In defence of Basking In Reflected Glory

For it isn't your father, your
mother, or wife,
  Whose judgment of you -
you must pass,
  The fellow whose verdict
counts most in your life,
  Is the guy staring back in the
glass.

This is from Kipling's "The man in the glass”

So, what is it with reflections?

This centuries old phenomenon of Basking In Reflected Glory (BIRGing) is a widely practiced impression management technique to foster self esteem and sometimes for material gains.

The moon is a ‘shining’ example of BIRG.  Moon is seen only because it reflects sunlight. Moon is romanticised across demography and geography. Paeans have been written on moon light. On the contrary only a few worship the Sun and most want to stay away from sunlight. 

The BIRG phenomenon pervades our every day activities too.

Do those who Bask In Reflected Glory (also BIRG differentiated by context) also contribute?

The moon does contribute in some ways. The moon has its own calendar predating that of the Sun; hence and also because of its mere presence, it has a great say in astrology – at least in the Indian context. Depending on its proximity to Earth we experience high and low tides. When closer to the Earth the moon afflicts the brain or mind as referred to by such words as, lunatic, loony et al. Yet, would we romanticise the moon without the moon light?

When a world cup is won the Nation takes to the streets in joy feeling pride in the achievement of our sportspersons. After a big win everyone, albeit with no contribution from them, identifies with the winner – emblazoned tee shirts are out, baseball caps with logos adorn proud heads and there is an air of celebration. Sales of products of the winning team rocket till another team wins next year.

(In this context CORFing has to be mentioned too. Veru briefly CORFing means Cutting Off Reflected Failure. CORFing is done in various ways.  It could be like after winning it is ‘we won’; after losing it is ‘they lost’. ).

BIRGing is present in many other ways too. One could be ‘famous’ for being the daughter of a famous mother. It is very common to use relationships with better known personalities to further one’s cause – this is what is often referred to as dropping names. Names may be dropped even if the ‘reflection’ is faint or non existent. There is an old Chinese story that illustrates this refection. A tiger who had caught a fox in a forest was about to make a meal of it. For self preservation the Fox came up with an idea. Suddenly it declared to the tiger “You mustn't eat me. I am sent by the Gods to rule this forest. By devouring me, you will violate the command of the Gods. If you don't believe me, just follow me to see whether the animals are afraid of me." The tiger agreed, and followed the fox as it walked around the forest. All animals in the way ran away on seeing the duo. The tiger thought they were afraid of the fox, so he let it go.

Then there is Reflected Glory Marketing (RGM). When a brand does not afford a direct appeal to something a potential customer cares passionately about is invoked to attract attention. The potential customer is drawn into a conversation on that subject rather than on the drab product. When selling a health it may make more sense to talk about fitness and a great body first and then explain what this drink can do to maintain such a body. RGM is used to build relationships with customers. 

Reflections are used for reproduction in the world of flora too!  Although not usually ranked among the most charming of earth's creatures, bats nonetheless comprise one of the important groups of animals that can pollinate plants. Though bats mostly use olfaction to locate flowers, there is one flower (Vine flower) which by using a small concave ‘sound mirror’ reflects the bats’ ultrasonic echolocation right back to them, thus showing the animals its exact location. This mirror is formed from a single modified petal, the vexillum, which is raised when a flower is fully mature and ready to spring its pollen load indicating the presence of copious nectar.

Use of reflective paint to increase energy efficiency of homes and commercial buildings is a recent phenomenon. The move can reduce energy bills, because structures use less air conditioning when they absorb fewer of the sun's rays.

BIRGing, after all has benefits.