Klaxus and the Hawthorne effect.

A'ight, coo. So i woke up this morning with a thought, and I'd like to explore it. Ready for an adventure? Come then, let us away to the land of "ahh fuck, now I started reading it and it got weird."

Now, this isn't something that can easily be put into words, at least if it can be it's not very apparent to me. So I imagine this will not be unlike the conversation that would surround a group of born-blind people sitting around a fire with one of them having a strange idea of there being something about the fire, and all things, that they just aren't experiencing. What they would be talking about (which they wouldn't know they were talking about specifically) would be vision. 

Now, vision is just one example of a sense, and this conversation could possibly erupt pertaining to any of them in one form or another. I think it's pretty safe to say that things like fashion and hair cuts wouldn't be so important if everyone was blind, if no one had any idea of these things apart from their other characteristics (scent, texture, shape, etc). How strange would it be for someone to assume (and luckily enough assume correctly) that there was a side to all things they weren't seeing, and to be suddenly very aware of the differences in properties of things concerning this new lens to see though (colour, design, depth, etc) even though they could not look with their eyes yet. They are finding their eyes for the first time (okay maybe not but this is figurative), and while they cannot use them (yet) they are speculating what their use is. 

This born-blind person in a world of other born-blind persons who is superstitiously aware of a genre of properties that all things have which no one is able to receive yet would probably sound batshit crazy to everyone else. To bolster this opinion of the batshit crazy person by everyone else, the superstitiously aware person would also be superstitiously self aware. This would result in a difference of composure of the person (from here on out let's just call him Klaxus, 'cause Klaxus is rad as fuck and all this talk of person(s) has potential to get confusing) who is superstitiously self aware. Klaxus would conceivably begin to compose himself differently if he had the notion that other people could possibly be aware of him without being directly adjacent, and to others, if/when they ever found out, would think "yeah, okay, he really is crazy. Now this fool's superstition is effecting his day-to-day life and, in turn, ours."

If someone were abducted by aliens and these aliens appeared exactly the same as the people from whom the abductee was abducted from, the earthling would probably settle in to eventually being social again, making friends, etc, after submitting to the idea that they just weren't ever going home again. This person would probably be very thankful to the kind alien that told him "hey man, umm, I don't know if you dudes down on earth can do this, uhh, but we can see each other's thoughts... That includes yours. And it's getting awkward." The earthling would likely begin the almost impossible task of trying to filter thoughts before thinking them, even though he only has the word of one alien to go off of (assuming confirmation wasn't sought. whatever). How cruel/hilarious would it be if after a lifetime of struggling with and feeling guilty about his thoughts the alien came up to him and told him "nah, we can't do that. We were just curious how you would act if you thought we could. Neat!"

Now back to Klaxus. Poor, blind Klaxus, who is acting differently in ways he doesn't know how to justify because he doesn't know in what way his actions can be perceived. Something inside of him just switched on, and he has a permanent feeling of being observed. Unaware of how, be it by sound, smell, geo-tracking, or this beyond-new thing he is trying to wrap his head around that will come to be known as VISION, Klaxus is very aware that observation is (or simply can be) in occurrence. 

If this sounds unbelievable I would suggest imagining that you have been accused of a crime, or that you know something about one, and have been taken in for questioning. Nothing crazy, just questions. Small room, table, two chairs, door, and a one-way mirror. And you're sitting there, waiting for someone to come in and ask you questions, but they don't. You're just sitting there facing this mirror, which you have no way of knowing if anyone is behind or not. Do you really believe you wouldn't act as though you were being observed, even though nothing says so except the context of the situation and your own paranoia/narcissism?
This type of progression of observation can be seen in social behaviours, such as table manners. At one time we were all eating with our hands, now, for the most part, we refrain from finger-to-mouth ingestion largely out of fear of judgement. At least, that's really my only reason personally. Imagine the first person to suggest a slightly more "high-brow" way of doing something, such as eating, simply for the sake of leaving behind barbarism. I imagine that person would be met with "na' fuck are you talking about? This is who we are. We're barbarians, if you haven't noticed. WE ARE FINGER-TO-MOUTH INGESTIONATORS." ("ingestionators", rad, right? i know). And I would expect the would-be-highest-brow would try to explain, saying something along the lines of

"Look, you ARE barbarians. CURRENTLY. And previously we were all hunter-gatherers, and before that we were whatever we were which comes before hunter-gatherers because I can't rightly remember at this time. We evolved socially from one to the other out of necessity and ease of comfort- with growing numbers a nomadic lifestyle was harder to maintain, with the invention of iron tools farming became a much more practical way of life than gathering, and so on."
"So why are you trying to push this whole 'let us eat without putting our fingers all over our food' thing when we'll just advance to the next step of society/civilization one day anyways? If it makes sense to stop eating with our hands along the way, we'll do it. Until then, let me enjoy this bitchin taco."

