Image from here
An idea called "The Commodification of Human Beings."
How are people commodified in our world, the digital world?
How are people commodified in Vonnegut's world, the world of Billy Pilgrim?
Let's get to the bottom of these questions by first exploring some others.
What is a commodity?
An exchangeable unit that can be used to satisfy wants or needs.
What is a human being?
A person; an individual; a body and soul.
How can something be commodified?
It is put into a clear category. It is made more readily exchanged. It is compartmentalized, dismembered from unrelated groups. It enters a marketplace (of ideas, of products, of politics).
Now, how might someone be commodified online?
The different aspects of their personality, talents, and attributes are compartmentalized and publicized.
?Is this necessarily a bad thing?
-No: They can make money and friends from their self-commodities. They can discover and explore and expand their personality and talents and attributes.
-Yes: Others make money off of said commodities with no compensation to commodity-supplier. Personal well-being/dignity may be disregarded, seen as inconsequential.
(Obviously I need to explore this more. Remember, it's just a sprout!)
How are people commodified in Slaughterhouse-Five?
-Children used as soldiers in the Children's Crusade (11th century), cited in the prologue
-POW's dignity is stripped from them and they are seen as mere workhorses
-Pilgrim's wife is just a body/machine that produces a future cadet (their son)
-Jesus Christ is viewed by the Tralfamadorians as an example humans use to justify treating people poorly
-Montana Wildhack (porn star). Self-explanatory
Why does all this matter (at least in the book)?
Turning people into commodities can disregard the meaning and purpose of being human beings. It can disregard feelings and well-being. It can make us apathetic to others' plights and focused on our own gratification.
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