VIRTUAL IDEALISM IS DEAD: THE OZ EFFECT AND COUNCIL GADFLIES
The Land of Oz, and its Wizard
The Oz Factor, a term originating from author Jenny Randle, discuses the ”experience of being isolated or transported by the real world of everyday life into another environment which is quite similar to the real world but changed enough to be noticeable and disturbing”.
But, I contend, there’s a flip-side to this experience as it pertains to suddenly moving from three years of COVID-induced virtual meetings to in-person meetings: The Oz Effect.
This has nothing to do with the 2019 DC Comics “Oz Effect” storyline between Superman and Mr. Oz. Instead, it’s a Bizarro version (sorry) of the Oz Factor. Where the Oz Factor moves from reality to simulation, the Oz Effect transitions from simulation to reality. The Oz Factor analogizes Dorothy’s transition from Kansas to the Land of Oz. The Oz Effect, rather, focuses on the Wizard himself. Wrapped in a shroud of mystery and dominance, the Wizard of Oz is a lager than life all-powerful entity who, as the literal curtain is pulled, is revealed to be nothing more than a feeble old man, mortal and fallible.
Much the same can be declared of council meeting gadflies who, during the pandemic and beyond, and from the comfort and safety of their lairs via virtual options such as Zoom, had offered more than their fair share of troubles to council members which, to be fair, from time to time had been much deserved. Yet, it can be argued that a majority of the banter landed squarely within the sports category of “recreational outrage”. But as meeting transitioned to in-person, two interesting things occurred:
Real World Observations
First, the gadflies who do choose to reveal their true selves are more tempered, dare I say “tepid”, than their videoconference avatars. They are more conversational and less likely to cause a stir merely for the sake of the stir, regardless of whether the pot requires it or not. Several of whom I’ve experienced have, in fact, said nothing at all. They sit quietly amongst the onlookers, watching with a muted presence. Yet I must give credit where credit is due — at the very least they attend the meeting.
Which leads to the more fascinating observation: Some of the most critical of the gadflies don’t attend at all. Certainly, their emails continue, but for all the venom and ferocity of their virtual words, when reality rears its head, what appears is not a creature to be feared, but rather a rattlesnake with no fangs. Removed from their protective curtain of Zoom, and as real life consumes the venue with light, what was once an individual who owned a perceived potential for untold trouble is reveled to be nothing more than empty space.
Virtual Idealism
Idealism is the metaphysical view that associates reality to ideas in the mind rather than to material objects, which is the opposite of Materialism. In the virtual world, such as a virtual council meeting, one may assume any identity to suit a given purpose. In this virtual idealism, there’s a preemption over what is real. With neither a face to match the voice nor any comparative past experience with the individual, they may insurrect a meeting merely with a threat of unknown potential.
Such as a screenwriter developing a character, so too may the individual. Distortions of their life, intentional misleading of the narrative, and outright lies are all in play here. Since, in this virtual utopia, fantasy usurps what is real, and the pixelated sky is the limit as to how one may present themselves to a council unfamiliar with the human behind the digital curtain.
A Disconnect from a Terrible Thought
Full disclosure, some individuals continue to find issue with post-pandemic live assemblies, while others have schedules which conflict with start time or time durations necessary for meeting in-person. In my opinion, however, this constitutes a minority of this segment. My belief is, sans the mysterious and foreboding nature of a voice without a face, a body without space, their vulnerability is exposed. There’s nothing wrong with being vulnerable — every human who’s ever existed is vulnerable in some manner — but once their true self is revealed, the impact of their words, once expected and feared, now can be attached to a flesh-and-bone individual disconnected from the terrible thought. A version of virtual Idealism is destroyed, and in its place is a human and nothing more.
Like an overzealous Chihuahua who suddenly realizes their influence over their environment to solely due to the protective cover of their master, their power was never inherent within their chatter, but rather the uncertainty granted by a poorly designed, haphazardly executed, non-transferable construct that’s pulled a disappearing act David Copperfield might find impressive .
