Vitanza’s concerns with cynicism

In “‘The Wasteland Grows,'” Vitanza asks what I think are some amazing questions regarding the creation of cynicism in students when we teach cultural studies. Drawing on Sloterdijk and Zizek, he wonders whether students, after instruction in cultural studies, “‘they [some of the masses, students, or patients] know very well [can now see] what they are doing, but still, they are doing it.’ Or, ‘they know that, in their activity, they are following an illusion, but still, they are doing it.’ In other words, they remain ‘fetishist in practice‘” (700, italics and bracketed material in original).

So, are Vitanza and Sloterdijk right that “historically enlightened false consciousness leads not to liberation but to fascism” (700)? Vitanza asks of us to do research:

What I would have you do is engage in a series of longitudinal studies, following, tracking your students, to see what they will have learned in terms of your teaching them cultural studies. The primary questions in such a study would have to be: do the students ever stop thinking and practicing racism, sexism, classism, age-ism; do they ever stop thinking and practicing their homophobia and self-hatred, etc.; or, do they, in taking on an understanding of false consciousness in your “class”rooms, only become more cynical in their acts of violence against other human beings and themselves? In other words, do they know such thinking and acting are wrong but do it anyway? (700)

Wowzers – those are good question for research. I was, of course, led to this by an essay I wrote about earlier on this blog, so I know that this is being responded to — at least by addressing cynicism. But I wonder what other responses have been made to this essay. I was not so fond of Drew’s response because she did not expound on the cynicism. Granted, she is careful to address that she has different concerns than Vitanza does, and I think her response is valid in that aspect, but she doesn’t address cynicism at all (or in anyway that addresses it in the way Vitanza wants).

I haven’t yet read Vitanza’s speech to the Research Network Forum at the 1998 CCCC in Chicago, but I find it interesting that Vitanza writes that he didn’t get as great of a reception as he’d hope (he writes that many responses were rude [701-702]).

Drew, Julie. “On Critique, Cultural Studies, and Community: A Regular Sort of Reply to Victor Vitanza.” JAC 19 (1999): 704-706.

Vitanza, Victor J. “‘The Wasteland Grows’; Or, What Is ‘Cultural Studies for Composition’ and Why Must We Always Speak Good of It?: ParaResponse to Julie Drew.” JAC 19 (1999): 699-703.