#Symbolic power

[omegaphilosophia]

Types of Power

Power can manifest in various forms, each influencing individuals and societies in distinct ways. Here are some different types of power:

Coercive Power: Coercive power involves the ability to force compliance or obedience through threats, punishment, or use of force. It relies on fear of negative consequences and is often associated with authoritarian regimes, law enforcement, or military institutions.

Reward Power: Reward power stems from the ability to provide incentives, rewards, or benefits in exchange for compliance or desired behavior. It can involve material rewards such as money, promotions, or privileges, as well as social rewards like praise or recognition.

Legitimate Power: Legitimate power is based on recognized authority, formal roles, or institutional positions within society. It derives from social norms, traditions, or legal structures that confer authority to certain individuals or institutions, such as elected officials, government leaders, or religious figures.

Referent Power: Referent power arises from the attractiveness, charisma, or perceived likability of an individual or group. It is rooted in admiration, identification, or emotional connection with a person or group, leading others to voluntarily align with their values, beliefs, or goals.

Expert Power: Expert power comes from possessing specialized knowledge, skills, or expertise in a particular domain. Individuals or groups with expert power are perceived as credible, trustworthy, and competent, enabling them to influence others through their expertise and insights.

Informational Power: Informational power derives from controlling access to valuable information or resources. Those who possess information that others need or desire can wield influence by selectively sharing or withholding information, shaping perceptions, or guiding decision-making processes.

Connection Power: Connection power is based on social networks, relationships, or alliances with influential individuals or groups. Those who have extensive social connections, networks, or alliances can leverage their relationships to access resources, opportunities, or support, enhancing their influence and status.

Resource Power: Resource power involves control or ownership of valuable resources, assets, or material wealth. Individuals, organizations, or institutions that possess significant resources, such as financial capital, land, or technology, have the ability to influence others through control over vital resources.

Symbolic Power: Symbolic power arises from the ability to shape meanings, values, or cultural norms within society. It is associated with influential figures, institutions, or ideologies that shape collective beliefs, identities, or symbols, influencing how individuals perceive themselves and their social reality.

Relational Power: Relational power emerges from interpersonal relationships, dynamics, or interactions between individuals or groups. It involves the ability to negotiate, persuade, or influence others through communication, trust-building, or emotional connections within social contexts.

These different types of power interact and intersect in complex ways, shaping social hierarchies, organizational dynamics, and individual behaviors within societies.

[lazycranberrydoodles]

everybody go home. this is my magnum opus

[ministarfruit]

day 10: love is devotion ♡

(femslashfeb prompt list)

[pocchi-poket]

You know, I feel like we're not talking enough about the fact that Alastor has in his room a full reproduction (?) of a swamp-forest that's highly likely very similar to the one where he was killed. Talk about being morbid.

Edit: someone pointed out in the comments that the swamp-forest is called bayou. It's a kind of ecosystem in Louisiana.

[cricketsintheaudience]

I know sun and moon symbolism in fandom can be contrived but as it stands I think it doesn’t get any better for superman and batman. they earned it over the past eighty-some years I’m gonna let them have this

[bixels]

I'm not explaining why re-imagining characters as POC is not the same as white-washing, here of all places should fucking understand.

[justaz]

merlin (immortal) giving arthur (pendragon) the only blade that could kill him

[vuelode-irbis]

StarClan's tool

ID: a digital drawing that features Leafpool (Warrior Cats). She's seen from the above, her face is covered in leaves put in by StarClan cats' paws. Her eyes aren't visible, but her muzzle and ears are. At her paws, there are blue, starry pawprints of StarClan paws, simbolizing a path already traced by these cats. The path ends in a holly leaf, a sycamore maple leaf, already turned yellow, and a jay's feather, simbolising the kits she was bound to give birth to. End ID.

[huiyi07]

hey so do you guys ever think about how often Diluc is referred to as the ‘uncrowned king of Mondstadt’ since he’s like the only male heir to the noble families and like it or not, where Jean is the authority of the nation, he’s pretty much the symbolic face of Mondstadt and the values the nation projects— and despite his temperament, Diluc has learned to embrace it wholeheartedly. He’s charismatic, extremely righteous, and he blazes bright and gives the people of Mondstadt a fire that guides them in the dark, quite literally. Like he’s literally Bruce Wayne lmao

But he doesn’t want this, no, and here’s the proof- maybe he did, once upon a time, before everything happened— but he doesn’t really care about wine, he only cares about the winery because of the people in it and his father. He’s righteous but doesn’t give a damn about the rules and the knights of favonius. After what happened to him, he’s clearly a rebel at heart now, not some charming superhero who does everything expected of him, unlike before. In summary, Diluc was someone who was quite literally ready to become an (uncrowned) prince, pretty much royalty in every way except title- and on surface level, he still is, but he throws that mantle away in secret whenever he can.

