The Carnival of Venice is occurring now.

Venetian masks are sometimes used to symbolize decadence. But historically, there was a lot more to them than that.

Centuries ago, Venice was a highly stratified society, meaning big gaps between the wealthy nobles and the commoners, and between men and women. But the Venetian carnival, and any parties where the masks were worn, were opportunities for the nobles and commoners to mingle as equals without knowing or caring someone's social station.

The masks removed identity, and along with it, removed many consequences of interaction. People could speak their mind and interact more thoroughly without the heavy restrictions of the social stratification. And they could be critical of the current social structure without it necessarily being tied back to their identity. If society is open, then perhaps anonymity is rarely needed. But if society is closed or repressive, then anonymity is a tool to change minds while minimizing the consequences to the individual.

And Venetian masks were all different and beautiful, coming in all manner of styles and colors. The wearer could express themselves without revealing themselves, similar to how we might think of a social media avatar today, but in the real world.

Authoritarian/fascist governments on multiple occasions banned the carnival and criminalized the wearing of the masks, because anonymity and social equality were perceived as threatening to them. But as those governments fell, the carnival and tradition returned.

Anyway, good morning Nostr.