John asked,
> Do we really need another list, that will lead to more stratification and
> isolation?
> I think it is high time we stopped
> looking for things that divide us and start looking for the things that
> unite us.
Unity cant come out of suppressing difference. Things change, life wants to
differentiate and diversify.
It feels to me that are huge structural problems on this list which mirror the
structural
problems of the social sciences generally, for instance:
1. Adversarial, "critical" academic practice is great at stirring up mud,
creating conflict, but then doesnt have the slightest idea of what to do with
all the people who get hurt along the way. I find it extraordinarily
distressing to see the way really good people here, who do good, important
work are tearing each other apart (Ok, I'm exaggerating a little ...) while
onlookers stand helplessly by, because there is no place here for people's
very human irrationality/ feelings.
2. There is no place where"middle-brow" people who have a desire to engage
with the
"social model" and yet dont want to spend 4 years at university learning to
"talk the talk" can
engage with the social model. We hear complaints about how people in the
general public are ignorant of "the social model", when my experience is that
it's almost impossible to find an open door even if you want to get in,
without having a higher degree in the social sciences.
3. I feel that this list was primarily set up to be an information
exchange for academics, which I think is fair enough, and so I always feel
guilty when I want to say something, ask something, express a feeling, or
just be playful. I always feel like a gatecrasher at someone else's party
here.
The lists that currently exist are either untheorised support groups, or
unsupportive theory groups.
Neither are enough of themselves. What I want is the best of both words.
So what I've been thinking of is setting up a "middle-path" list that will
bridge the divide between "thinking types" and "feeling types". The list will
be experimental, and will be highly structured in a way that I hope people
will find interesting.
Now, all I've got to do is find the time to do it ...
> There better be! Loosen up, and with xmas coming on show some spirit of
> christian charity, and come out of the bunkers and foxholes as the case may
> be.
I've written to John offlist about this, and I was going to hold off till he
had a chance to mull over it. But I cant restrain myself from commenting.
While I appreciate the spirit and goodwill with which you intended it, I cant
let it pass . This is an international list, and there are people here,
including Jews, people from former European colonies, and indigenous people
who on past experience find the prospect of more Christian charity
frightening. We havent recovered from the last lot yet!
Judy
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