Colliding Discourses

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Crash - "Car Jacking"

In this clip from the movie Crash, we see examples of conflicting Discourses, as well as the differences between learned and acquired Discourses. Anthony (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) and his friend Peter (Larenz Tate) are two black men living in Los Angeles. They live the Discourse of the socio-economically lower class black man, but they have also learned a Discourse that allows them to talk about their lives in relation to other people. Here, I will call their learned Discourse the Black Victimization Discourse. Anthony is particularly caught up in this way of seeing the world, and sees everything from poor service at a restaurant to Jean (Sandra Bullock) grabbing her husband's arm as evidence that the world only sees him as a thuggish criminal, and only thus because of his skin color. It is interesting to note that although he disdains this label that he perceives others give to him, he actually fits it fairly well, especially at the end of the scene when he ends up stealing a car with Peter. This movie presents an interesting idea: the ability to learn and master new Discourses through learning does not necessarily mean that one can or will practice a different Discourse.

Writing Taboos

Prompt: What were you taught NEVER to do as a writer? Come up with about two or three such mandates, and write some of your reflections about each one. Was this rule a good one? Are there sound reasons for it? Are there times when you can/should ignore it?

Rule 1: Do not use unnecessary words.

This rule has come almost exclusively from my Philosophy professors, but I do not see it as a Philosophy-specific rule. When I look back on my writing from freshman year (an experience that is always simultaneously humbling and encouraging), one of my biggest problems was that I used too many words and sentences to convey one, simple idea. By following this rule, I was able to make my ideas clearer and easier to understand. It has been an immensely helpful rule, but I do not believe that it applies to all types of writing. There are many wonderful, short poems and stories, but an experienced writer knows how to use all lengths of sentences and paragraphs to his end, and should never follow this rule as a Commandment.

Rule 2: Never write and edit on the same day.

This is one of my personal rules, and it is one that I try to adhere to as much as possible. On a very practical level, it prevents you from procrastinating. You should never turn in a rough draft, and by choosing to edit on a different day, you force yourself to plan ahead. It is amazing how a sentence that sounded excellent in the moment you wrote it turns out to be quite silly the next day. The creative/writing mindset is quite different from the critical/editing mindset, and it is often helpful to give oneself a day to transition between the two.