Chapter 7 in Comp Tales addresses a pretty universal problem: public perception. No matter what you do or where you are, how the public sees you versus your true self are often at odds. I think the wide range of comp tale examples reveals that it is an interdisciplinary problem, as well as intradisciplinary and public issue.
I read a comp tale like 89 about teaching people the importance of eradicating sexist language and think, "Yea, gosh, that's so freakin' annoying how people don't understand why writing 'humankind' is more inclusive than 'mankind'!" In that instance, I feel the frustration of being someone who is obviously thinking more deeply about language that others.
However, there are also examples like 79 that reveal an ignorance on my end. I know I have critiqued work from other disciplines for things like style and voice without considering the specific criteria for that filed of study.
Probably the worst problem of public perception is with the public. Educators sacrifice a great deal to teach the future generations and share their skills with the world. But so do many other ambitions and occupations. It becomes harder and harder to do that when people either don't understand or don't care about something you are passionate about. The cycle of underappreciation perpetuates because, as comp tale 85 reveals, we don't do a good enough job of explaining what we do to others. Along with that though, we don't do a good enough job listening to what others do either.
In truth, we are all human beings, shouting into a void: I MATTER! APPRECIATE ME! And as much as we ask that of other people, we need to fulfill that desire of others. The more we validate the efforts and value of other fields, occupations, lifestyles, etc., the more we ourselves are validated. And we can stop screaming "I MATTER" and start saying, "WE MATTER."
I like where your post ends up, Olivia. Good point about understanding and appreciating other disciplines while also trying to get them to do the same for us.
ReplyDeleteThere have been some interesting research studies about the artifacts of writing centers--the flyers, promotional materials, and other literature they create to represent themselves to their campus communities--and what those artifacts say about how the writing centers are seen and want to be seen.
Your post made me think about this because I think sometimes we might start out more defensive than we need to be (because, frequently, we do have to defend our field and our work). Your recommendation to hear others out could help with that.
I try sometimes to think about how I don't really understand other people's jobs, either. I can think I know what they do, but the truth is I'm pretty much only guessing on what the intricacies of their work are. So, it makes sense to me that people wouldn't understand my profession because academia can tend to be a little isolated from the communities it is in. I come from a part of my state where a high percentage of adults in my community don't have a degree. I am not sure what the exact data is, but it was more common among my high school peers not to graduate from college than to graduate. Everyone in my immediate family does have a degree, although my siblings and I have pursued different tracks. When friends and extended family don't seem to understand my educational choices, I try to connect with them on other levels instead: "How's your family? How is your job? How is YOUR life going?" Turning it back toward them helps foster that goal you discussed of letting them know they are valued. My parents taught me that no matter what somebody's job is, it is important, and I've always been interested in this idea of job or career or vocation, in general.
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