How Schools Fail Democracy – The Chronicle Review – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Recent town-hall meetings on health care were contentious and none too civil. Yet there was a bright spot beneath the rancor. Some participants managed to communicate effectively in grammatical sentences, using standard pronunciation, vocabulary, and common allusions like “the bully pulpit.” They showed themselves proficient in the language conventions of the American public sphere, and so were able to participate actively in political life.But what of the mute, unseen people off-screen who cannot wield the conventions of knowledge and language needed to participate in the American public sphere? Brecht described them memorably: “But you see only those in the light/Those in the darkness you don’t see.”
