Oh look, there's the point of the humanities
Via @tinkerbill on Twitter: an organization in Wisconsin is trying to remove a book about a gay teenager from a library and literally burn it, on the grounds that it is "explicitly vulgar, racial [sic] and anti-Christian". Impressive. These concerned citizens clearly have a great deal of experience at speaking out against the racialiminosity that still pervades our culture.
Elsewhere, Avalon's Willow describes how total ignorance about other cultures causes people to completely miss instances of whitewashing and other forms of racism. All too many are incapable of interpreting what happens around them, for no reason other than an utter lack of relevant knowledge about the societies they are a part of.
For all those who like to question the purpose of the humanities, and the humanities people who find it hard to articulate a solid answer: that was it. Students and researchers in the humanities clarify what human beings say, do, and create, in a manner that is understandable for other human beings who belong to a different group. We look for ways to educate people about other people. We translate people so that others will be able to understand them as fellow humans, take an interest in them, and hopefully grasp the importance of learning, learning, and learning all through their lives. It's unfortunate that so many don't see the relevancy of humanities research and study. It's beyond sad that so many of those actually engaged in said research and study don't see the point of what they're doing, either.
(The concept of area studies as "translating" another culture was suggested to me by someone on the racism_101 LJ community during a discussion on cultural appropriation, but I can't find the link anymore. If anyone recognizes his/her words here, please give me a nudge.)
Elsewhere, Avalon's Willow describes how total ignorance about other cultures causes people to completely miss instances of whitewashing and other forms of racism. All too many are incapable of interpreting what happens around them, for no reason other than an utter lack of relevant knowledge about the societies they are a part of.
For all those who like to question the purpose of the humanities, and the humanities people who find it hard to articulate a solid answer: that was it. Students and researchers in the humanities clarify what human beings say, do, and create, in a manner that is understandable for other human beings who belong to a different group. We look for ways to educate people about other people. We translate people so that others will be able to understand them as fellow humans, take an interest in them, and hopefully grasp the importance of learning, learning, and learning all through their lives. It's unfortunate that so many don't see the relevancy of humanities research and study. It's beyond sad that so many of those actually engaged in said research and study don't see the point of what they're doing, either.
(The concept of area studies as "translating" another culture was suggested to me by someone on the racism_101 LJ community during a discussion on cultural appropriation, but I can't find the link anymore. If anyone recognizes his/her words here, please give me a nudge.)