Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Day #35 - We all need someone to hate right? (Part 2)
Historical perspectives notwithstanding it may be useful to consider the reasons why we need an object to blame and perhaps, "punish" for misfortune, inconvenience or plain "bad luck". I suppose that I could pad out a list of reasons why into some sort of readable post but it is far too broad an array and such a posting would be a waste of time. What it really boils down to is the convenience of an object of blame as well as the absence of will to confront the real source of the problem; be it ourselves, another object or collection of them. Often people may recourse to blaming a set of circumstances. In this case, are we being truthful to ourselves? Orwell posited in "1984" the idea of "Doublethink" - the practice of holding two contradicting views with equal conviction at the same time. People do this all the time. Such a practice can legitimise our actions but also "get us off the hook" when it comes to accepting responsibility for them. It's a "win/win" situation for us, and nobody likes to be on the losing team do they? The motivation for such a practice is mainly borne from wishing to be on the winning team.
But why do we wish to be on the winning team? I believe that it is about cultivating (our insecure version of) positive self image in the eyes of others. This has become an obsession in modern western society. We NEED to be seen in this positive light whatever the cost. The last thing we need is to have "all of the other reindeer" laughing at us or admonishing us right? It is not unlike superconductivity, to draw a physical parallel. The path of least resistance to our aim. However, it is this that drives us and it is fuelled to a large extent by our own insecurity. That insecurity is determined and governed by the perceived views of others which are based on our OWN (inauthentic and sadly distorted) mores and values.
In both old and young it can be seen quite clearly. A young child might well become very upset if they were to accidentally drop their ice cream cone onto the ground for example. In the case of a young person this is understood because they may well be frustrated or displeased with themselves for not having taken greater care but the upset might also be well based upon the apprehension or even fear that they might become subject to the displeasure of their peer group or, their parent or guardian. I would think though that self scrutiny is the major factor, especially when learning. The elderly can become quite annoyed with themselves if they are unable to remember something or perform some physical task that was once routine and relatively easy. Mature adults though, are governed to a great extent by the perceived AND real opinions of others. To be free of the shackles of this reactionary behaviour is a worthy aim. We posses the capacity to set high standards for ourselves and often do. If these standards are not met we can experience disappointment in ourselves BUT what if our standards themselves are compromised by the perceived reactions of others? What will be the resultant outcomes of the proximity to our true selves of such perceptions? This may well be what Sartre was driving at when describing the existentialist dilemma in the often quoted phrase translated into English as "Hell is other people". Sadly many folks today believe that "Heaven is other people!" owing to a skewed value system the wheels of which are greased by the mass media.
The need for the endorsement of others is as old as the human race itself and it's origins, I would venture to say come from the introduction of anything novel that assisted the development of humans themselves and the society in which they found themselves - be it tribal or otherwise. If for example, an individual was a good toolmaker or hunter then they would certainly enjoy the higher status in their peer group that went along with such skills. These days sadly, the core values attached to such peer endorsement have become distorted. This may be because we are now finding ourselves in a much larger peer group and this is growing all of the time owing to the development of communications technology and the speed at which large quantities of information of varying kinds can be disseminated. I think that the sheer volume of information that we are being presented with on a second to second basis clouds the clarity of our thinking and reshapes our value system. The upshot of all of this is the desire to be recognised whatever the cost. This is what is driving the majority of people socially.
The other day I saw a one of those meme pics or ecard that said "May your life become as great as you pretend it is on Facebook!" There is more than just a grain of truth in such a statement. You can see it everywhere, the ostentatiousness, but more than most places in the field of the mass media. We are bombarded by it. The message is reinforced in advertisements that prey on our fears of rejection to such an extent that the most vulnerable amongst us feel that life is not complete without certain shoes/car/breath freshener etc. The programming that we experience from the most subtle to the most invasive is driven by the desire to obtain more of our time and money by the programmers. Money mainly though because we need enough time to make the necessary money to spend on the unnecessary. Toyah Wilcox, actress and singer who memorably brought a great deal of theatre to the stage in the 1980's summed it up very well in her tune "I Want To Be Free" -
"Don't want to be told what to wear, As long as you're warm who cares"
