The Amen Corner:
"Blackness" and the Populism of Common Sense
By Mark Anthony Neal
"The use of the N-word is unacceptable," Stephanie Brown, director of the NAACP’s Youth and College Division announced, adding that "Every time we use the N-word, we disgrace the ancestors who came before us." The setting for Brown’s pronouncement was a mock funeral, for the word “nigger” that was part of the programming for the NAACP’s National Convention in Detroit, MI. According to Michael H. Cottman of BlackAmericaWeb.com, Brown’s words, “brought the crowd," numbered in the thousands “to their feet.” I’ve been here before. Conventional wisdom suggest that when faced with crises and uncertainties, one should rely on their common sense, but when applied to conditions that confront large communities, such wisdom profoundly undermines the possibilities of bringing new ideas and ways of thinking to bear on the situation. David Lionel Smith observed more than a decade ago, “Common sense is not critically self-conscious, and its function is to facilitate conformity and adaptation to familiar circumstances. It thrives on familiarity and fears change, and therefore common sense is profoundly conservative.” While all points-of-view need to be acknowledged and valued in the “marketplace of ideas,” the thunderous applause and standing ovations that often accompany common sense responses, at times shut down and silence alternative points of view, particularly if it goes against conventional wisdom. Indeed common sense borders on a form of populism, that denies black communities access to the fullest range of strategies to address our conditions.
Read the Full Essay at CRITICAL NOIR @ Vibe.com
By Mark Anthony Neal
"The use of the N-word is unacceptable," Stephanie Brown, director of the NAACP’s Youth and College Division announced, adding that "Every time we use the N-word, we disgrace the ancestors who came before us." The setting for Brown’s pronouncement was a mock funeral, for the word “nigger” that was part of the programming for the NAACP’s National Convention in Detroit, MI. According to Michael H. Cottman of BlackAmericaWeb.com, Brown’s words, “brought the crowd," numbered in the thousands “to their feet.” I’ve been here before. Conventional wisdom suggest that when faced with crises and uncertainties, one should rely on their common sense, but when applied to conditions that confront large communities, such wisdom profoundly undermines the possibilities of bringing new ideas and ways of thinking to bear on the situation. David Lionel Smith observed more than a decade ago, “Common sense is not critically self-conscious, and its function is to facilitate conformity and adaptation to familiar circumstances. It thrives on familiarity and fears change, and therefore common sense is profoundly conservative.” While all points-of-view need to be acknowledged and valued in the “marketplace of ideas,” the thunderous applause and standing ovations that often accompany common sense responses, at times shut down and silence alternative points of view, particularly if it goes against conventional wisdom. Indeed common sense borders on a form of populism, that denies black communities access to the fullest range of strategies to address our conditions.
Read the Full Essay at CRITICAL NOIR @ Vibe.com
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