Blog 11: The Concept of the Other

In our discussion we focused on Lacan's, Hegel's, and Hamermas' ideas of the other, and how through this process of understanding the world based on difference we privilege the category that we place ourselves in and create a negative definition of "the other." One easy example of such a process is sex (male female) and sexual orientation (gay, straight, bi), also race, ethnicity, social class, but also behaviors, tastes in music and fashion, as well as categories such as ability/disability and more apparent features such as body image etc. For this blog, I want you to examine some particular category which you define as "the other" for you--a category you cannot imagine having anything in common with and which in fact helps define you through the process of NOT being it. Write your thoughts on the following: a) give a description of your "other." b) explain what it is about it that makes you feel such opposition to it c) discuss what has happened or would happen in situations where you have to interact with someone who belongs to "the other" as you define it. You should make sure that you do not write something offensive to members of that group, but at the same time if you keep good manners you should express your ideas openly.