An Ethos, Not a Brand

We use the term “brand” so frequently and lightly. To describe consumable products, to describe a company, to describe social media content makers, even in offhand comments like “that’s so on brand for you.” 

But we use it without connecting its modern use with its history. The word “brand” comes from the Old Norse word “brandr,” which means “to burn.” In the Middle Ages, it came to mean the mark left by burning a symbol onto an animal’s skin so the animal could be identified as property. The practice of branding living beings in order to commodify them has roots in ancient civilizations. 

When we use the word “brand” to describe a company or product, we are marking it as a commodity to be bought and sold. We do the same when we use the term to describe an online or real-life persona; we’re commodifying it, marking it to make it easier for exploitation. And in using the word so casually, we’re also obscuring the fact that living beings are still branded with hot irons in order that they may be objectified, commodified, and exploited. 

Rather than build a brand, I hope to cultivate an ethos. “Ethos” is from Greek, meaning “an accustomed place or a dwelling,” somewhere you return again and again for shelter and succor. It also came to mean habits, behaviors, customs you return to again and again. Finally, it came to mean ethical virtues cultivated by repeated practice. By making ethical choices again and again, we shape our character.

Rather than superficially burning a mark on the surface, ethos gently and gradually shapes our inner selves.