[lbo-talk] infrastructure

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Thu Jul 21 08:16:19 PDT 2011


On 7/20/2011 9:20 PM, Carrol Cox wrote:
> What does it mean to be a "real" human being rather than a fake human
> being? As soon as the concept is subjected to any analysis whatever
> it simply dissolves.

A very serious sociological topic. The use of "phony" as a pejorative term works because people in our society are expected to have an authentic, unique essence "beneath" their social roles ("the real me"). Ironically, the whole concept of the unique, independent self is a product of social interactions, so when people opens up and share something about who they really are, they're playing out a social role, just like a student in a classroom, a worker in a cubicle, or Lady Gaga at the music awards. Irving Goffman is notorious in sociology for arguing that people are like onions; if you peel away all the layers of social roles to get to the essence of a person, there's nothing left.

So--in this sociological sense, we're all phonies!

Miles



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