by B.J. on 7/19/2003 11:48:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

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Don't Be A Slave to Specialization

Happy 1-yay Annivay yesterday to mi A-mory-A-Nay. This is dedicated to you.

I know the world out there is more than just 'liberal' and 'conservative', but I'm just trying to categorize to make my posts much clearer.

The more engaged people become in something that interests them, the more they lose sight of the things surrounding the something. People lose context of society when they become involved in something like their job, their own problems, etc. For example, I got way too involved with my Environment California crap, they kicked me, and now I'm here not supporting them and making sure everyone at least thinks for themselves before supporting them when they otherwise might mean well.

People become very engaged in new discoveries and innovations. With new discoveries, there comes more specificity with the discoveries. The discoveries and innovations cause people to want things to perform a very specific function and then some at a high quality. The iMac Ipod comes to mind as an example. People want it to listen to music and then do all these other things, like playing MP4s, etc. (Wibs !) As a result, people hold high expectations in general. For example, people who have air conditioning in their cars would really get annoyed if they rode through this 90 degree LA heat wave in my non-air conditioned 1989 Celica because they've been used to air conditioning.

With new discoveries and innovations, there also comes more new rules and boundaries. Discovering and exploring is liberal and free in nature, but once the positive results, the finished products, such as iMac iPods come into use by society's individuals, conservatism spreads itself even more in society along with this desire for specificity. Conservatism is based on establishing more and more standards.

In contrast to this conservatism and a quest for specificity, I associate the liberal and the free with a kid-like, ambitious nature. For the liberal and free, it's about the process and fun. "Grown-up" old society clamors for specificity. For this group its about the results. Ironically enough, when it comes to causes for society like poverty, the two groups of "liberal" and "conservative" switch their objectives; the liberals clamor for results, and the conservatives focus on the process. Conservative folks generally like to appeal to individuals rather than society.

When it comes to causes for society like poverty, life in general for society, conservatives focus on the process. It's about focusing on hunger by highlighting the work of food banks and homeless homes and suggesting mental help. It bolsters the conservative's image. But giving the impoverished folk food to eat solves their problems extremely temporarily. They show that the process is working. This show of process has probably suckered even some liberal folk into shoving poverty to the backburner as a non-problem. Basically, this focus on process is not about getting to the root of the problem, which is about helping the impoverished get off their feet.

Getting to the root of the problems: I'm not sure that Environment California did that. Just another corporation to battle other corporations. They don't appeal to the people as people. They tell people what's best for them. And most of all, they focused on highlighting this process of canvassing door-to-door rather than immediate social change. It's probably good that they paid young kids to canvass door-to-door, but it really does nothing for the cause. It's futile. I feel like they had more resources to raise hell with the politicians themselves. Basically, they should not subject themselves to rules and regulations such as a standard rap or even going door-to-door. I think they should do something ala truth.com and make noise with the media. Media at least is expected to be impersonal and thus has a better chance at cracking impersonality and this society of specificity.

This society's inherent tendency towards specificity makes sure to attack/appeal to you on the personal, psychological level. For example, people have become too dependent on technology. It's like how do we know that our cars won't break down when we try to get to an interview on time ? Specificity creates all these enormous expectations. And when expectations are not met, people drown themselves. . .endlessly. . .

Most people in America are so used to things working, quickly and efficiently in accordance with standards. We get mad when we can't work quickly and efficiently in people's eyes. It's like we're competing with machines we've created. For example, when someone does something amazing like bench press 1000 lbs, we talk about how "that dude is a machine." And when some dude can't bench 1000 lbs, that dude becomes some kind of a wimp, probably in his own eyes and the eyes of some others :cough: Erwin.

Standards like those (that 1000 pounds means you are strong) are just something that legitimizes the bullshit that some guy is strong and some other guy is weak. As a result, a lot of people don't end up doing things for themselves and only for themselves. They do it for any other reason than to feel good about themselves. And when people don't feel strongly about themselves, they can't feel too strongly for others. The media exaggerates "weak" people's problems and magnifies 10 fold how weak and strong people can be and look like. In reality, there is no standard people have to live up. In the end, it's up to people themselves to find out what's right and what's true.

Fuck goals and expectations.

Do it for yourself.

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