin Thicke and his producers went even further; A few months ago, a very provocative video  depicting female nudity with fully clothed males, as well as various sexual symbols was uploaded to Youtube. Some argue that this video reflects a culture of male dominance and female subordination, some people think there's nothing wrong with it, while others find that it was a stunt pulled for shock value to try to grab America's attention.

Needless to say, if Sigmund Freud were alive today, he'd have a lot to say about various people's reactions to the video. Even though this video isn't about castration or people getting their eyes pulled out, it is seen by many as uncanny. According to Freud, what is unheimlich, or uncanny, is such because at one point it was heimisch, or familiar and normal. This is true in a sense, because in the past women were much more discriminated against in the US than they are today. In a way, seeing as the general American public finds the sexist content of this video to be offensive, disturbing, and generally scorn-worthy , it hints that misogynist values are actually not the norm, and it doesn't actually reflect our current cultural values at all. Why? Because if it did, it wouldn't have shocked us in the first place. However, there is a discrepancy between heimisch and heimlich, (the opposite of uncanny), where heimlich can mean secret, clandestine, and furtive. So, one could argue in the other direction, that in the past this sort of sexism existed but was so ingrained in our social and familial structures that we took no notice of it, and now that it is blatant, it is uncanny.

Then again, if Freud were here with us, he might not choose to analyze the masses, but instead talk to an individual patient who is bothered by this video. Perhaps one of his heterosexual male patients would describe it as offensive to women, and how Robin Thicke as well as the entertainment industry are sexist, in treating females like sexual objects. Freud might wonder where this moral backlash comes from. Could it be the Superego? Possibly. On the other hand, this hypothetical patient might feel overwhelmed or even ashamed by his innate sexual nature, and project these negative traits onto Thicke and the music industry as a sort of appeasement for his ego. That being said, Freud might rationalize that those that experience such a revulsion to this video are in fact deploying a defense mechanism.

Overall, regardless of one's owns beliefs about the nature of our music industry, it is evident that it has a psychological effect on most people. Freud might have had an analysis for our current media if he were alive, or maybe he wouldn't be too concerned about these types of issues. Either way, it is easy to see Freud's theory of the Uncanny in examining this video and the reaction of the viewers.