AYE, now there's the rub. "Individualism" as an ideology, also offers an
interesting etymological hint to its potency: "indivi" = [L> "in-," (not) +
"dividere" (to divide)] -
and also, "indivi" (indivisible) + "dual" (two/pair/dualism...?)
...if there were a way to "discourse" strategically to describe the
inherent sociality of the person, in 'everyday' language, I wonder what
sort of difference it would make? If we were to articulate a different
value system, which didn't valourize the individual, but... something else
which described the sociality of persons - in contexts such as we've been
discussing - in terms of quality, consistency of quality, ...in terms of
maturity (knowing when to leave someone alone; being able to spend time
alone, being able to recognize what is sacred about solitide, as much as
what is sacred about relations, and sociality)...
it's no secret that I am most intrigued by the materiality of words,
and so, it seems indeed I am seeking the words to
speak differently.
And especially in this "age" of information, where words are in such excess
( ah! desire: what do we really weant to say? = Lacan's theory of desire, I
think, suggested that our behaviours are enactments of "excess", that we
act out on the
basis of what we "desire" but are socially-organized to suppress our
desires; thus, behaviours reflect the excess of that unfulfillment...
in terms of excess information, and Freud's ideas about word-things, and
words and desires, I wonder what is so frantically *not* being said in the
deluge of meaningless reams of information? what is concealed by all the
talk?) -
...there certainly is an extraordinary struggle underway, historically,...
and the most positive "event" which goes a long way to describing the kinds
of relations which we have considered here,
are the examples of gay extended families, where "families" of gay &
lesbians adopt, artificailly-inseminate, or however, and raise a child in
the shared environment of multiple caregivers, - proving, really, that the
quality of the relations (PLURAL) are what matter, not the quantity, nor
the sexuality, and so on. These models of "millenium" families (ho ho) may
offer us a language which articulates some sort of "progress" in social
development?
diane, thinking aloud...
"Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right." Ani Difranco
*********************************************
diane celia hodges
faculty of education, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction,
university of british columbia
vancouver, bc canada
snailmail: 3519 Hull Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5N 4R8