Pretended sociable equality is art-like play, not a lie, until reality intrudes

Evidence

It must, because of its very nature, posit beings who give up so much of their objective content, who are so modified in both their outward and their inner significance, that they are sociably equal, and every one of them can win sociability values for himself only under the condition that the others, interacting with him, can also win them. It is a game in which one “acts” as though all were equal, as though he especially esteemed everyone. This is just as far from being a lie as is play or art in all their departures from reality. But the instant the intentions and events of practical reality enter into the speech and behavior of sociability, it does become a lie—just as a painting does when it attempts, panorama fashion, to be taken for reality. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 378

Categorization

• XREF: Directly parallel to Goffman’s presentation of self and the ‘as if’ frame — useful for the essay’s Lofland civil-inattention synthesis. — connects to: Sociability among equals is an artificial stylized game, not a return to natural self — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 378; Sincerity can be an active ingredient of self-deception rather than its opposite — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1405; Formal similarity of social position creates solidarity regardless of personal character — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 595 (+4 more)

Related

• Sociable pretenses of equality are lies only when they serve external purposes. (similarity 0.87)
• Sociability among equals is an artificial stylized game, not a return to natural self (similarity 0.87)
• Real equality is experienced associationally and requires consciousness to be real (similarity 0.84)
• Casual sociability perpetuates the injustice it seems to soften (similarity 0.83)
• Liberated individuals turn from equality toward distinguishing themselves from others (similarity 0.82)
• Sociability’s democratic reciprocity fails across different social classes (similarity 0.80)
• Equality achieved becomes the platform for further competition and surpassing (similarity 0.80)
• No institution can fully reconcile social uniformity and individual differentiation. (similarity 0.79)
• Social unity is felt through concrete relations rather than abstract awareness (similarity 0.79)
• Individuality and universal equality historically arise as twin reactions to inequality (similarity 0.78)
• Identical interaction forms recur across radically different social groups (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Social unity is felt through concrete relations rather than abstract awareness #complicates (0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 169
• Formal similarity of social position creates solidarity regardless of personal character #corroborates (0.50) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 595
• Liberated individuals turn from equality toward distinguishing themselves from others #complicates (0.50) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 535
• Sincerity can be an active ingredient of self-deception rather than its opposite #expands (0.45) — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1405