hip hop and politics and civility

[Noelle McAfee]

A young woman named Lisa Sullivan spoke at a conference last fall on civil
society, sponsored by _Social Policy_ and the Kettering Foundation.  She's
been organizing young people in major cities by using hip hop as a common
denominator and then organizing meetings/festivals in which these young
people come together and learn about politics and political action.
Because I'm of another age and culture, I haven't paid as much attention
(as I wish I had) to her work, or I'd let you all know more about it.
Clearly she finds something politically useful in hip hop. If anyone's
interested, I'll call her, get details, and let you know more.  We
published her talk in the last issue of the _Kettering Review_.  If anyone
wants that, send me (privately) your snail mail address and I'll get it to
you.

By the way, I'm very interested -- theoretically and practically -- in
politics and the Frankfurt School (and feminism and poststructuralism).  I
find rather boring debates that try to separate politics from academe and
theory from practice.  (What kind of practice doesn't have some theory
behind it?  My political work in labor unions and progressive politics is
certainly informed by theory.)  And I find rather offensive the ad hominem
attacks that go on here -- by a very loud minority (maybe a minority of
one?).  It is disheartening, and quite a departure from the civility I find
on other lists I'm on (--especially, by the way, lists with more women on
them). My guess is that the tiresome ones on this list have other issues in
their lives, I don't know what.  I just wish we weren't subjected to them.

I like Doug's approach.  I'd like to add to it with an example.  Some
colleagues of mine were part of an ongoing dialogue, during the cold war,
between prominent Americans and Soviets (prominent but not officials of
government).  They met once or twice a year for thirty years, trying to
create a public space for unnofficial diplomacy. (They were called the
Dartmouth Conferences.) They developed an etiquette that might be useful
here.  Whenever a newcomer would join them who liked to launch into some
vitriolic attack on the other side, the rest of the participants would fold
their hands and begin staring at the ceiling until the newcomer got the
message.  Now, they were decidedly not in the business of avoiding hard
issues -- but they did know that *vitriol didn't help such deliberations,
it only sidetracked them*.

Could we develop a cyber-analog of this etiquette?  Remember, civility is
not just a matter of "being nice"; it's a matter of creating a space in
which public deliberation (not posturing) can take place.  Any takers?

___________________________________

Noelle McAfee
Department of Philosophy
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas 78712
voice: (512) 708-9633
fax: (512) 708-8795
noelle@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu