mascots are idols

Mascots are idols. The term comes from Greek eidolon which stands for 'image', 'ghost' (again!) but also "ideal". An idol is a representation or symbol of an object of worship. It is not hard to notice the negative connotation: idols are often regarded as false gods. And yet, they are objects of extreme devotion. It is a pure appearance that seeks for substance. In the "gadget-lover" chapter of Understanding media, McLuhan (1964) recalls the 115th Psalm: "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not; Noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them." To contemplate idols – which, in McLuhan’s terminology equals to "using technology"– makes humans similar to idols. There is no way out.
matteo bittanti