Sunday, November 4, 2007

Introduction

Hey, I’m Chris. I’m an international relations student at the University of Alabama in my junior year. I compete on the UA debate team and spend much of my out-of-class time researching and preparing for the next debate tournament. Over the next few days, I will be reading Heidegger, Foucault, and Said and finishing up preparation for a debate tournament in Topeka, Kansas. Academics aside, I participate (when in town and not sick) in a local Christian church and seek to serve my fellow humyn beings as I have opportunity. I come from California, where I find the political climate, cultural setting, and weather much more pleasant than those in Alabama. When hanging out with friends, I often enjoy random theoretical, philosophical, and theological dialogue and science fiction/fantasy literature, film, and games.

Since you’re presumably not reading this site for personal ads (and most likely already know me), you might wonder why I typed the above paragraphs. The answer is “perspective.” Much thought in today’s society occurs within a framework of perceived objectivity; the news networks claim to be objective (or, in some cases, “fair and balanced”—a very different thing, as these terms don’t even claim to address reality) and our teachers, coworkers, and friends often claim to deliver “the truth” or “the facts.” But really, we (I speak for the humyns reading this site) are finite beings, are we not? Understanding that we are limited by our own perspective is critical to understanding that which we perceive. One of the most useful lessons I’ve learned in school is that all writing and speaking is ultimately self-referential—one writes and speaks of one’s own perspective and experience, applied to a Subject of some sort. I’m trying to make my perspective and bias as transparent as possible, so that we can move past the question of my agenda and move toward a dialogue of ideas.

So, then, who are you?

1 comment:

Heather said...

...Who are you?

I'm self-conscious, hesitant, chronically depressed. I'm scared, often rude, probably quite annoying. I can't remember being wholly happy. I'm not good at anything and I'm pretty damn dumb. I'm tired of my life, tired of my past, tired of my future.

I'm a frickin empty shell.