Thursday, August 15, 2013

It's an interesting idea: insofar as social structures are invisible, we mis-read the actions of other people. As a boy, I certainly misunderstood my father because I failed to understand that the McCarthy era had a permanent effect upon him, and he genuinely feared losing his job should his teenage son turn out to be a communist. So, too, when I gripe and whine about my current situations, I may be blind to social or cultural factors influencing me or others. That is a risk; and, for that reason I have written many times that while I try to say what's true (even if it is a merely "personal" truth about myself) I do not pretend to full scholarly or scientific objectivity. That's the best I can do right now by way of apology should a friend or acquaintance be personally offended by anything I've written here.

No comments:

Post a Comment