• Dialogues of the Dinosaurs

    Author(s):
    Damir Gazetic (see profile)
    Date:
    2023
    Subject(s):
    Fiction, Short story, Science fiction, Société du spectacle (Debord, Guy), Liquid modernity (Bauman, Zygmunt), Internet--Social aspects
    Item Type:
    Fictional work
    Tag(s):
    liquid society, society of the selfie, narcissistic society, consumerism, liquid love
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/pnws-1y38
    Abstract:
    - You know, Bauman was right... - About what? - About so many things. However, now it's love I'm thinking about. "Liquid love", to be precise. Due to our modern precarious, "short-term" mentality, even the human beings are perceived as disposable objects. Which leads us to act towards bonds and partnerships the way we treat all the other objects of consumption. Imagine love, treated as something to be consumed... Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that love is about giving, not getting. I could not agree more with Bauman, when he writes that consumption is a lonely activity. - We live in a society of consumers... - Yes, and it's most prominent feature is "the transformation of consumers into commodities" to quote Bauman on that one. And yet, one more thing bothers me. We view consumerism as an attribute of society, and consumption as an aspect of individual life, integral part of human nature, one of the inseparable elements of survival shared with other living beings. Where is the border between consumption and consumerism? I read someplace that even the original sin was a "sin of consumption", since Adam and Eve consumed something they didn't need to consume, and after that they felt the need to cover themselves, making their leaves the first external possessions of the man. Is it really possible that the consumerism - being the effort to constantly be dissatisfied and want more - lies at the very heart of our civilization? Is this what humanity is made of? Not love, nor high ideals... - You're such a romantic. You never forget about love. And what about empathy, compassion, and other most distinctively human emotions? - Exactly! See what I'm worried about? It's not about the changes of society, it's about the modifications of human nature within it. It's simply not "human, all too human" anymore. The way I see it, the very definition of "human" evaporates. And nothing seems the same anymore...
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    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 months ago
    License:
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