Ruminations on Binary Thinking

I have some observations and anecdotes that were connecting in my mind recently and I really needed to get them out of my head and onto “paper”.

Dami Lee surmises at the end of her linked instagram video that "A world devoid of color, emotional range might be stunted and over centuries this could lead to an entire society where everything is reduced to binary extremes…" when referring to the environmental condition of the planet from the story Dune where the Harkonnens are from.

Highly recommend checking out her video on instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDZ2jntp9rI/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

To me this theory Dami is describing, sounds very much like the current state of the world that we’re living in. Or rather, what type of behavior is encouraged by the perceived dominant opinion in the world lately. What all of Western civilization and capitalistic systems/businesses encourage. For all of us to believe exclusively in binary extremes for nearly all topics of discussion: gender, politics, race, history, war, economy, etc. So that large groups of people can continue to be separated, exploited, controlled, and profitted off of by billionaires.

I have a vivid memory of a social studies teacher in Oklahoma, mid 90s, teaching our 2nd grade class about Karl Marx and describing the way the world was going at that time. He predicted that the middle class would dissolve into just an upper and lower class and that many people would suffer. That concept seemed impossible to me at the time, mostly because I was a small child. But also, because, if we all learn about history, I couldn't quite fathom why society would "regress"? Cut to today, where the literal current political administration are gleefully destroying the Federal budget and all of the systems (literal human lives) it supports.

This topic of binary extremes also reminds me of something that was briefly in the zeitgeist coming out in 2022 asking if the color gray was "taking over the world?" There was also a graph showing how color pixels were diminishing in photos over time. You can read the article here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-color-gray-tiktok-color-trend-study#:~:text=As%20you%20can%20see%2C%20blacks,%2C%20personality%2Dless%20locations.%E2%80%9D

Julia Bang also wrote a great article discussing this topic of color leaving the world in January 2023. ( linked below)

https://phhstrailblazer.org/featured/in-depth/2023/01/11/is-color-disappearing-from-the-world/#:~:text=Although%20the%20world%20has%20undergone,colors%20is%20making%20its%20revival

Lastly, my thoughts circle in on how the vastly diverse LGBTQIA+ community has connected their representation with the rainbow (only popularly since 1994) and other multi color combos of flags. I think this association causes a complete antidote toward that binary thinking that could be caused by a lack of color.

This topic of what the effects of not having color in one’s life can have on human psychology and on a grander scale, a civilization, is so interesting to me. Seeing as the implications seem so unconscious and yet fully conscious at the same time. Just like body language or clothing. Our expression through use of color, or lack there of, is another non-verbal way for us to communicate with each other what we inherently believe. People believe themselves to be so mysterious, and we are. Though, in many ways we aren't, and that's ok.

If you have any thoughts or connections that have popped into your head, I’d love to hear them!! Please share so we can discuss it further 🤗