2005-07-27 - 2:39 p.m.
paulo freire says that the language of abstraction is the language of privilege- that those without formal education speak in the concrete
perhaps that is generally true, i don't know. but i do think that people have a large capacity for abstraction depending on the idea. the idea that socialism is too idealistic because people don't have an incentive to work (whereas capitalism provides that incentive) is an extremely abstract idea.
i posit that abstract ideas become difficult to accept and/or apply when they contradict "common sense."
stuart hall develops the concept of "common sense," extending gramsci's idea of "hegemony," the ideological mechanisms of civil society. common sense is a unsystematic and contradictory accumulation of ideas and experiences.
people can believe, because of "common sense," that capitalism creates an incentive to work hard which socialism lacks. at the same time, they know that the harder they work at McDonald's, the more money the franchise-owner and corporation makes (this is the essence of "surplus value").
the dominant ideology of america-as-meritocracy dominates "common sense." (a sidenote about common sense: it's easier to rationalize your worldview for your actions/situation, harder to adjust your actions/situation to your worldview- common sense is often born from rationalization)
appealling to common sense is a central strategy in organizing, particularly past experiences, sometimes ideological influences.
