Intro to Literary Theory: Common Sense is Complicated

"You'd need to know how photosynthesis works to research green plants, but if your work is successful, it may change the way we understand what photosynthesis means." (The Theory Toolbox 87) This, to me, was reminiscent of Frank Navasky in You've Got Mail: "Technologically speaking, the world's out of hand. Take the VCR. The whole idea of a VCR is that it makes it possible for you to tape what's on television while you're out of the house. But the whole point of being out of the house is so you can miss what's on television." I think that Mr. Navasky would have enjoyed The Theory Toolbox more than me, but I will say that this was one of the most interesting chapters.

To say that an ideologist is someone with their head in the clouds seems counterintuitive. Don't ideologists have great ideas? Apparently not, because ideas are not realities. I have posted before that I am not a realist, therefore this is not something I can really get behind. I love ideas. I thrive on ideas. Although unlike the politicians accused by Nealon & Giroux, I actually follow through with mine.

The statement, "You have to agree with ideology, or there's something wrong with you," made me pause to consider all of the times I have been guilty of saying, "It's common sense!" In terms of fashion, it's common sense that you should never pair black and brown. Yet when done right, it can be brilliant. It's also "common sense" that you shouldn't wear white after Labor Day but I think that's ludicrous. White is a lovely winter color. So I too am guilty of committing common sense fraud.

Nealon & Giroux write that "all meaning is contextual; all contexts are social," and I think that is something that Americans lose sight of. (Nealon 91) We are so often guilty of assuming that the American ideologies are the right ones, or even the only ones. For example/zum Beispiel, it is common courtesy to extend invitations to your home or somewhere, even if you never intend to follow through. ("Hey! How's it going? We should totally grab coffee sometime!") But in Germany, it would never be considered polite to mention that off-hand and never mention it again. For that matter, it is not polite to invite yourself to see a German's home, because they are much more private than Americans about their homes.