Lorraine at Liza’s Culture Kitchen sorrowfully aknowledges the passing of cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz, who almost 20 years ago observed:
“The next necessary thing…is neither the construction of a universal Esperanto-like culture…nor the invention of some vast technology of human management.
It is to enlarge the possibility of intelligible discourse between people quite different from one another in interest, outlook, wealth, and power, and yet contained in a world where tumbled as they are into endless connection, it is increasingly difficult to get out of each other’s way.“
CASE IN POINT from today’s NYT –
“They are here on their own. They are raising themselves. And they are angry.”
WANDA DALIET, a science teacher, on high school students in New Orleans living without their parents.
Recrimination and finger pointing have been ample, and state officials are on the defensive…
“When we get our students to respond in a different way,” (Mr. Jackson) said, “then I can back off. We’re trying to train our students to resolve conflict, and that’s something they haven’t been able to do.”
Just coming here to add this link. Kids are suffering and all the news can cover is squabbling politicians. “Difficult to get out of each other’s way” indeed.
Nance