TINGENE SLADRER: En ganske uvidenskabelig tur gennem danskernes trang til kollektiv individualisme

Abstract

In our modern life we are surrounded by

thousands of objects. In between them they

form innumerable and complex patterns

by which one person distinguishes himself

or herself from an other with respect to

objects, food, clothes, the home, cars. This

is how separate ethnies, territories or clubs

are formed, with more or less identical

collections of objects. It seems as if we wish

to be in a region (“them and us”) and at the

same time be independent beings within the

region (“you and me”). We all are something

owing to our objects. Or is it the other way

around? Are our objects something owing

to the other objects they are combined

with? We might have chosen them, but,

nevertheless, they seem to chose each other!

And might it not be that the objects can

change their connotation, simply by being

moved into another region or territory ? It is

particular modern things which distinguish

the region of modern life from the region of

traditional, folk life. There are objects which

distinguish one modern space from another.

I am speaking about faint nuances, but they

are obvious to the user and the viewer. Social

individualism is far more widespread than

authentic originality individualism. Among

the younger members of the population,

an ironic sense of originality is emerging,

where very popular, folk things suddenly

are considered original by being combined

in new and very unfolklike fashions. Is this

to be understood as a protest against the

canons of elitist judgements? Or is it simply

to be understood as a desire to rediscover the

traditional folk ways?