"Status quo. Go in peace."
I knew a man when I was an undergraduate who wore a black leather jacket, on which he painted messages designed to provoke thought, my favorite being these five seemingly innocent words. Masked in their neutrality, though, lies a deep challenge to think beyond the confines of everyday experience toward a more meaningful existence. While this may be achieved through a variety of means, perhaps the most permanent avenue for such exploration is through the limitless lens of critical thought.
Although normalcy can be escaped through a variety of other means, be they various chemical substances, sexual pleasures, comedic entertainment or physical exertion, to name a few, the most pervasive and steady method of resisting boredom and insignificance just might be through critical education.
By this, I am referring to the continuous questioning and engagement central to any truly democratic society; an education contrasted by blindly accepting things as they currently exist. Critical thought need not be synonymous with negative commentary, though. Rather, critical in this sense refers to a deep analysis of the assumptions and values that underpin everyday life.
Refusing to accept the current state of society at face value, critical thinking allows us all to examine the whys and hows of our life, arriving at what are often unsettling conclusions. As my leather-clad philosopher friend understood, accepting the status quo allows us all to "go in peace." This isn't wholly bad, so long as we utilize this strategy sparingly.
Herein lies the problem, though: we have been told to go in peace too often, for too long, as evidenced by the resistance to provocative thought and often in these very pages.
When someone inextricably links possessing a penis to the color of one's wardrobe, we are in a crisis of critical thought. When men's bodies are discussed as being inherently ugly compared to women's, nothing is being challenged.
The sky is blue because it is blue. "Go in peace."
Critical thought and education are disruptive, stimulating endeavors that serve to counter the steady voices telling us to accept such things at surface level.
What happens when we undermine the status quo?
What happens to beauty when we question just why it is that we view women's bodies as somehow more beautiful than men's? What happens to masculinity when we question how in the world a shirt color is a biological characteristic?
Whatever we want.
This is extremely frightening, particularly within a society defined by rigid gender, sexuality and beauty standards. True liberation necessitates that we reject "peace" in favor of a war against conventional definitions in a social order not of our own choosing.
Who is to say what I wear? Who is to say that my body is ugly? Who is to tell me what is humorous, intelligent, sexually attractive, artistic, free, fashionable or any other social construction?
Recognizing that these definitions are created, perpetuated and prescribed doesn't make them any less real in their influence. It merely allows us to understand that our lives are not wholly determined by some natural flow of events, without room for individually critical thought and action. Given this understanding, we can work to more actively participate in social, political and economic affairs, rather than passively accepting them, as is.
Shouldn't this be the true goal of any education, particularly at a selective university working to prepare students to leave in a more informed state than they entered? My hopeful answer to this is, "undoubtedly."
If the status quo is what we all want, then a more honest word may to describe our experiences would be training. Perhaps I am too optimistic, but training is not the only goal the majority of us came to college to fulfill.
I want challenge. I want to be unsettled. I want disruption. I will not go in peace.
Don't waste your time, money and energy here if you want peace. There are too many of us already in the business of telling everyone the sky is blue. Commit to taking your education to places where the sky is red and men wear beautiful, soft, pink skirts.
Liberatory education never looked so good.
Steve Kehnel
stevekehnel@hotmail.com
17 Archives
