There were two aliens “sipping” Gnoflrnem at their local establishment. Their conversation was automatically translated, with acceptable quirks, into this version of English. 

 “Why are human applications as they are?” asked the one to the other. 

The second alien aliensplained it to the first: 

“At times humans confuse what they label as ‘standardization’ with what they label as ‘homogenization.’ It’s somewhat fun or tragic to see how they go about it. They forget, at times, that these two are not the same when applying themselves with other humans. Some who do realize this seem to be concerned to not point that out. They think it could upset their position among the other humans. So they apply as all others do. Then at times humans mix this confusion with what you and I know as ‘rigidity.’ After all, they have learned to believe that it supposedly asks less energy to follow a given framework created by other humans rather than to allow for adaptation, iteration, appropriation, participation, transformation, departure, letting go and do many more possibly applications they do know yet seem to ignore or even refute to exist or be allowed. “

The second alien continued:

“A few humans then engage further in this ritual of confusion between standardization and homogenization, while still trying maintaining forms of explainable, evidence-based governance. They confuse the one for application —standardization— with the one for themselves —homogenization— when making, doing, maintaining or undergoing their applications. Governance is important to many humans. Some even find it important to govern so that the two, standardization and homogenization, are confused. They see it as a divine reflection. Many of them guard against entropy of the applications which they created, justifying their intentional confusion between standardization and homogenization. They are seriously afraid of diffusion of one and thus use the other to feed and justify that fear. 

Next, as an application of standardization, this Earth species has been known to confuse their own constructed models, representative of a slice of their perceived reality. Reality for humans is that which they then vehemently posit that their own model represents. Here the humans starts to really enjoy homogenization and starts to forget standardization as a separate and distinct application of a process. It’s fun that some then add that all models are wrong and some just more than others. They don’t think all are right just some less so than others.”

the second alien takes a “sip” (there is no representative English word for the actual act) and continues:

“ The humans forget the distinctions even further by short-handing the application of their modeled standard via various processes of public rehashing and the use of adaptive forms and ways enabling some to claim their model is reality; thereby implementing not standardization but rather tools for homogenization. Reality is 1:1 all the same as their model. Some will even substitute reality with standardized and homogenizing constructs. These are all the hype now there. Some will even end others’ and, at times, their own life for it. It’s amazing how far this life form goes. So alive in its idiosyncrasies yet so death-hungry by equalization.

“This,” said the alien,

“I think to observe, could then be making it easier for them to slide unwitting & perhaps now pacified or apathetic participants into self-censorship of their fear by means of compliance not to standardization but rather to the homogenization. Their artists, take Shakespeare, did apply a standard very heterogeneously. In contrast to the artist, groups of humans then are only seemingly willingly kept into existence, as a homogenous group, in function of their own created architectured system rather than the other way around: the use and redesign of a standardized application for individual expression and collective relations. They lock themselves into their application by numerous self-made tools. They gradually become and wish to homogenize yet tend to vehemently deny it. It’s impressive to watch. Their diverse and conflicting collection of Value is one such toolbox. It’s awe inspiring how powerful this concept of Value is to them. They have built their entire application pool based on the belief of assigned and shared Value. They can’t seem to be able to think outside of it. They even labeled daring a thinking outside of it, as a thinking about less then nothing; a negative nothing. This complex process of assigning Value is both their standard and homogenization tool. We could learn something from this. “

the second alien halted and “looked” up to the first alien. There was a longer silence. The second alien then continued:

“The  humans can more easily reinforce this confusion between standardization and homogenization by claiming there is reason for the fixed hierarchy of Value, followed by systemically denying any rhizomatic fluidities to coexist with some needed or desired universal and local hierarchies. Again, they eagerly apply yet another reinforcing layer of confusion between standardization and homogenization. Their rhizomatic or adaptable attributes are then open at times to be equated, via implicit narratives, with being too upsetting, fearfully unknown or simply ‘dangerous.’ Before they know it, some are happy with homogenization & nurture an unlabeled fear from freedom. Now their application has become an unrelatable APP that is vehemently believed to be what it is.”

The first alien fell asleep somewhere mid monologue. The second finished the first’s Gnoflrnem.

Reference:

Box, G. E. P. (1979). “Robustness in the Strategy of Scientific Model Building.” In Robustness in Statistics, edited by Robert L. Launer and Graham N. Wilkinson, 201–36. Academic Press: “All models are wrong, but some are useful”.