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August 29, 2005

Subconscious filters

As you are reading this and some of my other posts, a hidden mechanism in your brain is operating and processing data. Thoughts are racing through your mind and you are not even aware of them. Every time a new person pops into your daily routine, synapses go into overload, subconsciously devouring random tidbits, lurking in the shadows, like a web crawler virus hunts for e-mails in a businessman’s address book.

Of course, the brain is a complex organism, still a mystery to modern scientists, but the hidden mechanism I’m talking about is something that has been culturally implanted by daily interactions with fellow human beings. These are socially driven filters that lead us to make assumptions, based solely on what we observe through words, phrasing and body language.

Although I have a minimal biography and picture, you the reader may infer my gender, race and age. This is an intuitive sorting mechanism. In your mind, there is a precedent for how someone fitting my stereotype behaves and responds, which may guide your dealings with me. You may talk down to me or be authoritative. You may enter survival of the fittest mode, protecting threatened personal space. You will do all of this before I have even uttered "Hello!"

I will admit that I am guilty of this behavior. I remember walking into the office on my first day at work. It was a close knit unit who had worked together for almost 15 years. From previous experiences, I thought I was entering a potential minefield. I was the intruder; I assumed they would be apprehensive about a new member joining the group and unyielding. Instead, they were welcoming and open. They did not feel threatened. They looked forward to having a new perspective and a “young� brain around to help keep on top of things.

These subconscious filters cannot be switched off like a light bulb. They are engrained into our psyches. However, all is not lost. As a whole, we should become aware of these filters and in doing so, look beyond the stereotype and find the individual. If we do not, we are limiting our experiences and blinding ourselves from the endless possibilities life presents to us.

Posted by eva on 4:12 AM

August 23, 2005

While my synth gently weeps ....

A moment of silence please for all fans of the synthesizer ... its innovator, Robert Moog has passed away. The man revolutionized the way music is made and heard. Love him or hate him, his genius fostered new genres of music. His humble invention inspired future generations of musicians, fueling both imaginations and ire. So let's give our Moogs a moment of silence and remember the man whose name they bear!

Posted by eva on 9:10 AM

August 18, 2005

You too can smell like a celebrity...

It has come to my attention a new trend in the world of the glitterati … celebrity perfume. A stroll through your friendly neighborhood fragrance counter will present you with a plethora of bodacious babes giving you coy smoldering looks, enticing you and saying you can be this glamorous and fabulous with this just one spritz.

Now, this is a bit different than the old standard of having a starlet become the face for a multimillion dollar campaign. These are celebrities cashing in on their caché and making millions off the consumer, who think that they are grabbing onto a little piece of the glamour these celebrities exude. I, as a consumer, am lured to these images, because I want to find myself, if for just a moment, in their $900 Manolos and toting around a gorgeous cognac Lambertson Truex Kansas bag. But I wake from my Calgon take me away moment and I’m standing in my room running late for my 9 to 5 job and looking forward to a rough day. I will never get to own a pair of Blahniks as I’m too much of a cheapskate and I can’t stomach the thought of dropping a month’s rent on a glorified wallet and key holder. But, I probably won’t ever have to deal with paparazzi following me while I go get coffee or eat dinner or deal with gossiping minds questioning what the status of my personal life is. So maybe for that fraction of a second that I’m fluttering in fantasy land, everything smells like roses and ambrosia. But I like the smell of freshly brewed coffee and recently showered boyfriend ten times better.

Posted by eva on 2:26 PM