Citations Needed

Episode 101: The False Universality of “Common Sense”


Listen Later

“145 CEOs Call On Senate To Pass 'Common-sense, Bipartisan' Gun Laws,” NPR states. “Local Democrat pushes back on NY bail reform law: It's about 'common sense,' not politics,” a Fox News headline reads. “The Only Thing More Dangerous Than Trump’s Appeal to Common Sense Is His Dismissal of It,” The Nation warns. Everywhere we turn we are told by pundits and politicians that "common sense" demands we support their preferred policy prescription.   It's a common appeal: a political issue—whether health-insurance, immigration, foreign policy, or gun violence—reaches a real or perceived extreme, and, in reaction, media pundits and political figures claim the most appropriate response must be ostensibly neutral, reasonable "common sense" reforms.   But these claims are insidious. While "common sense" may appear to be a constructive guiding principle, there is no meaningful definition of the concept and when it is evoked, it's almost always an appeal to status quo ideology. What’s sensible to a member of the Tea Party isn’t the same as what’s sensible to an activist seeking to end police violence. So, whose “common sense” is really being promoted when we hear these calls to action? On this week's episode, we explore how appeals to “common sense” present politics as a matter of rationality rather than of morality; how these demands reinforce centrist and right-wing ideologies and how the Left can work to build an alternative common sense.   We are joined by cultural anthropologist Dr. Kate Crehan, Professor Emerita at College of Staten Island and the CUNY Graduate Center.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Citations NeededBy Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

3,852 ratings


More shows like Citations Needed

View all
Jacobin Radio by Jacobin

Jacobin Radio

1,399 Listeners

The Dig by Daniel Denvir

The Dig

1,525 Listeners

Chapo Trap House by Chapo Trap House

Chapo Trap House

8,802 Listeners

Rev Left Radio by Revolutionary Left Radio

Rev Left Radio

3,244 Listeners

Trillbilly Worker's Party by Trillbilly Worker's Party

Trillbilly Worker's Party

1,897 Listeners

TRASHFUTURE by TRASHFUTURE

TRASHFUTURE

567 Listeners

The Antifada by Sean KB and AP Andy

The Antifada

927 Listeners

Know Your Enemy by Matthew Sitman

Know Your Enemy

1,907 Listeners

TrueAnon by TrueAnon

TrueAnon

3,174 Listeners

Blowback by Blowback

Blowback

2,910 Listeners

Tech Won't Save Us by Paris Marx

Tech Won't Save Us

524 Listeners

This Machine Kills by This Machine Kills

This Machine Kills

200 Listeners

Bad Faith by Briahna Joy Gray

Bad Faith

2,685 Listeners

Guerrilla History by Guerrilla History

Guerrilla History

560 Listeners

American Prestige by Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

American Prestige

704 Listeners