Does immersion in literature and the humanities REALLY make us “better” people? (Trick question!)
It might not be the biggest driver (it’s NOT!), but a lot of people felt reinforced to vote whatever way they did last November because they felt that this made them “better” than others — or because of resentment that others felt somehow superior to them.
It might not be the biggest driver (it’s not!), but one of the “reinforcers” for people who are not overly concerned about fascist threats to the democratic rule-of-law is that those of us who tend to bleat (whine?, harangue?, preach?) about them are the same types who police (judge?, condemn?, deride?, scorn?) other people’s language, information sources, judgment, and political affiliations.
Things are already more chaotic and provocative than (part of me) expected with this “new” “administration”. Today high level federal officials are talking (seriously?) about sending US citizens convicted of crimes to El Salvador where they will be housed (for a fee) along with undocumented (non citizen) deportees.
We have to remember that less than a third of eligible voters marked Trump/Vance on their ballots. I would imagine that less than a third of those really want the kind of cruelty and chaos that seems to be manifesting. Over a third of those eligible to vote chose NOT to vote — for ALL kinds of reasons and non reasons.
Does immersion in literature and the humanities REALLY generate empathy in any meaningful way??? I don’t know. Does such immersion actually isolate those engaged in it and widen chasms of misunderstandings between them and others with vastly different experiences in life???? I don’t know. The answers are probably “yes and no” and “no and yes” for whatever that is worth.
The fear is that more and more Americans don’t believe in either democracy or the rule of law. Or is it that they believe (in democracy and the rule of law) so incredulously that they imagine another dose of shock treatment may help our polity come to its senses so that so many of us may feel a bit less ignored, disparaged, judged, and condemned. That surely means working to overcome racism and patriarchy, but it also means WORKING to overcome classism and snobbery.
I wonder if it would it be missing the point to send this to my brother-in-law.
I love this very much and have sent it to my family.
Does immersion in literature and the humanities REALLY make us “better” people? (Trick question!)
It might not be the biggest driver (it’s NOT!), but a lot of people felt reinforced to vote whatever way they did last November because they felt that this made them “better” than others — or because of resentment that others felt somehow superior to them.
It might not be the biggest driver (it’s not!), but one of the “reinforcers” for people who are not overly concerned about fascist threats to the democratic rule-of-law is that those of us who tend to bleat (whine?, harangue?, preach?) about them are the same types who police (judge?, condemn?, deride?, scorn?) other people’s language, information sources, judgment, and political affiliations.
Things are already more chaotic and provocative than (part of me) expected with this “new” “administration”. Today high level federal officials are talking (seriously?) about sending US citizens convicted of crimes to El Salvador where they will be housed (for a fee) along with undocumented (non citizen) deportees.
We have to remember that less than a third of eligible voters marked Trump/Vance on their ballots. I would imagine that less than a third of those really want the kind of cruelty and chaos that seems to be manifesting. Over a third of those eligible to vote chose NOT to vote — for ALL kinds of reasons and non reasons.
Does immersion in literature and the humanities REALLY generate empathy in any meaningful way??? I don’t know. Does such immersion actually isolate those engaged in it and widen chasms of misunderstandings between them and others with vastly different experiences in life???? I don’t know. The answers are probably “yes and no” and “no and yes” for whatever that is worth.
The fear is that more and more Americans don’t believe in either democracy or the rule of law. Or is it that they believe (in democracy and the rule of law) so incredulously that they imagine another dose of shock treatment may help our polity come to its senses so that so many of us may feel a bit less ignored, disparaged, judged, and condemned. That surely means working to overcome racism and patriarchy, but it also means WORKING to overcome classism and snobbery.