In "Choice" (30 June 2011, RSAnimate), Prof. Renata Salecl exposes the psychological burden of having to constantly make choices, not only for us but for others (perception of self). She argues that this anxiety is the main pillar of capitalism. I think of this imposed anxiety as both a form of mental torture and a misconception of modern freedom.
From my point of view, choice, as presented in this video, is nothing but a miss-interpretation of freedom. Not everybody is comfortable making hundreds of choices a day. Not everybody is comfortable personalizing his or her salad, ringtone, social media avatar, and iPhone skin. I find this constant re-assurance of freedom useless and mind-numbing. That is partly why fewer and fewer people are getting into those restaurants that have fifty-page, sophisticated menus that seem to be testing your patience and IQ. The fast-food industry bases its success on the simplicity (yet not on it's flexibility) of its offering and the opportunity for people to standardize choice. And fine dining has morphed into places where you can actually relax and trust other people's judgement. One-page menus have become the norm, and online reviewing is helping us choose places faster and better. Are we less free because of that? I don't think so. We just like to make less, easier choices, not otherwise. In summary, we like to use our freedom in a better way.
On a personal level, I constantly feel this anxiety Prof. Salecl talks about. When it comes to choosing books and movies, I tend to feel frustrated, almost guilty. There are so many great books and movies that I haven't read that choosing and actually starting a novel is a painful process that represents the death sentence for another one, the one novel I will never be able to read. This sensation of loss makes me want to to focus on some good old books and classic movies, before they become buried and forgotten under waves of new stuff.
As Sartre would say, choice is inescapable. Even the decision not to choose is a choice. So, in the name of freedom and capitalism, we become slaves of this never-ending decision-making process. And as we try to survive the ordeal by simplifying our mental process to be able to provide express choices all the time, we end up neglecting and underestimating the true value of choice.
Link to presentation: http://www.thersa.org/events/video/animate/choice
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