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[Sushan]

This topic is about the November 2023 Philosophy Book of the Month, Artwords by Beatriz M. Robles

KIDDING AROUND


Finally, after a tiring day at
work and the hell of traffic, I'm back.
I come into the room and walk toward you.
I can feel the sweat dripping down my back. I
start taking off my clothes as I come closer.
First, I pull off my shirt and my belt a yank.
But just before I take off my pants, you're already
right there in front of me, sitting on the side table.
A smirk spreads across my face. All of a sudden, I
place my hand near your slot. Moments later, I put it
inside you and I can hear the noise you make, a noise
that I oh-so-enjoy. It pierces the silence in the room.

I pick you up and carry you to the bed with me, lying down.
I enjoy playing with you, placing more inside, again and
again. I take pleasure in the noises you make as my
fingers slide near your slot. Phew. I feel like I need a
rest now and put you back on the bedside table, but I
could feel one more piece of change in my
pants. I take it out the last coin and slip it
in, smiling as it jangled and clanged
with the other coins inside. I know
it's been years, but I never outgrew
my piggy
bank.

AI Prompt : An image of a piggy bank on a table with newspapers and a globe.
Piggy Bank, Globe, and NewsPapers.png (1.78 MiB) Viewed 3090 times

"Kidding Around" is a striking example of how language can manipulate our perception, leading us to form a specific expectation that is ultimately turned on its head. This technique, employed throughout the book, brilliantly showcases the concept of linguistic relativity, which posits that the language we use significantly shapes our perception of reality.

This theme is incredibly relevant in our modern context, particularly when considering the role of language in biased news reporting and geopolitics. Just as the poem creates a vivid but misleading narrative through its choice of words, media outlets and political narratives often use language to frame events, issues, and characters in a way that shapes public perception. This manipulation of language can create realities that may be far removed from objective truths, influencing public opinion and political decisions.

How does this poem's use of language to shape the reality mirror the ways in which media and political narratives influence our understanding of world events? Does "Kidding Around," along with other poems in the book, challenge us to be more critical of how language is used to construct our understanding of complex issues in news and geopolitics?