Obfuscating Objectification

Our tradition of free debate, the sine qua non of democratic life, is increasingly under attack in academia, the media, and politics.

“The Rise of Unfreedom in the West” Andrew A. Michta

Now what would happen if we actually took the time to look at things differently and in perspective? For example, in the US, the top 25 members of congress have individual net worth ranging from ~$54Million to $476Million. The distribution is relatively equal with 13 associated with one party and 12 from another.

I am confident that if you took the time to actually assess the constant stream of blah, blah, blah rhetoric spewing from these 25 and others like them in all walks of life you may be surprised to see through the hypocrisy lurking just under the surface.

These 25 and others have perfected the fine art of obfuscating each and every issue to the point where no one can really ascertain what is and what isn’t truth and fiction. As a result, it appears that “they” (you know the proverbial “them”) collectively are hell bent on objectifying each of us with their own self-serving agenda (not ours) for their own gain and votes. Just look at the unfolding educational scandal.

Then one news station purports one thing while another yet another. Yet in the end have you ever noticed that most all of them are saying the same thing? Just packaging it ever so slightly different with the end goal aimed at manipulating our emotions by amplifying the mundane with what can only be surmised as a plain and simple attempt at making us mindless automatons and objects to boost ratings.

It just makes one scratch their heads.

Border walls, climate, health care, bullying, diversity, religion, taxes, gender, immigration, educated and non-educated, etc….

What happens when substance no longer matters?

What happens when what we hear daily is just a veiled and superficial approach for entities that have committed themselves to self-serving agenda and as a result treat each of us like toys; ambivalent to our feelings, mocking of our opinions, and trivializing our rights as if none of this were truly our own?

What happens when those who can control, manipulate, and objectify each of us do so through an artful barrage of mind-numbing banter, maneuvering and intently sewing the seed clouds of obfuscating rhetoric?

Ok, so for the most part, we are already there.

It is like we are part of the script for The Master of Disguises. The challenge is that no one is stepping up to the collective and saying “This is what you’re doing, this is what I want you to do!” We all seem content in watching it unfold, or contributing to the noise. If you haven’t watched the movie, basically what the character is saying is:

S.T.F.U.

Are we content in passively sitting back and allowing each to pull at our emotional strings, maligning the context of any issue by distorting the facts, purposefully leading us all through a divide and conquer approach to irrelevance and obscurity?

· Emotional Sensationalism: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/emotional-sensationalism-joel-anderson/

· Contextualism: https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joel-anderson/contextualism-a-journey-through-bifurcated-fractals-at-the-edge-of-chaos-and-complexity-and-a-genuine-search-for-simplicity-through-it-all

· Irrelativity: https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joel-anderson/irrelativity-are-we-being-crowdsourced-into-irrelevance-through-a-war-on-words-and-artful-use-of-information

I for one think we are better than that.

· Six Degrees of Separation: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-degrees-separation-peace-positivity-kindness-joel-anderson/

· Wireless Networking: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wireless-networking-aspen-humanity-cosmic-global-joel-anderson/

· Daring Footsteps: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/daring-footsteps-joel-anderson/

And if that didn’t get you, then two more for consideration:

· LeGOYA: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-1-let-go-your-anger-legoya-joel-anderson/

· Ubuntu: https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joel-anderson/ubuntu-i-am-because-we-are

Got it. Challenges are out there and they aren’t easy to navigate. But when you see the constant bullying approach at objectifying each and everyone one of us, it simply is disgusting and outright insulting.

When I was a kid, my folks told me if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all. Maybe it is time we put some in congress and media in time out and tell them to S.T.F.U. until they can actually stop the maddening imbecilic behavior intent on an approach focused on obfuscating objectification and do something for the better good.

From Meririam-Webster:

obfuscate

verb

ob·​fus·​cate | \ ˈäb-fə-ˌskāt  ; äb-ˈfə-ˌskāt, əb-\

obfuscated; obfuscating

Definition of obfuscate

transitive verb

1a: to throw into shadow : DARKEN

b: to make obscure obfuscate the issue officials who … continue to obscure and obfuscate what happened— Mary Carroll

2: CONFUSE obfuscate the reader

intransitive verb

: to be evasive, unclear, or confusing

Definitions:

According to the philosopher Martha Nussbaum, a person is objectified if one or more of the following properties are applied to them:[2]

1. Instrumentality – treating the person as a tool for another's purposes

2. Denial of autonomy – treating the person as lacking in autonomy or self-determination

3. Inertness – treating the person as lacking in agency or activity

4. Fungibility – treating the person as interchangeable with (other) objects

5. Violability – treating the person as lacking in boundary integrity and violable, "as something that it is permissible to break up, smash, break into."

6. Ownership – treating the person as though they can be owned, bought, or sold

7. Denial of subjectivity – treating the person as though there is no need for concern for their experiences or feelings

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author