Who the bl**p do we think we are?

Irma Stern - Hear no evil, See............

What happens when ideologies predominate? Is it possible to preserve ones identity when the medium is so pervasive? I.e. can we switch off the TV, ignore the newspaper placard headlines on every pole, can we isolate ourselves from the ether/atmosphere that surrounds us like the fish in the water? Does one have an identity that is separate from the era or language one is born in? According to Marshal McLuhan “The mother tongue is propaganda.” We are immersed in the attitudes and conditioning associated with our verbal environment as this is the most powerful source of communication which the baby receives. “Languages are environments to which the child relates synesthetically” we all know how children are sponges at an early age and are soaking up not just what we think we mean, but all the hidden layers of meaning behind the word and feelings which the words embody. All of the mother’s joy in her life or her bitterness to her lot, her husband and her position in society is freely translated to the child. How many times do you not hear young adults and even older people say that “She is just like her mother – wouldn’t that horrify her?” My own sister and sister in law are both like that – they vehemently deny they are like their mother, while acting out the attitudes and symptoms of their ancestor’s world.