Objects #1
From Introducing Sociology Using the Stuff of Everyday Life by Josee Johnston, Kate Cairns, Shyon Baumann (New York: Routledge, 2017), pp. 35 (ePub edition):
How did denim come to be such a widely accepted and beloved uniform? Our favorite jeans feel personal and unique, especially as they are washed and faded, molded over time to match our body shape. At the same time, jeans are a mass-market good produced by myriad anonymous laborers and shipped from thousands of miles away. These everyday pants are often taken for granted, but when examined closely, jeans raise some interesting questions.
The authors of the book I mentioned earlier aimed to introduce people to sociological thinking by using everyday objects that many people are already familiar with. A mathematician once suggested, although I can't recall where, that it made sense to concretize the abstract or conceptual. Personally, I find it easier to grasp concepts when they are tied to experiences or something in the real world. If not, ideas tend to just fly past me. Whenever I come across books that successfully achieve this, it fills me with joy. I also have great respect for authors who not only write in accessible language but also make 'complex' ideas easier to digest. Sociological thinking is about seeing the strange in the familiar. The pace of our lives makes it hard to stop and really think about things. People are overwhelmed by the busyness of daily living. Something is constantly happening, before we are done putting out one fire, there are three or four more waiting for us to attend to. Thinking takes time and it’s a luxury many people cannot afford. It’s not spoken about often but thinking also hurts, mentally and physiologically. Articulating your thoughts also hurts. Metanoia is a Greek word that means changing your mind or the way you think about something. In theology, it means repentance — you have seen the error of your ways and want to move in another direction. Which means, that a previous self is either getting incinerated or buried and there’s now a new instance of you. Thinking is the equivalent of a daily metanoia. When you think, you're compelled to behave differently, thus becoming a new person. In psychology, metanoia is not really different from the theological definition, it’s the constant attempt at healing, self-repair, and development. But when I think about it, I wonder if and when we will ever find the time to do that. It seems like the way society is organized not only contributes to making us sick but also deprives us of the time needed to scan and heal ourselves. 🧎🏽
Think like a person of action and act like a person of thought. Herein lies the dilemma: thinking, in itself, is a challenging exercise. Acting upon those thoughts presents another set of challenges because when you take action in the world, you are bound to encounter obstacles. The gap between thought and action can feel as vast as the distance from here to the Port of Spain. If you happen to live in Spain, imagine a port far away from you. I know I mentioned that thinking is difficult, but it can also be easier because you can build castles in your head without the need to put in the work required to bring them to life. In my mind, thinking is a means to an end. It’s not an end in itself. You think in order to figure out a way to live in a way or manner that either brings you meaning or fulfilment. The real world is the ultimate validator of the correctness or incorrectness of the ideas you have in your head. And the sooner you can have bad ideas disproven, the better for you. But then again who wants to get their ideas disproven? That’s why many people, myself included, avoid things that would either require a change of self or beliefs. To see the strange in the familiar, you have to assume the posture of a guest, foreigner or even a traveller taking travel notes on the peculiarity or interestingness of the way something is. I find myself hesitating to use ‘seeing the strange in the familiar,’ like the authors but rather to use ‘defamiliarize’ yourself with an object, way of life, or mode of thinking and find the interestingness in them. It is taking a second, third and fourth look at something. The word ‘strange’ often carries connotations of avoidance, derision, a superiority complex, and a reluctance to engage. Defamiliarization means clearing the table and saying let’s start afresh. It means thinking about it from the ground up. What didn’t you notice or what did you miss? It can also mean either adding context or removing context. 🍷
For something to be strange or uncanny, there must be a standard you judge it against. Perhaps we can use the word ‘different’ instead of strange. Yes I know, ‘different’ has its own set of problems. If you know a better word instead of strange, please don’t hesitate to email me. Anyway, defamiliarisation requires taking our ways of seeing and thinking off auto-pilot. Instead of reflexively reacting to things, we adopt the posture of a child who exasperates their parents or guardian with the question ‘why?’ When we investigate the why behind anything, the answers we discover may either annoy or delight us, but over all, it is certainly a beneficial thing to do. Every object has several stories embedded in it. Whether we like it or not, an object has a biography – where it was made, how it was made, by whom, what inspired its production, who previously or currently owns it, and so on. One reason why people might not want to learn about the biography of an object is that the information we uncover may cause us discomfort or require action. Just imagine if every material could tell you about how it was sourced, how much the workers were paid, and the working conditions they experienced. Don’t worry, sometimes it isn’t all that gloomy. Some objects were made with love and have exciting stories behind them. When I buy used books, I hope to find ones with highlighted passages or notes written in the margins. I'm always curious about why certain passages stood out to the previous owner(s). A few weeks ago, I came across two paintings by the same artist. What caught my attention were the brushwork and the crayon-like quality of the art. There was something captivating about one of the paintings. They were created in 2010. As I sat there, I couldn't help but think what inspired the artist, why they chose that particular subject, and why they expressed it in that way. I wondered about the artist's identity and if they are still alive. Why did they select those colors? What emotions were they experiencing internally? Why did they convey such tenderness and sadness using vigorous brushstrokes? Why did they adopt such a childlike manner of expression? The artist seemed to disregard all rules like a beginner. I often wonder if I Should track down the artist or simply mind my business?. The painting feels like a story waiting to be written or a film waiting to be made. 🎨
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :)