Aug
Extensions
It is common for folks to wear the logo of their favorite sports team. When our favorite teams play, we feel that they represent us. It is as if they are playing for us. How else could one explain irritation at a team that fails to perform, or joy in the team that wins?
The wearing of other logos makes less sense. On example is designer clothes and accessories. Part of the design is the name of the designer in large letters. Instead of looking fashionable, do the wearers look more like a billboard for the manufacturer? Does wearing someone else’s name increase your prestige? Or does it make them look important while you disappear in a veil of mediocrity?
If it is not a designer’s name, it is likely a logo for anything from cola to imported automobiles. The irony is that some folks will wear the logos of items which they cannot afford. Perhaps it is a “ borrowed prestige,” of sorts.
The same goes for pets. There was a couple whose car had a bumper sticker which read “My dog is a collie.” They wore T-shirts with the same logo, plus a drawing of the collie’s head. I had to wonder if the couple wanted to be identified as themselves or as collie owners. This even goes to hobbies. There are diehard fans of Lionel trains who wear the logo and have it prominently displayed throughout their homes.
Is this perhaps a bid for folks to generously advertise favorite products for free? After all, it costs the makers nothing. The people pay for their own t-shirts, bumper stickers and other advertising materials.
The point of the conversation is this: are these things extensions of yourself, or are you an extension of them? For instance, are we looking at Erik who also happens to like trains and cola? Or do the trains and cola and other logos define Erik? It all comes down to a Mannar Rune situation.
If we are truly healthy, then we do not need to have ourselves identified by what we own or what we eat or what brand of soda we prefer. We need not parade the streets with someone else’s name emblazoned across our attire to look “cool”. Our own identity should be strong enough. What we do and what we like ought to be an extension of ourselves, and not the other way around.
