thoughts from thinking.

short one today.



ever noticed how people like to wear t-shirts with say, their educational institutions, soccer teams, or even a brand?

the wanting to do so is actually a direct influence from their insecurities as a human. allow me to explain.

in the basic instincts of animals, there is what we would call a 'packing tendency'. this means that a number of individuals would come together to form a group, with some sort of belonging and power that comes from a name. it is the idea of association that makes us want to make ourselves associated with certain groups of people or brands.

eg:

[person's name] => [rugby jersey] =>[the guy's a rugger]

then at this point comes in all the connotations that follow that of a rugger.

in the context of man, that instinct is still predominant but taken out of its four-legged context. this has evolved into what we would call the wanting for a sense of belonging.

now. imagine youre wearing say an ACJC teeshirt out to meet your friends or stuff. now ask yourself why, of all the other teeshirts in your cupboard, you chose the ACJC one. the reason is simple. we want to be know, or be associated with something that is well known. and what better way to get this message across than to boldly print it right across your back or your chest?

even branding. it follows to what i would call in mordern day context as the "club theory". people buy brands, join country clubs, hang out with certain groups of friends to be part of a certain 'club' eg. the Quiksilver 'club' or the Cool people 'club' as an example.

as an example, we would tend to want to hang out with the popular people in hopes that others will see us as one of the popular people. its a subconscious thing, most of the time.

crudely put, they ride on the coattails of an institution as part of a carefully, but yet unconsciously planned profile boosting scheme.

sounds dubious?

sure is.

its something that most of us fall prey to, even when we're fully aware of it. its because its so attractive and appealing to us that we just really cant avoid. its also become such a part of our lives that we really cant say no to it or escape it completely.