Alex Cantatore
Once upon a time, in 1957, to be exact, Ayn Rand sat down and wrote an exceedingly long book called “Atlas Shrugged.” Despite the 1,200-page length of the book, however, the plot is surprisingly simple. In fact, it’s really just about one little question.
“Who is John Galt?”
Now, you don’t have to have read the book to understand this question. In fact, it’s almost better if you don’t understand the question. Because that’s kind of the point of it, you see; it’s a query with no answer.
The question, “Who is John Galt?” is asked rhetorically throughout “Atlas Shrugged,” but is never meant to be answered. It’s a sign of the times in Rand’s America, a statement of the futility of living when the most oft-asked question simply has no answer.
If you’ll allow me to paraphrase, it’s meant to state, “Why ask why? Nobody knows. It’s not worth thinking or talking about this.”
I’m not going to spoil the story for you, because Objectivist daydreams of a society that throws off the chains of Socialism really don’t have much to do with anything I’m writing about today, but more and more I find myself thinking of that question: “Who is John Galt?” Despite the years that have passed, I find that question to be as pertinent today as it was when Rand wrote it.
You see, 50 some odd years later, a phrase has permeated our society that would make Rand cringe. Let me paint a picture for you.
It’s the night before Christmas. Your daughter wants a Barbie doll, but you’ve waited until the last minute to do your shopping.
As you peruse the aisles of Target, all that is left is a Midge doll with a dented box. Rather than continuing your search around town, you pick up the doll and resignedly head towards the checkout stand.
“It is what it is,” you hear a voice in your head call out. But I hear, “Who is John Galt?”
Your job sucks?
“It is what it is.” I mean, come on, it’s not your fault that your boss is crazy, the work is hard, the hours are long, and you struggle to pull yourself out of bed every morning. But why do you put up with it?
Your girlfriend’s mad at you?
“It is what it is.” Certainly unrelated to the fact that you ditched out on dinner last night to watch football with your friends. And it definitely has nothing to do with the fact that you forgot your anniversary last month.
After all, it is what it is, isn’t it? Nothing you can do can change it.
Well, I’ll tell you what it is. It is one of the most dangerous phrases-and sentiments-rolling around in the English language today.
It’s a cop-out. It’s resigning yourself to a belief that things are out of your control. It’s giving up.
When you dismiss a situation with, “It is what it is,” you are saying that the matter is either not worth thinking about, or that you are not capable of assessing the reasons behind the result. And, with our handy new throwaway turn of phrase, it doesn’t require any introspection, any judgment as to why it is what it is.
If your job sucks, get a new one. If your girlfriend’s mad at you, figure out why she’s upset and fix it. If your daughter wants a Barbie for Christmas, get it early or else drive all over the county and do what it takes to find it.
These things are in your hands; you have control. They are not written in stone.
Now, I don’t believe “It is what it is” was always used in such a concessionary manner. I think, originally, it was much more akin to “The die is cast,” from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, or, “You’ve made your bed, now lay in it,” two phrases that express a sentiment that I can understand.
The earliest memory that I have of the phrase, “It is what it is,” was in the first season of “Top Chef,” a Bravo reality show about chefs competing in a cooking competition for $100,000.
In the show, contestants have an hour or two to produce some gourmet meal, and then judges taste the end result. Inevitably, chefs run out of time or something goes wrong and the rice gets double salted, or under salted, and sometimes doesn’t even make it to the plate.
But, regardless of what happens in the kitchen, when the clock strikes zero and the waiters have to carry the plates out to the judge’s table, matters truly are out of the chefs’ control and you begin to hear the refrains of “It is what it is.” And, as much as you may be surprised, I’m okay with this.
Because, truly, it is what it is. The chefs have done their best to produce an award-winning meal given the constraints of the competition, and matters are now out of their hands. Whatever the end result of their cooking was, it is what the judges will taste and judge them on and there is absolutely nothing they can do.
These situations, induced by a TV-centric ruleset intended to create drama and suspense, are not often seen in everyday life, however. In 99 situations out of 100, you are in control of your own destiny and capable of changing any situation from what it is into something better.
If you can honestly say that you have done your best, that you have tried your hardest, and that there is absolutely nothing you can do to make things better, then, yes, “It is what it is.” What worries me is the more common use of the phrase; when people say, “It is what it is,” when what they mean is, “It happened and I don’t want to talk or think about that.”
If you’ve screwed things up horribly, recognize and admit your mistakes and make it better. If the problem lies outside of your own actions, then either get yourself out of the situation or put yourself into a position to make things better.
If you’ll allow me to steal a line from another Bravo reality program, “Project Runway,” then I’d like to quote one of my favorite phrases around. Things may be how they are, but it’s your job to “Make it work.”
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 11/25/2008.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.