Bagism.net
By Adam M. Anklewicz

“If people did interviews for jobs in a bag they wouldn’t get turned away because they were black or green or long hair, you know, it’s total communication.” - John Lennon on The David Frost Show, 1969.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono had an image of a world where people would not be judged by what they look like and instead be judged by what they say. It’s a dream we all can relate to.  John & Yoko tried to get people thinking about it by having press conferences in a bag. By wearing a bag, they covered themselves completely.  That way, the only thing anyone could get was verbal communication. They called this avant-garde experiment “Bagism.”

Immortalized in the lyrics to “Give Peace A Chance,” Bagism was a call for peace in the world to be achieved through understanding, however that vision never came to fruition.  Some of the ideals however, still survive.

It’s been over thirty years now, and the Internet has become a modern day Bagism. We identify ourselves on the Internet, usually not by name, but rather by an alias.  We choose this alias to represent ourselves, and we can avoid letting people know our cultural background which a last name often gives away. On message boards we can choose an avatar to represent ourselves rather than a photo. No one needs to know if you’re a visible minority.

The Internet takes Bagism to a new level.  Not only is your appearance masked, but your voice is also hidden. Someone cannot be judged by an accent; is she from India or Iceland? Does it matter? 

The Internet is a great medium for the masses to gain a voice. With the relatively low cost associated with developing and maintaining a web site, anyone can have a voice. Would John Lennon have utilized the Internet as a medium for his message? Most likely, though perhaps sometimes in a bag.