lose the jargon - more thoughts

This was going to be a comment on the end of Jane's last post but then I got too long winded (as usual) and decided a new post was the best format.

I have been thinking about this too - specifically when dealing with jargon when hopping from academia to organizing.

My working hypothesis is only use jargon or an uncommon word when:

(1) it articulates an important concept that is not captured in another, simpler word or short phrase. Anything beyond this is jargon that shouldn't exist at all, not in academics and not in daily life.

(2) when it adds a necessary level of complexity to the topic or task at hand. Some jargon does deserve to exist, in that it captures a unique concept, but is rarely appropriate to use outside of academic treatments of a subject. Concepts that are laden with historical and structural detail are probably not worth introducing into a conversation if explaining them is not going to clarify the situation at hand. For example, you probably don't need to bring up orientalism when talking about today's immigration policy with your neighbor.

College educated social justice folks often screw up on both points because they fail to strike a balance. Most obviously they overdo it, using jargon that either shouldn't exist at all, or is innapropriate for the topic at hand.

But I want to focus on the less obvious mistake of underdoing it: dumbing things down so severely - either by censoring all uncommon words or jargon, or by oversimplifying a situation - that we fail to realistically depict the thing we are trying to communicate.

These mistakes can lead to paternalist and populist forms of engaging people. We disrespect folks by talking to them in ways that assumes they are not capable of generating new and more complex thoughts, or assuming they haven't already. We do a disservice to them when we divide the world unrealistically into black and white, knowing there are shades of gray but thinking the best way to motivate others is to be harshly dualistic.

So I think we can use a little bit of jargon when engaging people if we are saavy about it. For example, it is worth making the sex/gender distinction (for those feminists who use it) when talking to a housewife about enrolling her son in gymnastics, or daughter in hockey.

The bottom line is this: the point of using any jargon should be to open up discussion, to clarify or deepen our understanding of a reality. This is in contrast to the example described by Jane, where the competitive graduate student uses it to close down discussion and obscure realities, thereby "winning" a debate or impressing others by virtue of befuddling them.

My only other thought is that we make sure to engage people conversationally, so any goofy words we want to use comes up organically in response to the direction of the conversation. Too often we get into the habit of delivering mini lectures, a holdover from our socialization experience in the university classroom. And as we use any jargon, we should not assume people know what it means. Instead, volunteer to explain any concept as you bring it up, and make sure you have established an environment in which other people know they can feel confortable interupting you to ask for clarification. Let them know that doing so means you are being unclear, rather than that they are revealing ignorance.

lose the jargon

I've been considering how to communicate across disciplines, departments, socio-economic barriers, and cultural identities. I love interdisciplinary non-fiction that challenges a homogenous set of ideas to incorporate a critical analysis of other related concerns. For example, The Journal of Ecological Economics attempts to bridge ecology with economics, which adds depth and dialogue to both disciplines. Or bell hooks describes how the feminist movement must engage African-American women and discard its classist beginnings. We isolate ourselves because it's easier being around those we know, whether we know them by their word choice, skin color, suburban roots, or value system. It is incredibly exhausting to actually listen to one another and be open-minded enough to entertain the thought that we may not be right.

I was having a conservation with two Phd students the other day about how they deal with arguments. When someone won't listen to them, they use jargon to scare them into submission. Although I don't know how often they use this strategy to get their point across, it definitely upsets me that this is an established method of winning an argument, particularly in academia. If you can write the most compicated, unintelligible model, you must know what you're talking about......hmph.

At times, I feel like a chameleon when deciding how to speak to one person or another. What type of slang should I use? Should I cuss? Should I get out my biggest words and stand up straight? Communication is tough. It's essential that my true self always shines through this particular layer of makeup. Are the gobs of paint necessary to relate to others? I often think so.

FS Road 346: A Haiku by Stacy & Jane

I pulled off the road.
Young trilliums await me.
Grass dirt and the rain.

Sloshing through the mud.
I can feel the earth below.
Pulsing breathing soil.

Wind blows mind away.
Woosh woosh wish whirl woosh shhh ptch.
Kissing lush green moss.

Orange salamanders.
Mosey on by to puddle.
Merrily frolic.

Rushing water near.
Creek appears within the mist.
Elation follows.

karmic forces in check

One chicken down, one left, and four aruacanas tomorrow.

See http://images.google.com/images?q=araucana%20chickens&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi for the beautiful aruacana.

A bantum chicken has officially been kidnapped. I haven't filed a missing chicken report yet, but I have a good idea of what happened to her (e.g. raccoon, possum, dog). While I was initially sad and felt like a despicable chicken caretaker, I feel more upbeat now. Failure is inevitable and can only bring greater joy if we keep on keeping on. Plus, the karmic rays are shining brightly on the garden. The beds are moist, the sun is beating down, and the well water is abundant. I've been reading some beat poetry - I like Gary Snyder quite a bit.

As for making social change, the neighborhood potluck/food growing extravaganza has been planned and the invitations have been sent out. Soon, Tunison Street will be a food oasis...soon!

In a request from Charlene, I will continue on this thought train: Creating a meaningful life post-college."

Now that I live somewhere where I'm invested in the soil and the neighbors, I want to spend a lot of time at my house and on this street. I can understand why we see less "activism" out of college. People have real lives where they live that they just can't pick up and get away from. Whether it's pets, plants, children, or remodeling the kitchen, home time is incredibly valuable. I've really never had that before. While I've enjoyed my living situations, I never invested time or money in a place besides putting up random posters or cleaning the toilet (forced by Katie).

Furthermore, the larger community is more present in my daily life in that I organize with many folks outside of the university scene. And I like it. The college scene is limited to the extent that it doesn't represent (many) other ways of life and keeps me in a privileged resource base. However, I still live in a privileged community that has many resources, so I haven't moved that far.

Finally, I try to experiment with actually living my life instead of thinking in the past or the future. The present is not so bad. If we're mindful of small daily activities and take pleasure and truth from them, we can always find meaning.