Alphabetization And Its Discontents

Today, alphabetization is so strongly embedded into our lives that we cannot even imagine grouping things in any other way. However, it wasn't until Weinberger pointed it out, that I realized how unimportant alphabetizing objects really is. As Weinberger asserts, "it tells us exactly nothing about the real relationships among the parts". His point is so true. Soda and soap are relatively similar in spelling, but that link only gives superficial information about the two, there is no physical relationship. Furthermore our society has become overwhelmingly politically correct, something I am not proud of, and would cause a social uproar if we used any method other than alphabetization for classifying things.

Alphabetization is blind to social contraptions, and in a world where equality is everything, blind is paramount. "On a field trip", Weinberger writes, "no one gets upset when students are told that A through M go on Bus No. 1 and the N-Zs go on Bus No. 2, but it would be front page news if students were divided by race, prettiness, or their parents' incomes". This is the reason alphabetization is so loved, it prevents discrimination. In a sense, grouping ourselves in such ways brings us back to the separate but equal notion that was defeated decades ago by Civil Rights activists. When looked at in that light, alphabetization becomes more than just a manner of grouping, it becomes a protector of our civil liberties and rights to equality.