dianna
15th September 2013, 11:36
http://legomenon.com/images/meaning-of-the-scream-painting-by-edvard-munch-art.jpg
The beginning of dehumanization and alienation is the condition where we live in a situation where our natural inclinations have no use. It is our natural inclinations that place us in the world, gives it meaning, and allows us to be useful. But when our natural inclinations have no use, our ‘self’ has no place in life, and we have no real function. As a result, we become like a ‘fish out of water’ and detached from life. This condition begins a process of reaction which consists of these stages:
We are first ‘uprooted’ by the condition - alienation.
We ‘uproot’ ourselves – dehumanization.
In other words, when we are not in control over what happens to us then we become alienated: we are affected by it. When we continue the alienation on our own accord, and with our own effort, then we become dehumanized: we create the effect. This is quite significant because it says that humanity causes its own dehumanization, that it is not the modern world or technology that does this. For years, we have always blamed the modern world and technology for all the problems. Though they have initiated it they really are not completing it . . . humanity is!
Both of these reaction reflect different aspects of how humanity reacts to things:
Alienation is when a part of us is somewhat resistant. In this condition, things are as if ‘put’ upon us and we are forced to react to it.
Dehumanization is when we ‘accept’ the situation. In this condition, we grow accustomed to the alienation and actually help it along by trying to adapt, further entrenching us in the alienating condition. The reason why we continue in this path is because dehumanization is really an “attempt” at adapting to an alienating situation. In this “attempt”, we ’accept’ alienation and try to live with it. In so doing, we embrace the alienating situation and, in so doing, help it along and, in the process, become more alienated . . . dehumanized.
This seems to show that we are more likely to accept alienation than to fight it. This seems to be because, since we cannot relate to it, we don’t know how to fight it. Since alienation takes us ‘out of the human’, so to speak, we cannot fight it with our human means. As a result, we do not fight it. In some respects, its like being in a foreign country and trying to get someone to help you whose language you can’t understand. Though we may try at first, we end up giving up after a while. If there’s no one to help then you have to sort of accept what happens . . . we’ve become powerless. Dehumanization works similarly. In effect, alienation makes us powerless, unable to fight against it. Our only recourse is to accept what it offers. But in doing this we ‘accept’ alienation and go along with it. This ‘acceptance-due-to-powerlessness’ creates the new form of alienation – dehumanization – that our inability to respond creates.
In many ways, this shows that dehumanization is a “failed attempt at adapting”. More specifically, it refers to an inability to react or to know how to react. As a result, dehumanization is often a sign that we have reached a point that we are at a loss as people and don’t know what to do.
There are two extremes to the ’acceptance-due-to-powerlessness’ that makes up dehumanization:
Forced. Here, dehumanization comes unwillingly. This causes people to feel things like pain, conflict, loss, and despair. It is from these people that we generally hear of the complaints of dehumanization as they feel it as a pain.
Embraced. Because dehumanization is associated with ‘acceptance’ there are people who actually embrace dehumanization and accept it, making a life out of it. Often, they will do things to further the condition making it worse for everyone else. Since dehumanization is associated with failed adaption, what these people create can be described as a ‘failed adaption culture’. In some cases, these people may even worship the fact that they are alienated, often portraying it as a ‘freedom’.
So we can actually see two extremes of people, one where it causes problems and one where it doesn’t cause a problem and who even further it, making a life out of it. In recent years, this later group has created an extensive ‘failed adaption culture’. In many ways, it is defining the modern world and modern human society.
But, it seems to me, that the ‘failed adaption culture’ is a threat to human society. It’s whole premise is in furthering alienation. As a result, they tend to further degrade society, in some way or another. They have actively sought the destruction of things such as these:
Human culture.
Tradition.
Customs.
Morality and right & wrong.
Belief.
Human roles.
What the ‘failed adaption culture’ has left behind in their wake is a wasted broken-down human society – the modern world. Typically, even with all their commotion and talk, they have offered little or nothing to human society that is constructive or productive. Their whole reality is in the alienation of us all. More and more I’m seeing this ‘failed adaption culture’ everywhere in society. Its influence can be seen in grade schools, the Universities, the hospitals, politics, the home, movies, just about everywhere. In some ways, it’s become a disease.
A word I often see associated with the ’failed adaption culture’ is “freedom”. Many people associate ‘freedom’ with alienation and dehumanization. To be ‘free’ means to become disconnected, have no social structure, have no defined role, not have to maintain a morality, no belief system, etc. Generally, the claim is that this is supposed to make us ‘happy’. But it’s really describing that condition of alienation. As a result, the ‘cry of freedom’ is often a sign of a dehumanized people, of a people who practice the ‘failed adaption culture’. Typically, if one looks one will find a broken-down society. Another interesting point about this is that ‘freedom’ shows that alienation and dehumanization is often caused by a political and legal ideology, which conflicts with the general line that its caused by the modern world and technology.
One of the reasons why the ‘failed adaption culture’ has such power is that, at this time, it is the only ‘active creation’, so to speak, of dehumanization and alienation. It’s a product of the people who believe it and fosters its growth. In some respects, it feeds on itself. Those of us that see dehumanization and alienation as a threat are ‘stagnant’, uncertain of how this should be fought and dealt with. As a result, we sit ‘stumped’. This allows the ‘failed adaption culture’ to have almost free rein.
The prevalence of the ‘failed adaption culture’ makes it so that much of human society is now geared to furthering dehumanization and often “as a cause”. In so doing, modern human society has developed a self-undermining and self-destructive trait.
If left unchecked I often wonder where it will lead . . .
