Well, I've always considered myself a great thinker but, after reviewing some of my earlier work, I was not always correct in that belief. When I was in high school, I wrote poetry all the time. I reached a point where I was writing 10+ poems a week. Many of these poems have been lost over time, but I still have about 95 or so on my computer. So I've been re-reading them and, WOW, some things that I thought were amazing were really just a trite attempt at seeming deep, thoughtful, or wise-for-my-age. I'm not saying that there were no gems in the work that I produced then, but it definitely wasn't the greatest collection of poetry since Psalms as I then thought. This is a testament to the idea that you shouldn't read your own press, because it will definitely have your head swollen.
Pseudo-Intellectualism
Though I intend to one day be a noteworthy scholar in the areas of African-American studies (with special emphasis on the black male experience) and the psychology of marginalized peoples, I am not yet there. However, I am making a sincere attempt to make strides in that direction. As such, I read as many texts as time permits, attempt to engage other people on relevant related subjects, and consume visual/auditory material to expose myself to various perspectives on these subjects. Given that, I am PARTICULARLY bothered by people who consider them experts on subjects with which they have no interaction outside of anecdote. I believe that people can share their experiences with others, but it is necessary to understand that one perspective does not necessarily encapsulate the collective experiences of all persons in a given group or context. The way that I've experienced Gary, IN or Princeton University is very different from how some others have done so. That doesn't negate the truth of our experiences, but it does inhibit each of us from considering our experience to be the sole exemplar of what it is to have grown up in Gary, IN or been educated at Princeton University. But few people are willing to believe this, because the alternative (research and particularly research which may yield answers one does not want to integrate into his understanding) is too much work.
-Sigh-
Unfortunate.
No comments:
Post a Comment