no status quo

            If places like Tuskagee College and Lincoln University can be described as historically Black, the University of Missouri (and the overwhelming majority of educational institutions) can be just as accurately described as historically White, male and upper-class. Of course, no one calls MU or other universities that because white bourgeois norms are generally accepted as the neutral/positive status quo – not as dominant or hegemonic. If you ever hear me complain about the journalism school here (of which I am an alumna), my biggest critique is of this “status quo is neutral” mentality that the journalism professors and students overwhelming fail to discuss. It’s a real problem that results in lots of poorly written, dull, classist, heterosexist, et. al. news articles that lack diversity and any element of critical thinking.

To some extent, this mode of thinking and its accompanying classroom dynamics exist throughout the university setting. I’m really glad we’re attempting to critically engage ideas of diversity and classroom dynamics, but this forum of an online discussion board provides, at least for me, a limited space in which to discuss somewhat taboo topics that are hard to discuss openly. I’d much rather talk about the influence of race and class prejudice aloud with my colleagues than post them on a message board that’s open to the public, because I think people can be more honest and candid when their words aren’t searchable; I hope future class time allows for that discussion.

That said, I think hooks brings up some great points about the normalizing of bourgeois social and academic norms. Her realization that class is “more than just a question of money, that it shaped values, attitudes, social relations, and the biases that informed the way knowledge would be given and received,” echoes thoughts I’ve had over the past year, especially since beginning graduate school (hooks 178). The unspoken expectation of classroom dynamics is definitely one of reserved bourgeois norms of only speaking when asked or politely volunteering to speak. I acknowledge that this is learning on the white man’s terms, and that’s not fair, but how can an instructor maintain a dynamic where everyone’s voice is heard? Some people are understandably silenced by rigid bourgeois norms of communication because they feel their way of speaking will be met with hostility; others are silenced when fellow students overtalk or interrupt them, because interrupting can feel like a devaluing of that person’s thoughts. Damn – what can a balanced dynamic look like?