From: brumback-AT-ncgate.newcollege.edu
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:50:33 -0800
Subject: Re: M-TH: Fall of the English Empire


Yoshi wrote:

>Look, Dennis, I am sure your class is a good mix of fun & enlightenment,
>but words are not deeds, and individual deeds are not collective actions,
>and not all collective actions are revolutionary in nature. By the end of
>each quarter, my students are more "aware," so to speak. So are your
>students. The same with Michael's, Carrol's (before his retirement), Rob's,
>etc. But the fact of the matter is that we still live under capitalism &
>imperialism, and that's what I was trying to say.
>
>Weak unions are better than no union, I agree. But even if all college
>teachers get unionized (and they would, if I had my wish), that alone does
>not abolish class relations, does it?
>
>The uses and limits of educational and other reforms under capitalism
>should be kept in mind while we struggle for what needs to be done at this
>moment.
>
>Lastly, even at the level of cultural hegemony (not to mention military
>hegemony), the American-English Empire has yet to fall. For instance, what
>language are we using to discuss the hoped-for fall of this empire? Your
>Pacific Rim studies had better include this fact.
>

Yoshie,

No matter how hard we listers shut our eyes and wish for the revolution to
happen tomorrow, it won't until the people are ready for it. So, how will
the people become ready for it? By gaining awareness and confidence in their
own power to make a difference. 

Revolutionary awareness can be created in the classroom by helping students
see that (1) we have social, economic, and ecological problems which affect
us all, (2) all our problems are related because they derive from one source
-- the capitalist system, and (3) we must unite together to solve our
problems by ending capitalism and establishing a democratic socialist society.

Revolutionary confidence can be created in the classroom by helping students
(1) realize that knowledge derives from one's own life as well as from
"academia," (2) view the academic canon from the perspective of one's own
perspective and vice versa, and (3) express one's values, opinions, and
learning to their compatriots, while at the same time listening to values,
opinions, and learning of their compatriots. Learning about ourselves,
learning about each other, learning to communicate -- how to meet the other
person where they are "at."

This may be difficult to achieve at a mainstream school, because of course
the schools are an arm of the state -- they teach everyone to do the same
thing at the same time, and above all to accept someone else's authority
over their own. I feel very fortunate that I am able to teach like this
where I work, but I know that everyone can't where they work, cause I used
to work in a traditional school too. If all schools were like my school,
then we would be having the revolution today; and as we all know, we are
not! (PS: Don't get all jealous of me now, because I don't get paid crap!)

I guess the point is -- there is an "alternative" tradition out there that
is good for something besides massage and aroma therapy (which is not to say
that massage and aroma therapy is necessarily bad, either).

Cheers,

Nancy



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