uzi yr words

Diane HODGES (dchodges who-is-at interchange.ubc.ca)
Wed, 2 Jun 1999 00:41:30 -0800

At 11:00 6/2/99, Linda Polin wrote:
>My child's kindergarten spends a lot of time and energy on two coping
>strategies:
>"Use your words" is the admonition and "I don't like that; stop it." and
>phrases like that are the suggested responses.

hi linda -
i was glad you raised the issues of contact and touching in
schools - what has yoinked my cord is that
institutional artifactual speech act: "Use Your Words"

because as a hobby deconstructionist (Derrida shrieks somewhere, FOLLE!! FOLLE!)
that phrase implodes
every time i hear it issued to kids like currency -

it is a lie, first of all;
second, it assumes kids can articulate the complexity of social interactions
when let's face it, adults are no better than kids at that;

meaning, there are no "words" to "use" in conflicts;
it is an empty phrase,

like a directive that gets parroted to kids who can learn
what from it? learning to speak with self-respect is one thing -
i am all for that; learning about intimacy and contact and how to
speak about that is sooo important;

but the phrase, "use your words" needs to be
seriously re-examined: whose words? which words?

not griping at you linda, but at the ninnies who invented this
moronic mantra for erasing social complexities and denying kids an
educational opportunity to learn about social complexities.

i've got a few words i'd like to use, i;ll tell ya,
grrr

diane

""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""
When she walks,
the revolution's coming.
In her hips, there's revolution.
When she talks, I hear revolution.
In her kiss, I taste the revolution.
(by Kathleen Hanna: Riot Grrl)
******************************************
diane celia hodges
university of british columbia
faculty of graduate studies,
centre for the study of curriculum and instruction,
vancouver, british columbia, canada

email: dchodges who-is-at interchnage.ubc.ca