Mass Culture and Individuality
The cult of Individualism can be traced to the emergence of
Humanism as a political concept in Europe. Individualism should not be confused
with individuality. Individuality is the understanding of who we are, our
likes, dislikes, desires and fears. Individualism is a stance that puts our
personal needs and ambitions above those of others, and has become synonymous
with personal freedom. Current examples would be the refusal in some countries,
to wear face masks to stop the spread of Covid 19, or the right to make
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the name of freedom of speech.
Humanism has moved far away from the original Greek, humanior, meaning good-natured, amiable, and
kindly. Since Roman times, the cultivation of these qualities became associated
with a liberal education, still called the humanities. However, in Europe,
humanism became a political concept aligned with secularism, as a reaction to the
collective trauma experienced in previous centuries, of cruel Inquistions,
persecutions and religious wars, generated by rigid religious authority.
The
intention of secularism was to allow multiple points of view and lifestyles to
co-exist in the nation state. Ironically, secularism created its own
intolerance of societies that chose to remain deeply connected with their religious
beliefs. One could argue, it has justified the colonial enterprise to
“modernize” captive states, to overthrow governments in order to establish
secular democracies, and urge the world to adopt European lifestyles.
The
possibility of mass production of commodities as industrialization developed, fitted
in nicely with the political aim to create a uniform world with similar tastes,
desires and lifestyles. Rob Walker
uses the term Mass-Produced
Individuality. A prescribed set of
possibilities are presented by consumer goods to create the illusion of
individuality. Housing and interior design, the fashion industry, cinema, music
labels, social media, google search engines, educational curricula, are all
“directed” in overt or subtle ways.
Mass
production is profitable only if, for example, people are urged to adapt their
bodies to off the peg clothing sizes, or the layout of kitchens is determined
by prescribed mass produced tile sizes and cabinets and these tastes are spread
across the world to all potential markets.
Urban
living brings people of many communities together. They are identified by the
town or city they live in - a melting pot where differences are intended to be combined
into a homogeneous urban culture as planned by urban developers. Individuality
emerges, to some extent, in subcultures defined by class, ethnicity or
religion, or are expressed within the home and small social circles.
In order to organise human societies, reflect on the past or
plan for the future , it has always been necessary to classify nature, races, historical
eras, social classes, art movements and countries. These broad categories are
important, yet it is also true that no two fingerprints are the same.
Jose L. Mercado sees the world heading towards “an existence
void of individuality” as we become more dependent on “rapid technological
developments in the economic and political arenas,( and) the human race becomes less able to choose
individually”
Fortunately Pakistan has only dipped its feet in
modernization. From village to city, clothes
are mostly stitched to size by neighbourhood tailors and people design and
build their own houses, with onsite carpenters and masons. City dwellers turn
localities into ethnically or religiously harmonious enclaves.
Small
stores, tea shops, stalls, workshops, and makeshift community centres, counterbalance
the generic apartment blocks and shopping malls filled with imported consumer
items.
As
Ben Thomas reminds us, "individuality was once synonymous with that
of the soul - a specific self, unique among all others”. Our individuality can
grow and change every day, and we can actively shape our circumstances rather
than be passively shaped by them.
Durriya
Kazi
November
1, 2020
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