Jean-Paul Sartre

Sartre says that we are all subjects, and that only a subject can identify another subject. At the same time, a subject can refuse to recognize another subject and see view them as strictly an object, a tool for their use. I have recently attempted to remove this failure to recognize people as subjects, and make every individual a subject from my perspective. It's unfortunate, but I realized that this is much easier said than done. It is very hard to recognize a person as a subject, when we see the benefit of them being strictly an object. If you make someone just an object, they are unable to effect our vulnerabilities. Subjectifying someone allows them to harm you because you recognize their autonomy and if they're autonomous, they have the ability to make you an object. I think of the example as a waiter. Many a time, when we are in restaurants, we look at our waiters as just an object that is suppose to provide us with the service of bringing and serving our food. When they do something wrong, like bring us the wrong drink or wrong entree, when they're just an object, its easy to correct the problem, you inform them they made a mistake and assume they will fix it. However, upon recognizing them as a subject, it makes me feel like I am inconveniencing them by making them correct such an insignificant mistake (in the grander scheme of life). There is very much a negative connotation of objectifying another human being, but some times I think it is essential in terms of services we pay for because it creates a barrier that can easily be taken away once myself and the individual are not put in a consumer/worker situation.