Through his writing, you can tell that Jurgen Habermas clearly has a nostalgia for things in the past. Today’s discussion on “traditionalism” versus “avert-gardism” connects to this longing. When I think of a tradition, I think of something that is repetitive and communal. These two descriptions both foster a feeling of comfort. To illustrate, when something is done many times, it feels stable. Likewise, when something is done with a community, feelings of security arise. Traditionalism is established and predictable due to its repetitive and communal nature.
In contrast, avert-garde is the idea of creating a new way to shock the audience. The playful nature of this concept is far from comfortable. Habermas writes “Modernity revolts against the normalizing functions of tradition; modernity lives on the experience of rebelling against all that is normative” (p. 100). Although modernity and the concept of avert-garde are notably groundbreaking, we are missing a sense of dependability. This lack of consistency can lead to a longing for the comfort of tradition. Therefore, Habermas’ nostalgia is not surprising.
I especially enjoyed our discussion at the beginning of class of the public sphere. The public sphere is a place where intellectuals, or people in general, are able to go to have a conversation about big ideas. Such big ideas include culture, art, politics, etc. What I thought was most interesting is that social media is today’s alternative to the public sphere. Social media has transcended all boundaries of communication. I can be sitting in my apartment in Winter Park, Florida and potentially connect with anyone in the world and start an intellectual conversation. This access to mass communication has created several social media movements, like the Me Too Movement. This movement gave, and still gives, people the platform to discuss sexual abuse and harassment with those around the world. This public discourse shows victims that they are not alone and that they are heard. The public sphere is truly an incredible concept.
Evie, I really enjoyed the ideas you wrote about in your post. You helped me to understand and connect with Habermas’ writing more. I really like the way you summarized his belief on traditionalism and the avant-garde. You described the avant-garde as an uncomfortable, inconsistent way to create ideas to shock an audience and traditionalism as something that is repetitive and comfortable. You connected these ideas by explaining that the avant-garde’s “lack of consistency can lead to a long for the comfort of tradition.” I really connect with this idea. I am a person who traditions are very important to me. Like Habermas writes, traditions bring comfort. Every year, I look forward to the traditions I have throughout the year because it gives me a break from the avant-garde that is constantly changing the world. I am a person who really likes consistency and feeling comfortable. In today’s world, that is almost impossible to feel on a normal basis. The world is constantly changing and there is always something new happening or something new to do. I live each day learning and doing new things, but when the time of my traditions comes around I have a break from the chaos of life and get to be nostalgic looking back on the many years I have done such traditions. For example, Christmas is my favorite day of the entire year. It is a day set aside where I have zero responsibility and can just be with my family. We always open gifts then have special French toast for breakfast and spend the entire day together. That is my favorite tradition of the entire year. This day brings me comfort in a world of avant-garde. I believe that to have the avant-garde, there has to be the comfort of tradition to balance it.
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