Have you ever tried looking at people as *animals*? I don't mean to dehumanise them in any way, just to stop seeing the person for a moment, and see instead an individual of one particular offshoot of the evolutionary tree. People can look startlingly different if you get the right mind adjustment
Constantly. I frequently think about what evolutionary advantages their might be to some human traits, and what ones may just be there because they don't get in the way of survival. At the same time, I have never felt this impeded my ability to respect how individuals think and express themselves. Loaded with the burdens of language, culture, and genetic predispositions, people still attempt to form beliefs and explain why they believe them.
If we all hear pretty much the same tune, then we're all going to dance in pretty much the same way. Individuality diminishes. It can even disappear altogether.
And yet... in a society where men are expected to take an active role and women to be more passive, David Jackson did not (or did not successfully) lobby for better lines and scripts for Gan. Meanwhile, Jacqueline Pierce expanded her part from the 4 episodes they were planning to have Servalan in, to the ongoing baddie. Plus, she talked them into giving her glamour costumes instead of military uniforms, and got lots of fabulous scenes. If J.P. had had different tastes, Servalan might have worn business atttire rather than evening gowns. Of course, the variations happen within a social framework, but a slow accumulation of individual choices can change social expectations. Even on a large scale, to look at what a *society* accepts, believes, etc, is to ignore the fact that societies change with time. You must use statistics and generalizations to say what a society is-- and there may be counterexamples within the group. In fact, a single person can have conflicting views on matters. And one of the most important differences between individuals is how they interpret and define words. I'm rapidly getting the feeling that Neil and I mean completely different things when we say someone 'represents' something. If I understand him, he is saying an outsider's interpretation of whaat I represent is part of who I am, whereas I define myself by what *I* believe I am and represent, and if someone else interprets me as something else, they are misunderstanding me and that is part of who they are, not who I am. I am a peaceloving cowboy-- it's not my fault if the Indian reaches for his rifle, and hopefully I can get him to understand this before he does something irreversable. It matters that the Liberator crew came to try to help Ensor Jr, not to try to harm the planet's occupants. It does matter that Avon took the time to figure out how to work the rocket controls-- whether he was doing it out of gratitude, kindness, or for his ego, it had more to do with him being a *person* than being a man.