The Subtle Loss of Identity

[synical]

"Sorry, but the customer you are calling is currently unavailable at the moment."

you can discard the saying of age because it's your name that's nothing but a number nowadays

I don't even know why this is what I automatically thought of when I heard that operator's monotonic timbre. It's not like I made some huge discovery because most already realize this, including myself, but I never stopped to think about it till I heard it.
Much can be derived of a person's stature to those big-name companies and execs through their unconcscious messages to us- not those top-notch, primly funded commercials but the one's that don't have a huge round-table of advertising pricks scheming about. Money that our entire family tree's wouldn't amount are spent on PR campaigns to convince us that we'd be the best well-attended to if we choose Company A over Company B, yet the motherfuckers can't even pronounce our names when our cellphones are down.

Propaganda or idiotic manipulation?
Same shit.
Fuck 'em all.

Today's age is a time whose people have lost the value of respect- both for self and for others. The power of the dollar controls the confused mind, as even one's worth as a basic human has a price. But is it the power of the dollar that controls us or is it our love for money that motivates us? The movie Perfect Stranger projected a concept that really intrigued me...

Miles (Giovanni Ribisi) says, "Money isn't the root of all evil, it's the love of money. Love."

Love is an emotion that's free of reason, or atleast in my opinion it is. You can't love someone or something out of reason, because if it is out of reason then the emotion can't possibly be true and genuwine. I can't confidently say I know what love is, because it's still something I'm not sure I've experienced.
Reason can be tainted, though, with evil or personal agendas, as it's easy to manipulate those around you with the clever mastery of speech. However, true reason is based free of personal or influenced emotions.

Noone is capable of this.
Thus, history will continue to repeat itself as the greatest of civilizations will continue to implode.

[JFX]

Holy Shit My Names 66978904

[Alter]

^
what?

[CJM]

LOL

[JFX]

Lol I Was Taking The Mick

because it's your name that's nothing but a number nowadays

[ANCT]

Oh this thread coulda been cooler if you brought up the loss of identity in a different way ima bout to make it

[LostMoniker]

A very well thought out post, and who ever is posting nonsense, please don't waste this posters time. (pretty clear who I'm talking about) Regardless, I had read this post when it was posted and I was very intrigued as to what you were getting it, however I wasn't fully sure of what you were getting at, so I read it over again just now and think I know.

However, like you said, we will always have to live with this. In an ironic sense, you posting this message needed you to use either Company A or Company B, without that, we wouldn't be viewing this message. Now, don't take that out of context, I'm just giving example as to how as much as we can hate a company(ies) were gradually becoming accustomed to them, and I think eventually the idea that one company can own almost everything isn't far fetched.

Anyways, while I don't think Identity is completely lost, nor is it gradually becoming this way. Yes marketing schemes are incorporating our main ideals in the form of "customer number 123123", now if you've seen the film "Equilibrium", then something along those lines (in a more realistic sense of course) would deteriorate identity. For those who haven't seen it, it's about the idea that societies problems are based on people having emotion's and materials, so the government decides to force everyone to take a drug that stops emotions completely and removing all possessions from homes; those who go against this are arrested and put in jail. Now, that's clearly far fetched, but unless the government forces some sort of Hitler ruling, I think Identity remains.

As society, we still thrive off of our abilities, strengths and weakness' and so on. To the companies, were just numbers in a database, but it's always been this way, that's just business. And I emphasize this, because of two reasons: 1. The greed of humans disregards humans as a whole and 2. We enjoy the idea of getting quick service through computer's or people working for the companies, therefore being just a number linked to a card with your number, isn't so bad.
I know you touched on the first one, but regardless of those two factors as humans we still work on a personal basis with everyday people, thus giving us identity among community, unless some sort of dictatorship rises up, which is unlikely I doubt that's going to change.

Now, forgive me if I didn't fully understand the context or ideology in which you were getting at. Either way, nice post.

[Alter]

Just to throw some shsit in the mix, seeing as i haven't had a chance to add much..... i was looking at what Dan said about one company owning all, and... well i'm sure loadsa dudes have played FFVII

Shinra company anyone?
LOL


But i think ^Moniker pretty much summed up my thoughts.... although on the equilibrium tip, good reference... however, it's also not the best reference because that film sadly (IMO) didn't go into the loss of identity area enough for me. As a society on the whole that is.

But good discussion.

[synical]

Apr 22, 2008 21:06:24 GMT LostMoniker said:

A very well thought out post, and who ever is posting nonsense, please don't waste this posters time. (pretty clear who I'm talking about) Regardless, I had read this post when it was posted and I was very intrigued as to what you were getting it, however I wasn't fully sure of what you were getting at, so I read it over again just now and think I know.

