"The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not speak about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you-do-not-speak-about-Fight-Club!" (Fincher 1999) Of course prohibition is an invitation to transgress the rule: go and tell about Fight Club, but treat this knowledge as a dirty secret that unites "us", the community of sworn brothers - no longer will we be alienated! (Diken 2001) Together, these men create their own social construction of reality, a complete rejection of postmodern consumer society, in order to deal with the role strain they experience. Through fist fighting, practicing minimalism, and wreaking havoc on white-collar society, the many members of Project Mayhem construct identity and meaning in their lives thus creating norms for their very own counterculture. (Macionis 49)
"We are all part of the same compost heap," Tyler announces over the loud speaker as Project Mayhem operates like a finely tuned machine. (Fincher 1999) This statement is the slang version of the basis of sociology, "we are all in this together." The inequality and social-conflict these men felt on an individual basis helped them bond together thus causing them to function as an adhocracy. The utilitarian organizations each man belonged to created a stratification which defined the psychographics of the typical member of this voluntary association. (Macionis 117)
© 2002-2007 Jaime Kozlowski of domspe.org
