Still here in brazil discussing issues of social justice. And the question got raised in a different manner, but a real question nonetheless: is all of our liberal arts education discussions just a bunch of bullshit? We sit around in these “spaces” and discuss the “intersectionality” of social problems, use a lofty and prescribed vocabulary (where we have to throw in “privilege” and “agency” once in a while) and raise the scripted questions that sound intellectual and deep that no one has supposedly considered, and start all of our phrases off with “I feel like…”
But the reality is, much of it is just that: TALK. When it comes down to the organizing and doing, few of those talkers are willing to act on what they talked so heavily about. We see it all of the time in college, a microcosm of the world, and we see it everywhere that discusses issues of social injustices and then never follow through. It’s easy to talk about it and then recess back into the comfort of our lifestyles. We all live some privilege in some way—especially all of us who made it to our respective college or study abroad program. It’s still not equal between all, but all of us are guilty of this: talking and not doing. Paulo Freire talks about this one sidedness in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. How do we break this cycle? Especially in these educational settings.
like black butterflies 