Remember when being different was fun?
Nowadays everyone has to be equal, seems like. Forget equally important, that’s not the goal, apparently. But equal, mathematical equality, the ‘=’ sign on your calculator. That’s the goal, to turn everyone into those 2 horizontal lines. Anything that in any way resembles uniqueness in a person or a group is slowly pushed towards extinction.
I am not for mathematical equality, I think that applying mathematical equality to anything other than math is silly. In math, 5 = 5 and 4 != 5 (is not). Numbers are cold, always the same and have no personal qualities or opinions or experiences. We don’t have three different versions of the number 5, but we have 8 billion versions of the species human. Saying that human X equals human Y is impossible, because if that were true, they’d be exactly the same in everything, including location, which would effectively make them the same person again. That makes sense though. The only mathematical equality you can realistically apply to humans is that human X = human X. You are you, that’s it.
Variety is the spice of life
That’s what I always say. (thanks, Henry)
No, in all seriousness. What’s prompted me to write this thing is the realization of the loss of mystery and the joy of being different from the guy sitting next to me. When I walk out on the street, everyone is wearing the same, doing mostly the same, driving similar oblong gray boxes. There is no variety anymore, we have started to converge as species to what seems to be a gray, bland, globally uniform future. Before you know it, everyone is wearing the same, is biologically altered to look the same. We will have streamlined the process of procreation and stripped it of what makes it miraculous. We will optimize all variety out of what makes us unique.
I see culture disappearing more and more and being views more as a tradition from the past. We equate culture to the food they produce and draw slight inspiration from the fashion it sports, but those are gimmicks. Not the real thing, simply a nod to something deep by canvassing the shallow exterior.
Let’s ask questions again
Anyone seen my cat? He’ll turn up sooner or later, hopefully.
On an unrelated note, curiosity is the key. When an outward appearance of cultural difference was still obvious, it prompted curiosity in others. What is this person wearing? What is this print? Where does it originate?
These questions then lead to deeper conversations about the origin of an item or a design, along the way fostering organic interactions and education on a conversational level. Before you know it, you have learned something, gained respect for something and added a new connection to your circle. This is the power of variety, of individuality, of difference.
New horizons
Luckily, there is hope. I am not the only one, it seems, who cares about this. Talking to friends and family showed me that this subject resonates with more people than just myself. I also found some online support for this as well.
This led me to hunt for signs of culture online. Who knows, maybe someone with similar views is trying to revive it. Lo and behold, I actually found a place with a suspiciously convenient name, to boot: BringBackCulture. They create designs based on different aspects of cultures around the world and seem to also put some actual thought and effort into them. The designs have a meaning and an explanation, and seem to honor their heritage properly, rather than just be a derivative of a derivative of a design just for popularity’s sake.
I hope more initiatives like BringBackCulture pop up, so we can bring proper culture back into focus.
