ENGW 105
Shakira Logwood
Discursive violence. A topic that usually is not directly called out for its abrasive manner to intrude itself to human discourse. In “The Perils of Being a Black Philosopher” by Brad Evans and George Yancy, not only was discursive violence called out by name, but the authors also took the time to dissect the very nature of this primitive notion. Yancy states that comments rooted in this notion are “…not about pointing out fallacies…, but were designed to violate, to leave me psychologically broken and physically distraught” (2016). I found his diction quite interesting when I considered the invasiveness of this violence in our daily lives. Living in a digital era where social media has slowly transitioned into pedestals for those with the influence, and fortresses for those who choose to say their piece without enduring face to face confrontation, I became flustered to think that people took the time to spew handwritten hate intended to diminish Yancy and his blackness.
This overflow of hatred found its way to Yancy post his publication of “Dear White America” in The Stone Reader, which basically confronted white people about their personal contribution and benefits from racism. Yancy is a black philosopher, but to society, both present and historical, he is a living contradiction. This interview was conducted to show how white terror has been used to control generations of black intellectuals and keep them from using their own voice. The lack of black philosophical teachings in school systems is so longstanding that I, a graduate of a college preparatory high school who now attends a HBCU as a philosophy major, never stopped to think that from Socrates to Judith Butler did a black intellectual produce philosophical work. This is a problem; it suggests that melaninated people are incapable of philosophical thought, and I subconsciously added to this narrative by not thinking on my own. This is a myth that needs to be broken, and active awareness about the need to learn on your own is essential to defiance.
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It is no myth that Africans were the first human beings on the planet. So why is the idea of African intellectuals shaping the world as we know it so remote? In my opinion, its because the average person may think of ‘Greek’ when they hear philosophy, but don’t quite know the origin of the so-called philosophies. Anthony T Browder breaks down Africa’s role in shaping Greek philosophy, a pillar in universal philosophical departments. As Browder speaks, he inherently exposes flaws in standard education by releasing facts of African history that seemed to have got lost in time, or maybe concealed. I for one learned in school the story about Socrates and his fate for corrupting the youth of Athens, but the vital details left out were from where these new concepts arose. Socrates is believed to be founder of western philosophy, and while my intentions aren’t to negate him from that title, I have no choice but to point out that there is no doubt African root in his teachings.
The Greeks were groups of European people who had gotten colonized by an African King who established the city of Athens (Browder, 00:01:15-00:01:22). But in school, we are taught to believe that these great Greek thinkers composed their ideas on their own. When in reality, what teachings we are taught are the aftermath of Greeks seeking out knowledge in Africa and bringing it back home to be shared. This was surprising, but not at the same time considering the continuation of white people taking credit for black work, which evidently is not brand new. The same knowledge that was once foreign to Europe was transformed to be reimagined and described by European language and seen through their eyes. Browder unsheltered information about African intellectuals that has been distorted through education on a basic level.
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