1. Mania Posing As Passion Michael Leunig

2. LEARNING GOAL
Students should understand the notion that things are often not what they seem on the surface.

4. IDEAL
Leunig is advocating in his essay that what the majority of people see as sanity may in fact be madness.

5. Madness in Society
Leunig’s definition of true madness might be defined as emotional, moral and spiritual emptiness.

6. ‘Continuous, random traumas’
The man here appears to be empty, but may in fact be sane. What things does he not believe in? Media constructs.
‘Continuous, random traumas’

7. ‘the climate of official deception, double standards and emotional brutality posturing as sanity and order…’

8. ‘Traumas are caused… by lies, technology, perversity, and everyday violations of the mind.’
Other examples?

9. ‘To live amongst too much injustice and popular indifference to it… is a real trauma.’

10. SANITY
By contrast, sanity for Leunig lies in love and in harmony with nature.

12. Madness
On Page 78, Leunig writes: ‘Continuous low-grade trauma has become a way of life - it’s what is expected - an anti-story that nullifies meaning and morality and enables emptiness, craziness and wickedness to prevail and become the popular, intoxicating substance of daily life.”

13. Do you agree with Leunig’s assessment that it is society that is truly mad?

14. The Dictator
In ‘Thou shalt be attractive’, Leunig envisaged the advertising industry as the dictator.

15. Not sure he meant this…

16. Assuming you got the pun on the last slide, let us move on…
‘It is the stupefying tyranny within Western democracy’
Page 78

17. Mania posing as passion
Who is the dictator in this essay?
How are citizens treated if they fail to conform?

18. Crazy as Normal
On Page 79 of his essay, Leunig asserts that ‘children learn that crazy is normal’.
If this is the case, then what does this indicate about their view of reality?

19. How can their ability to distinguish between mad and sane be overcome?

20. An answer?
Leunig demonstrates his ability to find beauty and sanity in life’s uncontrolled and uncomplicated moments

21. Leunig’s Church Was the ‘visitor’ to Leunig’s tool-shed mad? (Page 79)
What of the haunted-looking farmer? (Page 81)
How do they change Leunig’s perspective?

22. So what is the BIG IDEA? Your own example for each from this essay… and others?
WHOSE REALITY
Our emotional reality affects our experience of our physical reality
We each experience more than one reality
Human beings have the ability to construct their own reality
Our perception of reality is influenced by our cultural beliefs

23. Homework Complete the concept map with the following
Two other Leunig essays we’ve studied (total of three!)
Your own example from another ‘source’ for each idea
If unsure go through the wiki!
Avoid teen films - try art, songs, historical examples, current examples or famous quotes
On Monday we go hard in preparing for the SAC. This concept map will save you coming up with ideas on the spot, or going through your notes, next week.