Concept Normalisation

Greetings,

Have you ever noticed that not long after or before some item or piece of technology that some law-enforcement or intelligence agency announces that it is using it appears or has already appeared on the open market? Have you ever noticed that there are certain things which are pushed as "fashionable" or "comfort wear" which are of a particular design? This is all designed so that when things happen they are not so much of a shock to the general public. The same can be said of language, it is changed in the media to not cause alarm to people.

Normalisation is a concept where something is pushed into the open market to make it "normal" and thus more accepted when it is present or used. The mass market is used to normalise military and law-enforcement concepts so that they are not so much of a shock to the general public. Items of technology are passed on to the mass market by the same companies which make them for government agencies, or licensed to be produced by others. Others are simply encouraged to be produced by companies who are politically-allied, or in mutually-beneficial situations. Then the ideas are picked up by others.

How long did it take before there were drone aircraft available as toys or hobby aircraft after the military started using them? How long before they started to be a fashionable item that could be hooked up conveniently to a piece of technology that you already had? Here is a perfect example of normalisation. Now if drones controlled by law-enforcement or intelligence agencies are seen flying around or are recorded and spread doing so, it will not be so much of a shock because they are a piece of technology which is familiar to people, and even fashionable.

Another fine example of the normalisation of military wear is cargo pants. They are an almost exact copy of the pants worn by the military simply "civilianised" to disguise their nature. They have also been shortened in some cases to make them more fashionable, but the long-pant versions are almost an exact copy of the military form. Indeed some are even available in military camouflage prints. This is the normalisation of military forms of dress. It makes the presence of military personnel on the streets less obvious. Military personnel who are undercover wear gear which is closer to civilian wear; when civilian wear comes closer to military wear it makes this much easier. This is most useful in the current climate.

The normalisation of military and law-enforcement concepts allows them to enter our society with greater easy and less alarm. This is simultaneously a good thing that it does not create over-reactive concern, but also a bad thing that people will not notice changes in the nature of society and the introduction of such elements. These concepts should be noticed and attention paid to them, questioned critically even, just not hysteria made over them.

Cheers,

Henry.