From Mike's Passing Thoughts
http://mikespassingthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/more-thoughts-on-dehumanization-and-alienation-the-failed-adaption-culture/
The beginning of dehumanization and alienation is the condition where we live in a situation where our natural inclinations have no use. It is our natural inclinations that place us in the world, gives it meaning, and allows us to be useful. But when our natural inclinations have no use, our ‘self’ has no place in life, and we have no real function. As a result, we become like a ‘fish out of water’ and detached from life. This condition begins a process of reaction which consists of these stages:
We are first ‘uprooted’ by the condition - alienation.
We ‘uproot’ ourselves – dehumanization.
In other words, when we are not in control over what happens to us then we become alienated: we are affected by it. When we continue the alienation on our own accord, and with our own effort, then we become dehumanized: we create the effect. This is quite significant because it says that humanity causes its own dehumanization, that it is not the modern world or technology that does this. For years, we have always blamed the modern world and technology for all the problems. Though they have initiated it they really are not completing it . . . humanity is!
Both of these reaction reflect different aspects of how humanity reacts to things:
Alienation is when a part of us is somewhat resistant. In this condition, things are as if ‘put’ upon us and we are forced to react to it.
Dehumanization is when we ‘accept’ the situation. In this condition, we grow accustomed to the alienation and actually help it along by trying to adapt, further entrenching us in the alienating condition. The reason why we continue in this path is because dehumanization is really an “attempt” at adapting to an alienating situation. In this “attempt”, we ’accept’ alienation and try to live with it. In so doing, we embrace the alienating situation and, in so doing, help it along and, in the process, become more alienated . . . dehumanized.
This seems to show that we are more likely to accept alienation than to fight it. This seems to be because, since we cannot relate to it, we don’t know how to fight it. Since alienation takes us ‘out of the human’, so to speak, we cannot fight it with our human means. As a result, we do not fight it. In some respects, its like being in a foreign country and trying to get someone to help you whose language you can’t understand. Though we may try at first, we end up giving up after a while. If there’s no one to help then you have to sort of accept what happens . . . we’ve become powerless. Dehumanization works similarly. In effect, alienation makes us powerless, unable to fight against it. Our only recourse is to accept what it offers. But in doing this we ‘accept’ alienation and go along with it. This ‘acceptance-due-to-powerlessness’ creates the new form of alienation – dehumanization – that our inability to respond creates.
In many ways, this shows that dehumanization is a “failed attempt at adapting”. More specifically, it refers to an inability to react or to know how to react. As a result, dehumanization is often a sign that we have reached a point that we are at a loss as people and don’t know what to do.
There are two extremes to the ’acceptance-due-to-powerlessness’ that makes up dehumanization:
Forced. Here, dehumanization comes unwillingly. This causes people to feel things like pain, conflict, loss, and despair. It is from these people that we generally hear of the complaints of dehumanization as they feel it as a pain.
Embraced. Because dehumanization is associated with ‘acceptance’ there are people who actually embrace dehumanization and accept it, making a life out of it. Often, they will do things to further the condition making it worse for everyone else. Since dehumanization is associated with failed adaption, what these people create can be described as a ‘failed adaption culture’. In some cases, these people may even worship the fact that they are alienated, often portraying it as a ‘freedom’.
So we can actually see two extremes of people, one where it causes problems and one where it doesn’t cause a problem and who even further it, making a life out of it. In recent years, this later group has created an extensive ‘failed adaption culture’. In many ways, it is defining the modern world and modern human society.
But, it seems to me, that the ‘failed adaption culture’ is a threat to human society. It’s whole premise is in furthering alienation. As a result, they tend to further degrade society, in some way or another. They have actively sought the destruction of things such as these:
Human culture.
Tradition.
Customs.
Morality and right & wrong.
Belief.
Human roles.
What the ‘failed adaption culture’ has left behind in their wake is a wasted broken-down human society – the modern world. Typically, even with all their commotion and talk, they have offered little or nothing to human society that is constructive or productive. Their whole reality is in the alienation of us all. More and more I’m seeing this ‘failed adaption culture’ everywhere in society. Its influence can be seen in grade schools, the Universities, the hospitals, politics, the home, movies, just about everywhere. In some ways, it’s become a disease.
A word I often see associated with the ’failed adaption culture’ is “freedom”. Many people associate ‘freedom’ with alienation and dehumanization. To be ‘free’ means to become disconnected, have no social structure, have no defined role, not have to maintain a morality, no belief system, etc. Generally, the claim is that this is supposed to make us ‘happy’. But it’s really describing that condition of alienation. As a result, the ‘cry of freedom’ is often a sign of a dehumanized people, of a people who practice the ‘failed adaption culture’. Typically, if one looks one will find a broken-down society. Another interesting point about this is that ‘freedom’ shows that alienation and dehumanization is often caused by a political and legal ideology, which conflicts with the general line that its caused by the modern world and technology.
One of the reasons why the ‘failed adaption culture’ has such power is that, at this time, it is the only ‘active creation’, so to speak, of dehumanization and alienation. It’s a product of the people who believe it and fosters its growth. In some respects, it feeds on itself. Those of us that see dehumanization and alienation as a threat are ‘stagnant’, uncertain of how this should be fought and dealt with. As a result, we sit ‘stumped’. This allows the ‘failed adaption culture’ to have almost free rein.
The prevalence of the ‘failed adaption culture’ makes it so that much of human society is now geared to furthering dehumanization and often “as a cause”. In so doing, modern human society has developed a self-undermining and self-destructive trait.
If left unchecked I often wonder where it will lead . . .
From Mike's Passing Thoughts
http://mikespassingthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/more-thoughts-on-dehumanization-and-alienation-the-failed-adaption-culture/