Before
starting with Maus, we discussed that
in Post-Modernism Art (mainly related to Andy Warhol) the role of images was
steadily overtaking the role of words, even reaching a point where both
semiotic systems actually seemed to overlap each other. One important issue for
Post-Modernist was related to the fact that what we see in others is sometimes
just an image that we create for them based on what we know about them, our
prejudices, and also our expectations about them. However, what if this –seemingly
negative—view of others was just the tip of an iceberg? What if what we can see
of others is even much less than a complete image? Well, I have come to stand for
that lately.
Although
considering someone as just an image may already sound quite negative, I
believe our perception of others could go even further. What if what we get to see of each other wasn’t
actually a full image, but just some completely unarranged jigsaw puzzle? What
if we all had been losing, reshaping, repainting, giving, and missing several
of the pieces that were meant to be part of our own puzzles? What if we could
never get back any of those pieces and only had incomplete puzzles to show each
other? What if we were actually hiding some of the pieces to show them only to
certain people? And what if we could actually take every single piece we still
have (or want to show) and use them to bring together a really different image
compared to the one our original jigsaw puzzle was meant to show?
I know I
may seem to have just brought up a lot of questions, and I know it would be
expectable that I at least attempted to answer some of them in this or further
paragraphs, but I will not do it (you can consider this ‘quirk’ as one of the
pieces of my jigsaw if you want to).
What is your opinion about all these inquiries? Do you think we see each other the way we really are, or do you agree with the view that we just see images, or maybe you even agree with my view of a jigsaw puzzle instead of a full image? Please feel free to comment.
when you asked ''What if what we can see of others is even much less than a complete image?'' I instantly thought about the advertisement world.
ResponderEliminarI thought about it because what happens with advertisement is very similar to what you describe. For instance, in an ad campaign we are only shown a fragment of a reality that sometimes is not even a possible reality.
So, maybe publicists have this logic of showing us something that we wan to to see, making us believe that we really need to buy a product. So , what we can get to see is just a tiny part, or the tip of the iceberg.
A good example is those pharmaceutical companies promoting medicines , the
denominated DTCA. Generally, DTCA commercials show us only what they want us to see,know, they rarely talk about the side effects or if they do they use hedges and tone down what they say. For instance, if there's a commercial that is promoting a certain drug for bipolar disorder they might say; after taking the medicine, some possible side effects may include, drowsiness, headaches etc.
In a way the adv world show us a fragment of reality, a reality that maybe is not even real.
The images say a lot, images say everything, going back to the previous example, if the ad campaign shows the potential customers someone who is happy, doing exercise or laughing they will instantly think that the med for the bipolar disorder is effective and good enough to help them.
All in all, I can say that we should be more critical and think a bit more deeper about the world around us. Because maybe I am watching too much TV or reading too much trashy Novels and magazines because it keeps me asleep and unaware of the world and reality that surrounds me.
I definitely agree with you Raúl when you said that maybe what we see of others are only a part on a complete image. When we talk about our personalities or what we think we are we are only talking about some parts of this image, we never show what we really are, we are always hiding some features of our personality some aspects of our lives, that we do not want to show.
ResponderEliminarIn addition to that, the perception that others have of you is also fuzzy, they are blind by their prejudices, of what they think they see when they see you. Of what they want to see when they see you.
All things considered, I believe that not even we know who we really are.