Red-tinted glasses is mentioned in chapter 25 which I believe is an attempt to convey that the individuality of each person is brought through their perception. Red-tinted glasses in reality are shaded glasses which only allow the red spectrum of light to pass through, filtering all the other present colors of the spectrum in the light from the user's eyes. This is a metaphor to exemplify how each person's view may vary, and I believe it is affected by many factors, most of which are environmental and social factors.
Rationalists and empiricists each present a different theory for people's different view points. Rationalists only believe in reason -what they think, and empiricists only believe in senses -what they experience. In the given example, one views the world through red-tinted glasses and everything becomes red, but as Knox has said, one " “cannot say the world is red even though you conceive it as being so”. This is because what one sees with the glasses does not correspond with the knowledge of one who does not wear them. One's experience or senses both have limits in what they can conceive. Therefor, neither rationalists nor empiricists are absolutely right or wrong. They are both correct to a certain degree.
In my opinion, I think people are first born free of glasses, as babies are not born with knowledge or experience. However, as they grow older they start putting on glasses, and the glasses may change throughout their lifetime as their knowledge and experience alters.
If put in relation to our everyday life, such examples of red-tinted glasses would be stereotypes and typically perceived images of things. False images of people or places are crafted, molded and formed in our heads through social influences from the environment such as movies, adverts and word spread form mouth to mouth. Such causes have lead to racism and general discrimination of people who do not fit in.
Social influences also takes place whether we want it to or not in our perception of things during our everyday lives. We judge people during our first few seconds of interaction with them -what they wear, how they project themselves and how they speak, all mount up to our own created image or figure of the new person we have met. If you dress scruffily and present yourself poorly, you may be less approached and accepted by the people you meet. Naturally, we choose to blend in, to be a part of something, with someone. Thus presentation becomes important and that is why there is fashion. It is a basic, simple but common form of social influence which forces people to view others judgmentally through red-tinted glasses.
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2 comments:
I don't agree that 'people are first born free of glasses'. In the contrary, I believe that we are born with clear lens which then become coloured by our experiences and environment. However, I think the ideas are similar as our sight is first clear.
I was also interested by your idea that fashion is a 'form of social influence which forces people to view others judgmentally through red-tinted glasses'. But isn't fashion a way of expressing ourselves? We don't have to wear the same clothes or like the same things, but if we try to accept each other, personal differences do not have to cause discrimination.
By saying that wearing tinted glasses conveys the individuality of each person, you are perhaps saying that by filtering things you do not wish to acknowledge is a form of proving yourself "different"?
Do you honestly believe that narrowing your perception and senses is going to help a person prevail in life? The "individuality" expressed here certainly gives me an image that it is a beneficial thing, and I do not see how wearing tinted glasses can be so.
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