Language has this mysterious power of posing as neutral, objective, symbols to describe what we want to discuss ... so, if we want to discuss power we had better start by examining assumptions about language ... and while we're at it, why not start with another key illusion in this 3D world, opposites, through which stories are created and often conflict, when humans identify emotionally with one pole, projecting value judgements of "good", "worthy" onto it, whilst vilifying its opposite pole, which we may label "evil", "unworthy" ... this starts, it seems, inside the psyche of each individual and when pathological comes into the field of psychology ... since internal conflict is unhealthy and the basis for a lack of ease or dis-ease ... as the thought generated battles rage other levels kick in, notably the chemical, and it is at this level that psychological interventions often start, treating symptoms ... sometimes helpfully, when the pain is too much, oftentimes less so, leading to a lifetime of drug dependency ... which is true for legally prescribed drugs, legal and optional drugs, including alcohol, as well as currently proscribed drugs ...
Opposites may also be called paradoxes. .. opposite suggestive of conflict, paradox not ... in the exploration of paradox comes the opportunity to transcend the polarity ... which was seen beautifully one day after several hours wandering the fells over Stanhope, when thinking fell away and perhaps the perfect paradox presented itself: You are the centre of the universe; at the same time, on a cosmic scale, nothing, and, since all is connected, everything ... examining this is to see the chance to play with life and be unafraid of death, another paradox which is described in previous pages, during a timeless trip with the sea ...
Picking up the title of today's blog, at societal level, apparent opposites of black and white play out ... black sometimes used as a negative, a word itself in need of examination, since positive and negative poles need not necessarily carry value judgements ... yin and yang, at another level, simply try to describe balance between darkness and light ... so, it is clear, that deep in the language, there is an emotional response available ...
An ongoing theme of human evolution is racial differentiation. ..the mechanism for this requires research, though a simplified version suggests skin colour is an adaptation to Sun intensity ... lazy language, wrapped up in historical power, has broad categories of who is called white and who black ... and interestingly, while black is constantly shifting as a word describing Afro-Caribbean races, often in an attempt to ameliorate the embedded bias ... coloured, people of colour and so on, white, whilst no more accurate as an objective adjective, is rarely challenged ... perhaps it would be helpful, whilst we still insist on such arbitrary separation, to say pink instead, possibly provocative and having the benefit of pricking macho pomposity at the same time ... Pink Supremacy, Make America Pink Again and other slogans subtly subvert the power appropriated by certain groups ... seeking security against the imagined dangers of non-pink people ... amusingly many pink folks spend an inordinate amount of time and money trying to make the skin darker, whether through sunbathing or the quicker fix of spray tanning ... the former method, in moderation, does have the added benefit of Vitamin D ...
Over on the media of mass destruction front, tiring of the liberal line of the Guardian and the Observer, and reluctant to dive into the more rabid rags, which anyway pop up in social media as sponsored pieces just in case their focus on football, sex and fear goes out of fashion... of the weather or non-pink people ... a pink paper draws the attention for a peek at the version of reality written for rich folks ... the FT Weekend ... or Financial Times as it is better known ... plenty to read and maybe a little more truth, since the readership is mostly bought off by the current system, though some of the advertising beggars belief ... hugely expensive trinkets for mostly pink people, albeit tanned,with more money than sense ... indeed, one of the glossy supplements is titled "How to Spend It" ... including secluded getaways in Caribbean paradises, served unlikely cocktails by grateful non-pink locals ... psychological health issues not only an issue for poor folks ... ready access to alcohol and other drugs along with expensive rehab clinics all part of the drama of having too much in a crazy world where others die of hunger ...
Anyway, back to the language theme, here is a chance, having perceived part of the problem, to promote a solution ... and whilst paying too much attention to what we dislike only energises it, playing with words and adjusting their usage may help ... worth a try?
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