Message-Id: <199702061947.OAA28380@sable.cc.vt.edu>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 14:45:31 +0500
To: socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
From: jjanosko@vt.edu (Jeff Janosko)
Subject: Riki Lake and Victimization
Hi David, 
        I'm not familiar with the Kaminer book...I'll check it out. I agree 
with your assessment of the world's "Riki Lakes"...to sensationalize the 
disadvantages associated with another's social location is seldom 
productive. If nothing else, it encourages false consciousness by reducing 
the experience of social inequities to a psycho-pathological level, leading 
to the  impression that those of us with legitimate social concerns are just 
a bunch of malcontents; if we'd just "sit down, shut up and work together" 
we could solve our problems and "rebuild our (lost) sense of community".  Of 
course, "sitting down and shutting up" only sustains the status quo.  The 
only way to negotiate an egalitarian society is to expose the hegemony 
embedded in social relations..and in speech acts.  Hence my (perhaps hyper) 
concern with stereotypical epithets.
        I'm glad you're on the list...Jeff

Date: Mon, 3 Feb 1997 12:46:41 -0400 (AST)
>From: David Francis Mercer <dfmercer@is2.dal.ca>
>To: Sociology Graduate Students -- International <socgrad@csf.colorado.edu>
>Subject: Re: Super-Bowl
>
>On the contrary, I think that in some, if not most instances, such
>material is hurtful and degrading.  However, the source, and the meaning
>that source ascribes to the statements, is as important, if not more
>important, than the statement.  I think we are all intelligent enough (I
>AM including you in this, I am not intending sarcasm) to dismiss as
>harmless something that comes from an innocuous source.  but what troubles
>me more than anything is the creation of the popular culture of
>victimization, as evidenced by shows such as Ricki Lake, etc.  Wendy
>Kaminer's brilliant book, "I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional", has
>some really good things to say on the topic of the victim culteure, and
>self-help groups.  I simply believe we should all be proud of who we are,
>and not constantly be seeking to necessarily take offence at any instance.
>You are correct that we should remain aware, however.  The word "Weimar"
>springs to mind as an example.
>	You know, I've been passively reading this site for a while, and
>it feels good to finally get involved in a good discussion.  As a symbolic
>interactionist, there isn't much opportunity to share a good exchange of
>views here at Dalhousie.  Looking forward to more discussion.
>
>David Mercer
>Sociology Department
>Dalhousie University
>Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 
>
>