"Look, when you think of yourself as a barbarian in relation to a hunter gatherer, what do you feel? Pride, correct? Pride in being an advanced being from your predecessors! but you SHOULDN'T feel that pride, because it was an advancement of necessity! You and your ancestors have no more right to claim any amount of responsibility for the progression of society/civilization than a single drop of water has right to claim responsibility for breaking a dam. All that was required of you was to be born, and to bore. What I'm suggesting is voluntary evolution. We can't advance the equivocal distance of hunter-gatherer to barbarian by sheer will, but we CAN facilitate the coming-on of the next leap!

Look, the progress of society does not happen in blocks. It is not the case that one day we were hunter-gatherers and the next day woke up barbarians. Progress is gradual, and it is only classified and organized after the fact, while looking back on history. And while looking back on history what jumps out to us as possible shifts/jumps in society are the at-the-time-casual changes we collectively make, and so far these have all been out of necessity. Now, when you think of being a barbarian, in comparison to being a hunter-gatherer, you feel a sense of pride in that you are a better being, more advanced, etc. You shouldn't, not only because of the reason I have already given you, but for the simple fact that one day barbarianism will be what hunter-gathererism is to you now, and they'll probably come up with a chic new word for it too, like "barbaric", those genius, handsome, future dudes.. What I'm saying is that you are your own primitive ancestors in the eyes of your future selves.

I, for one, am tired of being a savage barbarian, and I desire to evolve! And I will not rest until I lay dead! I was born a barbarian, I will die a barbarian, but I will be damned if I continue to eat with my hands, and I'll be twice damned if I am remembered as a barbarian! I WILL BE THE SHIFT OUR FUTURE SELVES REFLECT UPON. I WILL EVOLVE POST-MORTEM. And I will be the first to submit myself and in turn my fellow born-barbarians for evolutionary review voluntarily."
"you're fucking crazy."

"I am choosing to be."

Okay, so maybe the conversation wouldn't go exactly like that.... then again, maybe it would. Who really knows.

Point is, the would-be-high-brow is klaxus, and is the room with a one-way mirror, and also the abducted. In each scenario Klaxus is experiencing the Hawthorne effect* purely out of paranoia, narcissism, or the onset of an inexplicable feeling akin to "eureka!"
The tricky thing to get across, is that they don't know exactly what part of their Being is being observed, and so don't know how to react, only something tells them they must.

Klaxus doesn't know how to compose himself differently because he has no notion of vision, and is only superstitiously aware that he is being observed.

Abducted has no way of knowing for sure if they actually can see his thoughts, since he, very obviously, can't see theirs thanks to being an earthling.

Man faced with a one-way mirror is faced with only the potential of being observed, with no way of knowing the truth.

Would-be-high-brow has suspicion of potentially being observed, since he has recognized how he has observed the past, and is changing his actions for his future observers (with a most-likely ridiculous tactic).

In each case Klaxus would stand out from his peers like, well, someone who was batshit crazy.

Klaxus would be trying to explain to other born-blind people something that he can't understand, only feels the presence of, and so would clearly be the only one experiencing the hawthorne effect and changing his actions. (though how, he doesn't know).

Abducted would stand out from his peers simply by the effects of constant paranoia at everyone knowing his thoughts.

Man faced with a one-way mirror is a little different because of the original scenario, so let me comprise a new one-

- You are walked into a large room, lots of desks, and a large mirror on one wall. This is an active warehouse a few minutes before opening its doors to its workers who have all worked there for years and years. You are blindfolded, guided, and when you are sighted again you see the inside of the warehouse from the other side of the mirror. You are explained that it is a one way mirror, blindfolded, guided, and are back in the warehouse when the workers arrive. Everyone begins their work as normal, nothing is different for them. You try explaining to them that they are being observed through the mirror and they all meet you with a puzzled look and disbelief, saying "it's a mirror, you can't see through a mirror." You know the truth, you saw it but cannot explain it. Now, of everyone in the warehouse, you are the only one aware that you are being observed, and will stand out in your actions.

And finally, would-be-high-brow stands out voluntarily hoping to be observed for his voluntary actions rather than involuntary ones, since he knows (via first hand experience) that the past will be observed by the future. 

...

I know I already said "the point is" but there really is no point. This took an interesting turn and i'm glad for it, but THE POINT IS-

I woke up this morning very aware of existing in time and wondering how, like the would-be-high-brow, I could better compose my time-self to match our future selves' manner of composing their time-selves once they collectively recognize its existence. Imagine finding an ancient skeleton, buried thousands and thousands of years ago in a tomb, well preserved, and is just throwing up gang signs. It would have meant nothing to him, it would have seemed ridiculous/pointless to anyone else at the time, but he also had this inexplicable experience of the hawthorne effect which caused him to change his actions in ways he didn't understand because he did not understand his observer, and in hopes of appeasing them in a last ditch effort, threw of some weird symbols. And by god, it would have fucking worked if that were true.

"time-self" is... i don't even know how to explain it, it was probably one of those things from a dream that made sense when reason wasn't awake which i held onto as i woke up and clung to the "no no this makes sense!" even as reason was like "...nng, i'm up... huh? wait, what? no... no, that makes no sense at all. stop thinking. stop it. you're bad at all things."

At least it spawned this chunk of writing, whatever it is.

Thanks for reading, you barbarians.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect