Thursday, December 07, 2006
Label Jars, Not People
I like to name things. My plant is Enoch. My computer is Monica. My car is either Ellen or Helen depending on her mood.
Then I thought, by anthropomorphizing things that are non-human, am I degrading them? Am I saying that I only assign value to things if they are more human, like me? As if humanity was the pinnacle of existence and I was showing my appreciation by awarding favorite objects with human attributes? Maybe.
Or maybe that's not a bad thing. When my cat yells (Siamese cats don't meow) at me, I don't get mad at him for treating me like another cat. His behavior towards me suggests that we are peers, friends. It is a gesture of equality, and although he sounds like a bitter goat, I know I am one of the loves of his life.
His name is Zack, by the way.
Then I thought, by anthropomorphizing things that are non-human, am I degrading them? Am I saying that I only assign value to things if they are more human, like me? As if humanity was the pinnacle of existence and I was showing my appreciation by awarding favorite objects with human attributes? Maybe.
Or maybe that's not a bad thing. When my cat yells (Siamese cats don't meow) at me, I don't get mad at him for treating me like another cat. His behavior towards me suggests that we are peers, friends. It is a gesture of equality, and although he sounds like a bitter goat, I know I am one of the loves of his life.
His name is Zack, by the way.
# posted by Anna : 9:52 PM
