The Value of Objects

So, I recently attended a class in SF put on by Dr. Evil and FemCar on Objectification and Humiliation. I have had an issue with this pairing for a while and could not put my finger on it... until I had this flash: that I value objects. Things. You know, the stuff of our lives. I name my computers, I talk with trash, I have meaningful discussions with trees and if my iPod has issues I do too. I have relationships with non-humans, and thus, the idea of objectification=humiliation really rubs me the wrong way oftentimes...So I have a class idea:Desired Object, Forgotten Object: Erotic Objectification for AnimistsIn the erotically adventurous world, a lot of conversation has been batted about concerning the idea of objectification and its supposed partner humiliation. However, for those of us who believe objects have souls, things have value, and the earth itself is not something to be thrown away when we are done with it, how does this dynamic between human and human-object shift? How does our interaction with a human table change for those of us who look at tables as more than wood? Can we apply our desire to create lasting relationships with our human-objects (through backing up their core value and identities, negotiation, and more) to creating lasting relationships with the non-human-objects in our world? In a world where everything has a soul, we will look at whether humiliation has a place in the language of objectification and dive into our own ethics while examining our objects of desire.**You become my chair to sit on. Do I ignore my chair? Does ignoring it take away from the fact that I need it in my life? Does it mean I do not wash it off if I spill a drink on it? Does that mean I let the cats pee on it? Or do I enjoy the chair and internally and energetically give thanks to the chair for being... chair.Then, in life at large, there is he idea of oh, its broken, or oh, its not 112% what we wanted just junk it makes me cry. Ok, more often it makes me angry. Either way, there is emotion involved. Especially having recently re-watched Mystery Men, with the old junk yard lady yelling at the top of her lungs "Junk It" until Tom Waits pops up and goes "You have a Herkimer Jenny?" Its the classic story of one man's junk is another man's treasure.If we look at this with erotic objectification, if I turn someone into a piece of trash, does this trash not have value?Human-objects, as well as other-objects, have souls. There ya go, I said it. And sometimes I know as a fact that I have more respect for the lives of objects and things than I do for humans because they treat me better, have more value in my day to day life, and are there for me through the hardest times. It doesn't apply across the board, and I love humans deeply, but by knowing their is soul in thing, it stops me from treating thing like shit outright, whatever, wherever, or whomever thing might be.So I'm chewing on this, and I'd like there to be a forum for me to share and discuss this idea, especially with other kinky animists/pagans/hippies/et al.There is also another piece that came up in the class that really hit me- it came out of my mouth and I was like, wow, where did that come from...Deification as Objectification.That if erotic objectification is there to transform a human into a not-a-human so we can treat them differently (into chair, table, machine, animal, nigger, jew, other) than we would a human with full rights (see tribal cultures whose word for tribe is human, making all non-tribal people into not human and this ok to kill)... what about the idea that *anything* that "de-humanizes counts as objectification. That when we turn someone into a vessel (note word) for the divine, or, in erotic circles, use the words or praise phrases of divinity (god, goddess, worshipful one), lift them up on a pedestal... that we are in fact objectifying them. That female dominants especially are being ripped of their human identity to be worshipped by their supposed followers and instead of being glorifications of themselves are in fact instead the canvas for which said followers can project an image on of perfection and not see the human beneath in any way.They transform the human into the human-object, oftentimes in such a way that one human-object is replacable with another... that they are pagan idols held and loved in the hands of a collector, not a worshipper... and if something better comes along, the golden buddha is replaced with a golden ganesha because it is about what is pretty and popular, not about the divinity reflected in the object.The 3rd piece that really came up for me in that class (that actually felt like 3 classes- Dr. Evil dealing with her issues around feminism and intellectual debate, FemCar doing a performance Art piece with food for thought, and the 2 of them together doing a scene that though over the top was not in my opinion objectification and barely humiliation) was the idea of Uniform.Uniform is not about outfit, as was being discussed.Uniform is about uniformity of behavior, dress, or other systems. Its about being "same". Thus, having someone start speaking in born again preacher voice, hallelujahs erupting from the lips, invokes the uniform through behavior and voice without the physical dress uniform props being necessary. The power of preacher is called down through uniformity of behavior.So, rambles at 6am... not bad. Couldn't sleep... hope the thoughts were worth the read.