Headline : The Third edit: Just Chill

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What does it mean to be a “chill guy”? There’s one way to read the hugely popular meme of an anthropomorphic cartoon dog in a grey sweater, hands in the pockets of his jeans, a suggestion of a shrug in his shoulders. “It’s no big deal”, says the use of the meme, as seen in a recent post by the BJP, shared after its landslide victory in Maharashtra, with the Prime Minister’s face superimposed on the character. It seeks to underscore an achievement by shrugging off its significance because, as all chill and cool people know, the magnitude of a victory is directly proportional to the nonchalance on display.

There are other ways of interpreting “chill guy”. For those staring into the abyss of a future, when the planet heats up and seas rise, it is a coping mechanism that says, “I’m overwhelmed, I refuse to care about this anymore”. Another meaning — as seen in the meme’s wide use among those preaching mindfulness and other wellness tricks for the troubled 21st century — is that the chill guy refuses to get upset because he’s busy living in the moment and understands that it will pass soon.

Yet, behind all these readings of the meme — of insouciance, indifference or sangfroid — is the reality that few people actually know how to be “chill”. The BJP might shrug off its recent win in Maharashtra, but the scale speaks of an effort that is anything but casual. Ditto for the anxious trying to mask their uncertainty with airiness and the modern “monks” and wellness “gurus” who sell detachment on the back of merchandising, book deals and film rights. Indeed, the ultimate example of the lack of chill may very well be the creator of Chill Guy, Philip Banks, who has threatened to sue those making unauthorised use of his character. That says a lot.

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