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Feb. 5th, 2013 04:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogThis quote is on the front page of the syllabus of my LGBTQ studies class: "I could shelter myself from conflict by leaving the conversation, but I have come to believe that the comfort we feel when we avoid hard conversations is a dangerous comfort, one that seduces us into ignorance about the experiences of others and about the full meaning of our own lives." -Mari J. Matsuda
This gets at why I feel like it's important to have discussions about difficult things in places like Facebook, and why I (when I have time) write back with opinions and thoughts in response to memes or discussions elsewhere. I think the belief that social nicety requires an illusion of agreement is a problematic one that leads to unconsidered opinions. But disagreement doesn't have to create anger or resentment either. Surely we can have civil, and even enjoyable, discussions about issues that are thought of as 'difficult' if we all come at it from in the right way.
I'm excited about this class, by the way. It's the first time it's been taught here and I feel really good about the first day.
This gets at why I feel like it's important to have discussions about difficult things in places like Facebook, and why I (when I have time) write back with opinions and thoughts in response to memes or discussions elsewhere. I think the belief that social nicety requires an illusion of agreement is a problematic one that leads to unconsidered opinions. But disagreement doesn't have to create anger or resentment either. Surely we can have civil, and even enjoyable, discussions about issues that are thought of as 'difficult' if we all come at it from in the right way.
I'm excited about this class, by the way. It's the first time it's been taught here and I feel really good about the first day.
