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Catch flights not feelings. This snappy phrase appears to have lost most of its appeal, courtesy of the rabid overuse on social media. Let’s flip the script then. In enters rawdogging. Now before your head starts treading in an unintended direction, let us stop you right there. The air-bound meaning of rawdogging has absolutely nothing to do with the Gen Z connotation of the term. It’s actually quite uneventful. As a matter of fact, that is the whole premise of this trend. Read on.
What is rawdogging?
Trends are meant to be fun. Rawdogging but, is meant as a full-on challenge. What is it all about then? Put very simply, those undertaking the challenge are expected to do nothing — absolutely nothing. That’s it. That’s the challenge.
There are some who thoroughly enjoy flying, an experience generously peppered with an abundance of in-flight entertainment options. Be it food, drinks, books, music, the options are quite literally endless. Add to this the allure of photo-ops and chatter and flying seems like quite the fun ride. Rawdogging tosses all of this out mid-air. Just to be clear, you aren’t even allowed to accept complimentary food and drinks. Harsh.
What’s the point?
Our fast-paced lives, much of which is now facilitated by technology, demand that we be on some kind of screen or the other, almost every waking hour. That in tow with the absolute overdrive of information and awareness available at our fingertips has almost desensitised our brains to the virtues of stillness. Rawdogging essentially puts a full stop to this.
Staying still, doing nothing and stewing in one’s own thoughts can more often than not come off feeling like jailtime. But it will only feel this way till it doesn’t. At its best the trend is something that presents itself as a voluntary attempt at being comfortable with complete silence and just your own thoughts. Though this appears like an honest attempt at character development (?) there is a slight chance of things potentially getting out of hand.
Is it ok to indulge in this trend?
While pushing yourself to make it through a flight, unentertained, can serve as a mini detox session of sorts, allowing your brain to actually catch a break, this doesn’t seem like a great idea if you’re somebody who is scared of flying. Additionally, the therapeutic angle of this trend only kicks in if you’re somebody who doesn’t grapple with conditions like OCD and anxiety to name a few. Confronting your thoughts makes up the basic premise of therapy and doing so, unassisted, whilst being suspended 11,000 meters in the air, can induce panic.
Rawdogging seems fun? But attempt at your own risk.