And then look at Kaeya, his brother who’s always lived in his shadow. It’s easy to see that now, people don’t really project Mondstadt’s values onto Kaeya the same way they do onto Diluc, since lots of people hardly even remember that they’re brothers. And yeah people still think kaeya is reliable and nice, but also because of how Kaeya built his image after Diluc left— an excessively over the top personality that pretends to be sadistic, mean, and at the same time dripping with false charm. So despite that people still find him approachable and nice as expected of a knight, hardly anyone would call him befitting of a prince.

But Kaeya is actually so painfully and authentically ‘princely’ and kind, deep down— the way he deals with children, his fierce loyalty and willingness to protect people at all costs, his self sacrificial tendencies that most often appear for Diluc’s sake. Even the tidbits of lore we get about him scream aristocracy- his ‘ceremonial’ bladework, Alberich family secrets that reveal just how central they are to the kingdom of khaenriah. This is kinda obvious to any player who’s bothered to learn anything about kaeya, but to the characters in game, there are very few that know that side of him.

And whereas Diluc is forcibly projected the title of royalty and secretly rejects it, Kaeya was actually born into it- his family is very important to Khaenriah, and much like how he does with anything related to his past and heritage, he loudly and outwardly rejects anything to do with ‘royalty’. Diluc outwardly rejects what Kaeya shows (a darker, more ‘means justify the end’ nature), and Kaeya tries to hide what Diluc projects (a sophisticated and aristocratic upbringing).

Honestly? It’s as if they were swapped at birth. Kaeya’s real hidden nature, even after everything that happened to him, remains to be so unwavering and people-oriented, while Diluc’s true personality changed drastically over time. Not that Diluc isn’t unwavering or whatever, but Diluc mostly actively rejects relationships and prefers to do everything alone, obsessed with the idea that he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt, whereas Kaeya always, always yearns for companionship and for people to be by his side- solidarity.

Diluc is the poster image of royalty, but his brother who hides in the shadows is a real king. They complete each other, balance each other out, represent the parts that the other hides. I don’t know if hoyoverse always meant them to be that way, but damn they basically represent each other’s parts of themselves that they lost. Yin and Yang, two halves of the same whole.

[reality-detective]

Symbolism in Satanic Rule... It's a BIG Club and we the common folk ain't in it 🤔

[deeva-arud]

So, about that one AU that's been marinating in my mind for years

[twig-gy]

sooooo i heard heart and mind won the sun & moon competition….. and i saw two people make thingies for it… and graphic design is my passion….

[timotheecontent]

DUNE: PART 2 (2024) dir. Denis Villeneuve

[sunshinerotting]

u ever think about jiang cheng having enough trust in wei wuxian to walk up a mountain blindfolded only to be betrayed in a way so internal and inescapable that learning about it sends him spiraling nearly two decades later. he lost everything in the world except what couldn’t physically leave. he has jin ling and wwx’s core and they’re both necessary and he couldn’t have had either of them without losing his siblings. he would prefer his siblings. he can’t have a conversation with wwx but he can never escape him how can he deal with that. doesn’t it feel dirty. imagine thinking your brother thinks he’s so worthless you would prefer taking the most important thing from him than to not have it. imagine him beating u at everything always and when u finally get ground it turns out it’s not even you. its still him. in giving up his core wwx gave up the possibility of staying in jiang chengs life even before the wen remnants entered the picture. congratulations to jiang cheng! u have his core but u can never have him again

[visenyaism]

being a targaryen has to be so crazy. wyd if your brother is like hey i had a new kid meet your nephew and the kid shows up and theyre a waluigi of you

[willowcrowned]

one of the things I really like about the point iroh makes during the finale when he refuses to try to kill ozai is that there’s this in-text recognition of the “well, aren’t other people strong enough to kill the firelord” complaint that it’s really easy to make. iroh’s argument isn’t that he couldn’t physically kill ozai (though he does say it wouldn’t be a certain thing)—it’s that the political ramifications of it would be disastrous.

the avatar is the only one who can kill the firelord NOT because he can bend all four elements, but because him being able to bend all four means he’s not a part of any nation. if he kills the firelord, it’s not a political play, it’s not a power grab, it’s not even an assassination—because it can’t be.

if iroh kills ozai, it starts a civil war. if bumi, or pakku, or any other fighter from any nation kills ozai, it’s just another casualty of war. but if the avatar kills ozai, no one can call it a power grab, no one can call it an act of war. the war is over