The Unspoken Reality of Neutrality

What? Throughout the excerpt of We Make the Road by Walking by Freire and Horton, the authors emphasize the importance of education that cultivates critical consciousness rather than an education that conditions people to accept the status quo. By accepting the status quo we are choosing to be “what the system asks us to be” (Freire and Horton, 102). The authors further this by stating that “neutrality is just following the crowd” and how it is equivalent to an “immoral act” (Freire and Horton, 102). Horton and Freire believe that there is no such thing as being neutral. By staying neutral you are siding with the oppressor because you do not want to be part of the minority. With further education, the authors explain how they began to understand why picking a side is so important, and that when we pick sides we must be able to defend our reasoning. Freire believes that when you see yourself as neutral you are choosing to side with the dominant. In addition, within the passage titled “Paulo Freire,” Bell Hooks elaborates on this idea that literacy allows people, specifically those in marginalized groups, to acquire a critical consciousness. She agrees with certain concepts of Freire’s writing and acknowledges how “Freire’s work… always emphasizes that this is the important initial stage of transformation — that historical moment when one begins to think critically about the self and identity in relation to one’s political circumstance” (Hooks, 47). She explains one of the most important stages as when someone rethinks their decisions for politics because it determines their identity within society, and whether they are going to simply watch or act. Hooks, like Freire, highlights that the most important decision is choosing to not be in the neutral section or not stay on the sidelines because it means they are choosing to take action. It shows that they are brave enough to step forward when others will not. So, by finally deciding to pick a side, a person has completely changed their identity by taking action and is avoiding the “status quo” of following the majority or being pressured to take a specific political stance. By choosing to be neutral you are placing yourself on both the side of the dominant and subordinate. Hooks explains how this notion is impossible and that being neutral can cause danger. Furthermore, this continued idea of the importance of critical consciousness is backed by James Baldwin in A Letter to Teachers when he argues that the purpose of education is to teach people to “look at the world for [themselves] and encourage them to make their own decisions about it. (Baldwin, 1). Baldwin adds onto this encouragement of education that promotes critical consciousness and he claims that we all should have the right to examine and judge things in our own way. To Baldwin, education serves the purpose of creating individuals who think for themselves; however, “no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around” (Baldwin, 1). This causes damage to those who are considered “others” and allows for oppression. He explains how societies actually want the people to obey the rules, but if a society were to succeed in this then there would be complete ruin. He advocates for the people in society who are part of subordinate groups and encourages them to think for themselves and fight the norms no matter what the risk is. There will only be changes in society if people act on their differing opinions.

So What? One point made by Freire in regards to the importance of critical consciousness is that “without practice there is no knowledge; at least it’s difficult to know without practice. We have to have a certain theoretical kind of practice in order to know also. But practice in itself is not its theory. It creates knowledge, but is not its own theory.” (Freire and Horton, 98). Freire uses this statement to define the relationships between practice, theory and knowledge. He discusses these ideas and how practice helps to recognize what people have gained through their own experiences. Without practice we cannot gain knowledge, and without theory there is nothing to practice. This idea resonated with me because I agree with Freire and how we become knowledgeable of things through practice and without it concepts can be very difficult to understand. We cannot learn everything through books, and by encouraging students to build on experiences you can help to support critical consciousness. Additionally, Bell Hooks talks about the “colonized mind” and the “process of decolonization” (Hooks, 46). She mentions how those who are part of subordinate groups, African Americans, natives, etc., get stereotyped and buy into the stereotype that others see them as. We should all explore this idea more and learn to examine our responses to things. It is important to understand how society labels and treats the subordinate groups in our society. All in all, decolonized thinking helps to shape the mind and encourages positive change by allowing us to become more critically conscious.

Now What? Within “Paulo Freire,” Bell Hooks made points that were connected with the people and the community that Women Helping All People is serving. At WHAP a majority of the young students are African American and from low income families. In terms of my community partner, one key point that Hooks makes is the idea that education, specifically for those in marginalized groups, allows people to avoid turning to neutrality. Overall, she backs up the idea that we should diffuse hierarchy, especially in the learning environment, in order to allow for more critical consciousness. Neutrality can be dangerous, and by making space to talk about inequity and teaching students to take action, schools can contribute to critical conscious development. By making the familiar seem strange, we can teach young children who are forced into subordinate and oppressed categories to gain a deeper understanding of the world. For instance, teachers can encourage students to ask questions about class texts and wonder what assumptions are being made. They should influence kids to question who has power and where power is coming from as well.