However, like you said, we will always have to live with this. In an ironic sense, you posting this message needed you to use either Company A or Company B, without that, we wouldn't be viewing this message. Now, don't take that out of context, I'm just giving example as to how as much as we can hate a company(ies) were gradually becoming accustomed to them, and I think eventually the idea that one company can own almost everything isn't far fetched.

Anyways, while I don't think Identity is completely lost, nor is it gradually becoming this way. Yes marketing schemes are incorporating our main ideals in the form of "customer number 123123", now if you've seen the film "Equilibrium", then something along those lines (in a more realistic sense of course) would deteriorate identity. For those who haven't seen it, it's about the idea that societies problems are based on people having emotion's and materials, so the government decides to force everyone to take a drug that stops emotions completely and removing all possessions from homes; those who go against this are arrested and put in jail. Now, that's clearly far fetched, but unless the government forces some sort of Hitler ruling, I think Identity remains.

As society, we still thrive off of our abilities, strengths and weakness' and so on. To the companies, were just numbers in a database, but it's always been this way, that's just business. And I emphasize this, because of two reasons: 1. The greed of humans disregards humans as a whole and 2. We enjoy the idea of getting quick service through computer's or people working for the companies, therefore being just a number linked to a card with your number, isn't so bad.
I know you touched on the first one, but regardless of those two factors as humans we still work on a personal basis with everyday people, thus giving us identity among community, unless some sort of dictatorship rises up, which is unlikely I doubt that's going to change.

Now, forgive me if I didn't fully understand the context or ideology in which you were getting at. Either way, nice post.

Thanks for breaking out of everyone else's idiocy and actually extending and contributing to the discussion.

In truth, these companies/corporations are essential to the lives we live today because we've become so dependant on them. But this is just because of how the human race has bred itself only towards personal convenience- regardless of ethics and morals. For example, those in countries such as India and China lived for centuries without corporations and companies. Our lifestyle has advanced greatly since then, but in exchange we've also given away dignity. The worst case are cigarette companies- they practically own half the population, and those customers would do just about anything to get a hold of the product offered. It's like the corporate executive is a crack dealer and us motherfuckers are the fiends.

The loss of identity can also be examined further than the idea of "numbers", especially when referring to the youth and future generations. Every kid wants to be "gangster" nowadays, even if they live in the most maintained, high-end, best standard of life area. Just the other day, this kid I know was arrested for possession of cocaine and also had $2000 in counterfeits. I lost all respect for him. I won't go into detail about my own life, but lets just say I'm not very well off. He, however, is in an extremely rich family; all his university education (which will be in London) will be paid for, he was given a Mercedes SL 500 for his 17th birthday, and he has three different phones. Now why in the world would he get involved in that kind of business when he doesn't need the money he would get from it? Personally (and my opinion may be harsh) I feel that he was influenced by the whole "Gangster" or "Ghetto" culture. Those who actually live that lifestyle only are involved in the business to pay the bills. The boy I know does not fit the bill or have any reason to venture there. This leads to my point that society is also losing it's identity as everyone wants to be whats "popular" or "cool" rather than be themselves.

I'm glad you mentioned this movie, Equilibrium, as the concept intrigues me. The antics shown in that movie seem to be more philosophical than anything. It is very true; society's problems ARE infact due to emotions, but not materials. It is the emotion that drives us to strive for materials, which in turn leads to evils and unjust actions and so forth. It is our REASON which delivers the notion of the best decision to make. If one can reason free of emotion, then the decision that needs to be made in any scenario would be clear to all.
Society's problem lies in emotion. However, our very essence as humans is what poses the main problem. No one person is able to completely omit his or her emotion as it is what makes us human. Therefore, in actuality, there is no real solution to this problem.

"Now, that's clearly far fetched, but unless the government forces some sort of Hitler ruling, I think Identity remains"
I'd have to disagree with that, as I see a subtle resembalence between Bush and Hitler. Actually, we all know Bush doesn't decide shit, so the resembalence would really be between the U.S. Government and Hitler.
The government already pollutes us with it's political propaganda- mindwashing millions for it's cause. Watch the movie Loose Change: 2nd Edition. The government orchestrated the 9-11 events and then used "liberty", "unity", "freedom", etc. as means to get into the Middle-East and take control of their resources. We see the statue of Saddam Hussein being taken down, yet we forget (or rather neglect)the fact that it was the FBI which for years funded this man. We forget that it was the U.S. whom trained and funded Osama Bin Laden. However, the government tells us that they're "fighting terrorism" and the people fall behind in line like dominos. All of a sudden there is a unified hate against Muslims, Afghani's, and anyone that resembles them (i.e. Punjabi people were killed in American after 9-11 because they wore turbans and looked like Afghani's)