Opinion

Society offers shallow absolution

By Sarah Ohmer

They're playing with my emotions. I fall into their trap every time. Have you been a victim of their devious ways? Chain letters -- the cybernetic symbol of the virus of human solidarity.

"Please forward this e-mail to all the people you know. My child is dying, he needs your blood, it's a rare blood type, so please, find someone who can save him." Then your friends thank you for sending a virus with the distressed e-mail you forwarded to them. This is what happens to people with a conscience these days. They feel the need to appease it, other people anticipate that need, and your conscience becomes a tool to spread a virus.

What many people ignore is that their minds are not as complicated as they perceive them to be. Some people get paid to do research on your beliefs, your desires, your wishes, your fears.

Have you ever watched late-night religious programs on television? A woman with five-inch eyelashes and a blonde wig will tell you the story of the toys that multiplied as they were handed out to African children. Her waterproof mascara remains glued to her skin as tears roll down her plastic face. "Thank you, Lord!" And at the bottom of the screen, there's a phone number to call for donations. 

Have you ever read between the headlines of a newspaper? You read that this number of people died, read where it happened and how, so your conscience feels it is part of the world, so that you feel informed and engaged, and you can go on with your day at school and at the office. Please, buy this paper to inform yourself, help journalists make money and their bosses to shape your image of the world. 

Have you ever read a magazine? This is how you can be happy. Buy these clothes, buy this makeup and listen to these albums. Please, buy it all, be satisfied with it, help the economy run on manipulative necessities.

Here is a final example you may relate to -- Super Bowl XXXVIII. I went to the Main Event downtown on Saturday and saw a lot of happy Texans. A handful of corporations united to create this "majestic" event. They made a point of their presence with the overbearing advertisements, and a handful of sports executives, restaurants, bars and media employees will make millions of dollars from it. Meanwhile the blissful people spend their money, and their time.

Friedrich Nietzsche would refer to the Super Bowl as a kind of ignorance in which people find shelter. The game and the activities around it are distractions of their senses to escape reality. 

I will refer to it as a good excuse to pass out the beer, just like I forwarded the e-mail, and too bad if it hurts my friends. Have fun and escape reality ... consciously.

Ohmer, an editorial writer for The Daily Cougar,
can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu.