Déjà Sisyphé

Definition: La sensation familière et récurrente d’épuisement et de la frustration qu’une personne éprouve au moment où elle se rend compte qu’elle devra expliquer – à nouveau – une découverte scientifique importante, acceptée et démontrée à son interlocuteur réticent et refusant d’accepter ce fait. (Le plus couramment associé à l’explication du fait que le changement climatique a été généré par l’activité humaine)

Origin: Field Study #008 participants

Déjà fait partie du mot déjà-vu qui exprime la puissante sensation qu’un événement présent a déjà été vécu.

Sisyphé est extrait du mythe grec éponyme. Forcé de faire rouler éternellement jusqu’en haut d’une colline un immense rocher qui chaque fois redescendrait dès le sommet atteint.

English:

Definition: A recurring sensation of exhaustion and frustration one experiences during a conversation in the moment they realize they will need to explain  again— a proven, accepted and important scientific finding to the person with whom  they are talking.  (Usually associated with manmade climate change.)

Usage: Pedro and Susanna were having a great conversation about a project to protect a habitat that was being negatively affected by climate change, when Pedro’s brother Randy interjected, questioning if the island was actually being affected by climate change, or was this perhaps just the ebb and flow of natural systems? Susanna, an atmospheric chemist, felt a wave of Déjà Sisyphe roll over her as she realized she would need to spend the rest of the evening indulging Randy’s question.

Origin: Field Study #008 participants

Deja— derived from Déjà Vu – from French literally “already seen” as the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event of experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past.

Sisyph — the Greek myth of Sisyphus who was forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill for eternity only to watch it roll back down every time he reached the summit.