Ocean

Marxist Humanists:

In the text, one of the first things revealed about Ocean is that her parents are  “far left of center humanists, who had moved to Northern Saskatchewan to live a carbon-free lifestyle.”  (Richmond & Maxwell, 15).

These camps of people aren’t fictional– and though we don’t know exactly what tribe of humanists Ocean's parents belong to, we can infer from her backstory that her parents believed in Marxist humanism and that her upbringing was shaped by their political and social philosophies.

Marxist humanism is a political and social philosophy that is rooted in a humanist interpretation of the works of philosopher Karl Marx.  Marxist humanists examine what kind of society humankind would thrive in, and believe that capitalism is detrimental to true human nature.  They believe that science and technology are used by the bourgeoisie to manipulate the working class. Marxist humanists believe that the reason for a social hierarchy is not a natural one.

Core Values:

Atheism- Marxist humanists view religion as an enemy of a connected working class, and a mode of manipulation that is placed on the general public by the bourgeoisie. Any kind of organized religion directly opposes Marxist humanist views.

Materialism- Marxist humanist theory directly opposes the theory of dialectical materialism.

Dialectical Materialists argue that facts and ideas are fully dependent on the material reality of the world–  and the material world is independent of the mind or spirit.

Marxist humanists oppose this theory, believing that people are not objects but subjects and that a theoretical understanding of society should be based on empathy and criticism of manipulation by social institutions.  Marxist humanists center on a person's consciousness and values before analyzing their interactions with material reality. 

Government- Marxist Philosophy endorses that a society should be classless and stateless in order to be at its most successful.  Marxist humanists believe that nobody is ever free when they live in a capitalist society that is under the supervision of a federal government. They believe that materialism,  capitalism,  and misuse of government power are all intertwined. 

Marxist humanists also oppose the theory of Social Darwinism and believe there is no innate social hierarchy among humans. They believe “meritocratic systems” are constructed by the bourgeoisie to help the rich stay richer. 

Social Darwinism: 

In What the World Needs, Ocean sings about the most negative qualities of each member of the choir,  in order to position herself at the top of the social hierarchy and prove herself worthy of getting brought back to life by Karnak.  The message of Oceans song almost directly reflects the theory of Social Darwinism.

Social Darwinism is a scientifically discredited branch of Darwinism, a theory created by Charles Darwin to explain why organisms evolve and adapt to their surroundings over time. Darwinism upholds an idea of natural selection– pointing out that organisms with traits that help them thrive and reproduce are more likely to dominate an ecosystem,  and organisms with less favorable mutations tend to die off. Social Darwinsim is based on the idea that the laws of nature can explain social inequalities and competition.  Many social Darwinists accepted classism, racism, and sexism as key points of their analysis. The theory was most popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,  during the Industrial Revolution. Essentially, Social Darwinists believe in the “survival of the fittest”. They believed that the weakest links of society would get filtered out,  and the strongest would remain on top.

Things to discuss:

• Ocean and her relationship to her parent’s political views. What was she taught as a kid? Were there other kids like her in school? 

• How does Ocean’s preoccupation with morals and ethics contribute to how she views herself? Did her upbringing have an impact on this? 

• How do Ocean's strict philosophies on life impact her relationship with the people around her? 

• What is Ocean's perception of “living?”  how do you think that relates to her personal beliefs when it comes to what happens after you die? 

• How does Social Darwinism, on a larger scale, tie in with her problematic jabs at Misha's ethnicity, Noel’s sexuality, and Ricky's mutism? 

• Does Ocean truly see herself as on top? In what ways may Ocean be insecure compared to her friends?  

• Make a pyramid of Ocean's values that she comes into the show with–  what would be at the top,  and what would be at the bottom?

• Go back to Marxist humanist core values,  and look in your script for moments when Ocean directly opposes her parents' beliefs.  What do all of these moments have in common?  What are they in response to? What do they say about Ocean? 

Up With People:

Up With People, a group that Karnak Describes as a “gaggle of pro-capitalist crooners” (Richmond & Maxwell, 15), was a non-profit organization that promoted equality for all, interfaith multifaith movements, and equality for all. They were especially active during the 70s- 90s, creating music and albums, and having several live performances. 

Multifaith religious organizers state that UWP as a “nonprofit, apolitical, non-sectarian international educational organization” (UWP Official website) 

In 2009, a documentary titled Smile ‘til it Hurts: The Up With People Story was released. It went behind the scenes with many former UWP members who sounded off about the treatment they received while in the group. Behind the kitschy and corny lyrics was something much more sinister and cult-like. The filmmakers describe it as "what can happen when ideology, money, and groupthink converge to co-opt youthful idealism."

Ocean is said to have found UWP when “going through her parents’ record collection” (Richmond & Maxwell, 14), and the songs changed her life. Many of UWP’s songs feature lyrics coded with theories that Ocean is enamored by, such as every-man for himself nature, strong views on “morals” and “ethics”, and appreciation for a society built around capitalism.

You can listen to their greatest hits here:

Spotify’s Best of Up With People Playlist 

We can ask:

• What would Ocean’s favorite “Up with People” song be? 

• What are the similarities between the UWP controversy and Ocean as a character? 

The world of What The World Needs: 

In this article from Playbill, Jacob Richmond, and Brooke Maxwell break down the journey they took to get to the final version of What the World Needs. Originally, Ocean’s song had much more to do with her Marxist upbringing and featured a gospel-singing Ocean battling a giant puppet of Karl Marx. She sings about playing every game to win, by telling the story of beating a boy who was a wheelchair user in a spelling bee. 

Here is a snippet from SoundCloud—cw: ableist language and tropes. 

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For the US tour, Richmond and Maxwell decided to change the vibe of Ocean’s song– going in a direction they refer to as “mean girl mall pop”. They wanted something that combined Ocean’s dark outlook on the world around her and the reality she exists in as a teenage girl.

What the World Needs contrasts peppy, upbeat musicality with dark lyrics that satirize real-life manifestations of Social Darwinism. 

For more artists that inspired the world of WTWN, follow these links to 2000s and 2010 “mall pop”  music videos, vocal performances, and pop culture moments that marked this era. 

Click on the image below to find an editable playlist of songs in the style of/songs that inspired Ocean's songs! Please feel free to add to this during the process as you discover more that remind you of your character.

For further discussion: 

• What impacts did Ocean’s unusual home life have on her growing up? 

• How would Ocean describe her relationship with the other kids in the choir?

• How do you think Ocean and Constance met?  We see a glimpse of their strained friendship in the show,  but we never hear their full backstory. Did they have sleepovers?  How did Constance perceive Ocean's unorthodox home life?

• Have you ever had a moment where you realized that you directly opposed one of your family's political or social beliefs?  How did that manifest in your life or the life of someone you knew? 

Sources:

Chambre, Henri, and David T. McLellan. “Marxism.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 July 1998, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marxism/Analysis-of-society.

“Track-by-Track Breakdown: Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond on the Creation of Ride the Cyclone.” Playbill, 10 Dec. 2021, https://playbill.com/article/track-by-track-breakdown-brooke-maxwell-and-jacob-richmond-on-the-creation-of-ride-the-cyclone.

Up with People. https://upwithpeople.org/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.