[nabs-l] Future of the NFB

[Jedi]

Sean,

I agree with you that a person's bundle of identities is really quite 
complex. I also agree that we place a certain amount of importance on 
each identity depending on our own core beliefs and goals. Further, I 
agree that the NFB is an organization of individuals making decisions 
and agreements on what should be done about a given topic. And yes, the 
definition of culture in sociological terms has been recently broadened 
(recently being the late 80's) to include a wider array of cultures and 
co-cultures. Interestingly, part of that definition now includes 
organizations, particularly if the organization plays a major role in 
an individual's life. And you're definitley right about the fact that 
there's currently an argument about whether or not the disabled 
population has a culture, whether or not the blind have a culture, and 
whether or not the NFB is a culture. I think now is a good time to 
start hashing that stuff out because it's a good idea to get to know 
ourselves better. I personally think it's useful to consider ourselves 
a culture because it helps me to understand why we do what we do. that 
said, I also believe, as I've said earlier, that one can belong to 
multiple cultures and so I believe that I belong to the NFB culture, 
greater U.S. culture, and the Northwest U.S. regional culture. All of 
these heavily influence who I am and how I think and discuss things. 
How you design your cultural identities will definitely be different 
from how I design mine. But as a matter of curiosity, would you be 
willing to argue why the NFB isn't a culture according to your 
definition of it?

Respectfully,
Jedi

Original message:
> Kirt,



> I don't think you miss the mark at all, and I think to dismiss your
> eminently reasonable point of view with some blanket statements about
> culture is a bit presumptuous. I am not at all familiar with the
> anthropological body of work on the question, but I would be willing to bet
> that there are at least some respected opinions in opposition to those which
> Jedi has put forth. I couldn't tell you  a damn thing about
> intersectionality, but I can tell you that it is by no means an accepted
> fact that there is an "NFB culture." I, frankly, don't even believe that
> there is such a thing as a blindness culture, though that is perhaps a
> somewhat easier proposition for which to argue.



> NFB is just an organization of individuals, with their own individual
> opinions, that must reach common statements of policy and position. Yes,
> there are some core beliefs that most members build their own personal
> philosophies around, and, yes, that is, to my mind, a good thing. But the
> idea that NFB membership is either such a central component of, or so
> all-encompassingly pertinent to, my life and life goals that I identify
> fellow members as people with whom I share a common culture simply doesn't
> hold true. And that is coming from an individual who happens to spend a lot
> of time and effort on the NFB. Do I share a culture with those who share my
> commitment to social justice? Proponents of religious pluralism and
> tolerance? Disabled folks in general? Green Bay Packer fans? University of
> Wisconsin graduates? Lawyers and wanna be lawyers? I don't think so. Common
> values alone do not entail common cultures. Nor do common beliefs,
> traditions, or interests.



> Again, when I use the word "culture' I use it in the commonly understood and
> widely accepted sense of the word. I don't dispute that there may exist some
> anthropological or sociological conceptions of culture that might be so
> broad as to include NFB membership as a culturally defining characteristic.
> I would just posit that those definitions are not terribly useful in talking
> about the real world, and would be curious as to how many distinct cultures
> one can belong to without severely limiting the threshold of importance or
> prominence in one's life a "cultural identity" must reach to be considered
> in any way instructive about a person.



> All the best,



> Sean





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