PetalswiththeWind Bourdieu

Whenever someone asks what am I studying in Critical Approaches to Postmodern Culture. The first response I get after explaining a concept is a creased forehead. Then, accordingly they either shrug it of, or inquire further, “Why is that important for you to learn in college?” Bourdieu explains this phenomenon as print media, “suits everybody because it confirms what they already know and above all, leaves their mental structures intact” (329). As a result, print circulation abates the so called modern culture, and what it is actually leaving “intact” is the old familiar traditional “mental structures” (329). Generalizations are what make the news, which can account for the generalizations and stereotypes that compose the mentality of the “general” public. This simplified knowledge of reality not only stunts the growth of nations, but also the world. “Knowledge is power”, but how much power can people hold, if their minds are set on only what they are told. What is the fear behind knowing the truth? Who are “they” protecting, us or themselves?

The fear could be one of a revolution, if streamlined thinking is interrupted (329). The only way to fix a problem is by being aware of it. Thus, if we are all oblivious to the real problems in the world; how are we supposed to rectify them? The biggest misconception is that this simplified reality will lead to a better life. Has it, and if so, for whom? What is wrong with questioning the unknown; because, once it is discovered it becomes the known. And the more we know, the more powerful we are as a nation, as a world. So are we comforted in a state of ignorance? Is ignorance really blissful? Doesn’t it always appear so at first, until all that is covered up by language explodes!

So my answer to the questions to all the naysay regarding PoMo culture is the extraordinary theories we study will make this a better world.