On Adaptation

Erec SmithIn my “Communication in Professional Cultures” course, I tell my students that adaptation, the ability to readjust one’s disposition based on unforeseen situational changes, is one of—if notthe—most important skills one could have in a pluralistic, civil democracy. This country’s diversity of standpoints, values, interests, and conditions will, naturally, create a diversity of situations. Though these situations can overlap in a variety of ways, they offer enough distinction to warran t the efficacy of adaptation. The ability to roll with the punches, as it were, seems to be an obvious necessity in the United States.Yet, this implicit and necessary skill is under attack, either tacitly or explicitly, in social justice circles. As activists grow more and more dissatisfied with contemporary American society, they grow less and less tolerant of the status quo. Many, as a matter of fact, see no other choice but to tear down the current system —values, mores, epistemologies, and all—to build up something they perceive to be better. Naturally, these people may see adaptation as a negative; if enough people can adapt to the various situations that emerge in the current system, that status quo will be maintainedIn this essay, I want to provide a brief exploration of adaptation to discern its efficacy. Then, I want to show the ways this concept is detrimental to the prevalent ideologies of social justice activism and how the deemphasis, if not the demonizatio...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs