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Some thoughts.... by Rajorshi

I don’t know why instructors don’t assign texts like Uncut Funk. I am particularly touched by the reflections around death and dying, and what that meant for hooks and Hall. I agree that conversations, in general, are fluid and organic, as opposed to fancy conferences (5) and this text is an important reminder about how certain scholars don’t quite approach their personal lives with critical rigor. The praxis/theory binary is extremely redundant and dangerous. For instance, Lee Edelman’s No Future sounds like a piece of shit not only because it is exclusive to the white family but also because he is happily married in real life.

While I understand the danger of “heavy-handed political correctness” (12) and Evren Savci’s Queer in Translation is a recent intervention on that subject, I am not quite convinced by hooks and Hall’s references. The controversies over the Redemption Song episode and hooks’ remarks on Oprah are very specific and different, as is the criticism over Hall’s use of shit. Did Hall in particular consider who found these instances to be insensitive or even offensive? Were these voices demanding political correctness or accountability? Nowadays when people are quick to dismiss calling out culture in favor of calling in, the power dynamics are usually ignored. 

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