Shooting an Elephant

I have many things to say, and very few ways in which I can reasonably express them. My emotions, I feel, are without correct outlet. It is possible to attribute this to any number of issues with myself and my lifestyle, which I won't go into. However, it is possible to express them in a way I should not. That is, broad sweeping statements, lacking proper evidence and expressing notions that may not have any logical substance. I'll begin...

Increasingly I think societies around the globe have developed into aesthetically minded, impulsive groups. Of course, the look and feel of things has always been important. With good reason, it is a primary concern in many areas. Without a concept of aesthetics, there would be no Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Rachmaninov, no Picasso, Orwell or Debussy. No doubt, it is important and wonderful. It becomes a problem when we factor it into decision making that requires slightly more than an idea of how the choice will affect us on an immediate sensual level.

I'll take the example of personal expression and behaviour, remembering that this too conveys a form of aesthetic experience. When we meet new people, immediately (and I stress this lies completely in the immediate) we are struck by a number of instantly recognisable traits. These are then, like it or not, lumped into categories: people with soft voices are feminine and stay indoors, whilst people who are dirty are lazy and don't earn very much money. This is generally a useful system to have in place. I'll take things back to ancient times (the primordial is always an easy place to prove a point about the human condition, I don't justify it's use here) where in a fight-or-flight situation we need these assumption techniques in place to make quick judgements; animals with big teeth will hurt me, brightly coloured animals are more often than not poisonous. Judgements like this, don't get me wrong, are very often correct. Why else would our brains for future reference retain them? We are learning beings after all.

Now what has arisen is a system where the individual has learned to such a degree these forms of perception used by our fellow man that we can abuse their power. If I'm in a business meeting and want to appear as though I am in touch with current world issues, I might mention as I'm filing into the board room "Hey did you see that piece in The Economist yesterday about [insert topical issue here]?” regardless of the answer and the ensuing conversation I have won some point with my colleague. I have formed another small piece of a link in this persons brain that I am engaged and concerned with issues that matter. Next time there comes a vote, let's say, on a proposal to move the company to a market that is risky and I agree that it's still a good idea to move ahead, this person will side with me, given the link is strong enough. I may have read that headline in passing in a newsstand outside my office building. We no longer need to be professional, as much as act professional.

In personal relationships, the same applies. Take a girl out to a (one off) lavish dinner - you are rich. Wear nice clothes, and you are successful. Act smart, and before anyone realises, you have an IQ of 184. We get what we want, when we want. Who decides what we want? Not us no, rather the pieces missing in a puzzle - we fill the gaps. This is a portrait of a globalised society, where advertising, the internet, a decline of professionalism, lowered standards, social security, talk not action, political apathy and treachery, form the framework of our day to day lives existing menacingly just under the surface. This is a world where, like a page on Google, it matters not who you are, but who you are perceived to be; who links to you…