Commonplace 1
But very often this other is an interiorized representative of what I shall call the “fashion-beauty complex.” Like the “military-industrial complex,” the fashion-beauty complex is a major articulation of capitalist patriarchy.
-Barkty, Narcissism, Femininity and Alienation
I think this is a strong analogy to connect an established ideology with an unestablished one. It does a good job blending them together to make it more convincing.
Commonplace 2:
“And the young, white revolutionary remains, in general, far more romantic than a black one. White people have managed to get through entire lifetimes in this euphoric state, but black people have not been so lucky. A black man sees the world the way John Wayne, for example, sees it would not be an eccentric patriot, but a raving maniac.” (James Baldwin)
I thought this statement was fascinating and powerful as it really puts into words the extent of the ignorance and bliss granted by privilege. The idea of America is one with different interpretations. Baldwin’s rhetoric points out how if a black man, given his own experiences, where to visualize society with the same positivity as a person who has benefitted on the back of that society, they would be insane. This lack of white Americans’ ability to empathize with the black experience is largely why the fight for racial equality has been such a struggle.
Commonplace 3:
Christianity takes us through tragedy to beyond tragedy, by way of the cross, to victory in the cross… The cross is victory out of defeat… And the lynching tree is transcendence of defeat… and that’s why the cross and the lynching tree belong together… Christians can’t understand what’s going on at the cross until they see it through the image of the lynching tree with black bodies hanging there…because what the Christian gospel is is a transvaluation of value, something you cannot anticipate in this world in this history but it empowers the powerless. What do you mean by power in the powerless? That’s what god is.” (James Cone)
The likening of the cross to the lynching tree is a statement so powerful that it grabs the reader’s attention and makes them listen. I really like how Cone does this to promote his bigger message of the importance of historical context.
Commonplace 4:
“One cannot correctly understand the black religious experience without an affirmation of deep faith informed by profound doubt. Suffering naturally gives rise to doubt. How can one believe in God in the face of such horrendous suffering as slavery, segregation, and the lynching tree? Under these circumstances, doubt is not a denial but an integral part of faith. It keeps faith from being sure of itself” (Cone 106).
I thought it was really effective how cone poses a question that only has one correct answer, and I feel that this strategy is very persuasive.
Commonplace 5:
“the act of faith, like every act in man’s spiritual life, is dependent on language and therefore community” (Tillich)
Tillich’s emphasis of language is super interesting and makes the reader reflect on the power of words.
Commonplace 6
“Now, researchers from Ohio State are publishing new data that suggests up to 15% of healthy college athletes show sins of heart inflammation as they recover from COVID-19”
A little different note, but I thought this was pretty effective journalism as least to me because a threat to someone’s passion is probably one of the only ways to get people who otherwise wouldn’t care to abide by protocals.
Commonplace 7:
“For who would dare to assert that eternal happiness can compensate for a single moment’s human suffering” -Albert Camus, The Plague
Again, relevant to COVID, this line makes one think about the balance between an obligation to oneself and an obligation to one’s community.
Commonplace 8
“Officer points to unarmed white man he once killed to prove he’s not racist” -The Onion
Like a lot of onion headlines, I thought it was really effective in addressing a taboo issue such as police brutality by lightening the mood while still forcing the reader into serious thought.
Commonplace 9:
“Another day of staring at the big screen while scrolling through my little screen so as to reward myself for staring at the medium screen all week” -Twitter
I really liked the format of “(Adjective) screen” and I thought it really enforced the point of the tweet.
Commonplace 10:
“When I saw all those Bidens come out on stage, I was like, whoah! But then my whole body relaxed when I remember I don’t need to learn any of their names because none of them will wield insane amounts of power in unelected cabinet positions.” -David Slack
I liked this quote because it addressed what it was trying to by just alluding to it, and I thought that was interesting.
