The Image of a Person is Made:an Illusion ★人のイメージはつくられたもの

Have you mad e a quick judgement on a person? 

I have seen and experienced many people do that. 

Because of the voice of the person, the particular style of cloth they were, or even based on whatever they like to eat, some people tend to determine who they might be depending on how they perceive certain things. Why is that? 

The other day, I was with someone how has a very young child. The child didn’t stop crying because the youngster wanted to drink yogurt drink. The parent asked me to watch the child because the parent didn’t have the particular drink in the fridge. While I watch the child, the parent thought of going to a neighbouring story to get the ‘yogurt drink’. 

I peaked in the fridge, and said, “Oh, you have yogurt and milk. You can just mix those two to make “a” yogurt drink. It doesn’t have to be “the” yogurt drink, does it? 

Apparently, it had to be “the” yogurt drink. 

According to the explanation I received, kids in general, they drink this particular yogurt drink because kids love the taste of the particular yogurt drink. Kids generally like the particular taste that is made for kids and they never like adults’ food. 

Right……..is that really so? 

So, I ask the child and learned something very interesting. According to the young human being, who only lived for a very short time, already ‘knows’ that “the” yogurt drink tastes so much better because of the anime character appears on the container…..

I asked the child, “Do you also eat the plastic container?” The child looked at me and said nothing at first, but in a few seconds, and said, “Nooooow way!” and smiled. I guess the young person didn’t get my not a child-approved  ‘joke’.

I wonder if I make my own yogurt drink by mixing plain yogurt, milk or any other milk substitute, and a bit of honey. What if I put that into ‘the’ plastic container and see what happens?  I have not tried it yet since I don’t live with young children. If you have tried it, please share your story…. But my point is not to promote my blog site by inviting to create more traffic. I am just curious how some people have not yet realized this illusion. So some people  truly like certain things or act particular way based on their own subjective view, or the images that have been constructed by the capitalistic society. I wonder if some of you have not noticed that some of us are controlled by the illusion to make the Rich who seeks more chances to grow one’s own benefit by exploiting others. Some people might be buying things for the Rich can fly their private jet to get their holiday destination. 

The system is there. It has been there too long to even see it. In order to see the naturalized system, I believe that humans begin to see things from the different angles. Have you taken a photo by lying on the ground? The tree you might know shows you a different aspect. 

So, I will ask again.

I used to cross a bridge to get to the university that I attended. When I was on a bus crossing the bridge, I forgot that it was a bridge because I was on it and could not see the bridge as a whole thing. However, when I was on a train going under the bridge, I realized that it actually looked like a bridge. Until I saw something from a different angle, I might have forgotten to see what’s hiding behind what I see. 

Perhaps, an image of a person is created by the societal circumstances. 

 皆さんは、人のイメージについてどう思われますか？今日は、私が最近体験したお話をもとに人のイメージについて書きたいと思います。

つい最近、お友達のお家にお邪魔したときのこと、そのお宅のお子ちゃまが、あるヨーグルトドリンクを飲みたい！と泣き叫び、止まらなくなった。そこで、お友達にこう頼まれた。『うちの子、ちょっどだけみていてくれない？』と。その理由は、”あの”ヨーグルトドリンクをすぐそこのお店まで買いに行くというもの。

冷蔵庫をのぞいてみると、そこには、牛乳そしてヨーグルトがあるではありませんか。そこで、提案してみた。『あるもので代用してみたら？』と。そのあと、私を待っていたのは意外な答えだった。『子どもは子ども用の味のものではないと口にしない』誰が、いつ、子どもようの味、大人用の味を決めたのだろうか？

果たして当の本人の子どもはどう思っているのかが知りたくなり、子どもに質問してみた。なぜ、”あの” ヨーグルトドリンクではないといけないとか。すると、答えがすぐに子どもの口から流れ出た。『だって、”あの”ヨーグルトドリンクには、大好きなアニメキャラの絵があるから』そこで、聞いてみた。『プラスチックの容器を食べるわけ？』私の冗談は子どもウケをしなかったのか、そんなわけないでしょ、という感じでシラけた感じで終わった。

この経験から思ったことがある。私たちは、消費者という立場にあり、資本主義の幻の世界に引き込まれ出口を見失っていううちにそこが自分たちが住む世界だという錯覚に途方にくれる長い時間を過ごしたばかりにそれが当たり前の世界になていることに気がついていないだけなのではないかと。

少しだけ、物の見方を変えてみると今までに見えていなかったものが、見えてくるものがある。例えば、瀬戸大橋を渡っている時はだたの高速道路に過ぎないが、船に乗って大橋の下をくぐり抜けると、『これは、橋だったんだ』、と気がつく。子どもは子ども用のヨーグルトドリンクを飲む、それは、そのヨーグルトが子ども用の味がするから、という幻の裏には、資本家が自家用ジェットに乗ってホリデーに出かけるための資金を集めるためのピエロになっている消費者がいる、ただそれだけのシステムが隠れていることに単に気がついていないだけなのか。

人のイメージは、社会が創り上げた妄想にすぎないのかもしれない。