"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do." I don't want Trump. I don't like the hate. Only a hope-opopotamus will bring us all some joy. If you sang the last three sentences in your head to the rhythm of I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, then you did exactly what my brain has been doing with every thought for the past week. The last year has been daunting to say the least. As I sit here on my couch and attempted to tell you how to #FuckTheNorm, I am overrun with the extreme amounts of hatred in the world. Showing hatred, distain, and demonizing people for various reason has become a new normal, and that is not okay.
(Hippopotamus figure spinning in a circle on one foot with their mouth open, presumably happy)
The purpose of this blog entry is to call for an everyday action: kindness. At this point in society, everyone views clash with someone else, however hate is hurtful. Choosing to believe in positivity and unity is what will lead people to want to cooperate and find points of agreement. Additionally, when individuals find collectivity through kindness it allows for community building to form. "Community, understood in conjunction with solidarity and coalition, lies at the center of a feminist value system (hooks 43). As a concept, community refers to the understanding that members of a group have of themselves as a collective and how they relate to each other based on that understanding." This quote can be accessed here: https://my.vanderbilt.edu/femped/habits-of-heart/community/
As individuals in a collective society, we have collectively lost sight of finding common ground and understanding for different positions. The new "normal" is to stand on one side of an issue and stay there. However, when thinking about different forms of pedagogy that we have learned throughout the semester, if everyone had said that they were not going to listen to the philosophies of Freire or hooks or decided to not read Fish, then we would never have exposer to different ideas. I can imagine at the end of the semester that none of us will have the exact same philosophy for teaching or engaging students. In that same regard, in our classroom environment we expand on ideas and ask questions, whereas the majority of people in society do not. We have to shoot positivity and understanding into the world.
(Person from The Grinch who is shooting a cannon that strings lights moving from one side to the other in a shooting fashion)
Times have changed from having one computer in the house to most people have multiple computers of different sizes in their procession. The access to information, whether that be misinformation, disinformation, or factually based information, is at an all time high. However, the amount of information sharing and absorption that happens on a given date has exponentially increased from generations prior. Understanding that everyone is constantly taking in information on various topics at a giving time has lead to the new norm of polarized thought that closes of an individual's mind.
In graduate school, we are constantly surrounded by information. Being surrounded by information on a constant basis can leave to people becoming overwhelmed. If you do not believe me, check out almost any other post on this blog. We become discouraged and lose hope for a brighter future at points of consumption due to effects of polarized thought. We have to have understanding. We need hope in this trying time of COVID and politics. To be more specifics, we need a Hope-opopotamus for Christmas! We have to give out positivity and understanding for it to be reciprocated. Be the Hope-opopotamus and #FuckTheNorm of polarized grouping. Attempt to understand individuals who are coming from a different position than you, but always take the time to self-care because you have to put yourself first. Here is to hoping for a Hope-opopotamus for Christmas 2020! #FuckThe Norm
Articles referenced:
https://my.vanderbilt.edu/femped/habits-of-heart/community/
Alyx,
ReplyDeleteI must start my comment by saying that I did indeed read the opening lines of your blog in tune! I really appreciate your vulnerability and willingness to disclose your feeling of being overwhelmed with information. I completely identify with that experience!
I really value your attendance to hope and understanding. I know the students in your classes are met with the much-needed positivity you so often provide for your fellow TAs and peers. Thank you for all the support this semester!
-Becca