Post Structuralism

I've always sort of nodded and smiled when I heard the term, not really knowing what it was, not really interested in letting some pretentious philosophy major try to explain it to me. I think today I got my first understanding of post-structuralism at my internship today.

I was talking to the guy I'm interning for about finding what he called counter-narrative articles. We are doing a documentary about how Arabs are depicted in the media as terrorists and such (it's more complicated - we go into other stereotypes and historical associations). The counter-narrative language to that would be, Arabs are depicted as terrorists, because most terrorists are Arab. Some may call that common sense.

We then went into Arabs arguing such a point and he talked about being an Uncle Tom. I expressed my extreme dislike for the term because it presupposes that there is a "correct" way for certain people of certain races to behave or think because it is consistent with the rest of the way the race thinks - as if there is some type of collective consciousness. I'm still a hold out for individual autonomy....that a black person doesn't need to apologize for being a Republican, if they agree more with the Republican party than the Democrats.

We talked about Condi and Powell and Clarence T, all of whom rode the back of affirmative action to get where they are and now disagree with it as a principle. I put forth the possibility that affirmative action was once needed and that it has served it's purpose and now is more of a problem than a solution. I don't actually agree with this, but I think an African American is certainly entitled to have that view.

He argued that such a view is to say, "I got here on my own merits and all you who didn't - it was your own damn fault." Perhaps. Perhaps they're both true.

But regardless...to the post-structural aspect. He agreed that everyone, no matter what race, is entitled to think and take action however they want. Condi, Powell, CT, included. But his point was this - the power structures elevate those with true beliefs (or even false beliefs) that are consistent with the structure. The point isn't about the individual, the point is what type of individual excels within the structure they are a part of. The structure serves itself and to what extent the individual is useful for the structure, is where the individual finds him or herself.

He didn't say it exactly like that, but it is what I got out of it. That is to say, take 6 black children, all Condi, Powell, and CT's age. All six have equal intelligence, aptitude, blah, blah, blah. But they all have different ideology and characters and some are threatening to the preexisting power structures and others reinforce the preexisting power structures. Now, the argument, I guess, is that these power structures have no legitimacy outside themselves...that is, they are entities interested in self preservation - just like anything else. The three, Condi, Powell, and CT rise and succeed, reinforcing the structures. Others fall by the wayside or die, Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Magic Johnson...you kinda get the point.

I'm not sure I agree with it all, but it's some food for thought.