Contemporary culture is defined by exaggerated certainties that suppress critical hope.

Evidence

We live in a time of exaggerated certainties. Extremism, across the religious and political spectrum, is on the rise, with fanatical conviction, intolerance, and ignorance sometimes leading to horrific acts of violence. Capitalism, in its current neoliberal, globalized form, appears to have trumped all other modes of production and is invariably touted as the only possible way forward for “developed” and “developing” nations alike. The current president of the United States makes almost daily declarations via Twitter with an expressed definitiveness that brooks no doubt. We are told, in no uncertain terms, what makes us happy, and products and services are marketed aggressively by those seeking to sell their version of the good life to us. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 870

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘exaggerated certainties’ diagnosis parallels the ch9 discussion of dominant narratives and the ch10 analysis of hidden tech-side certainty; the whole passage frames hope as critical thinking’s counterweight. — connects to: Education policy treats ‘evidence-based’ and science as unquestioned certainties. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 871; Teaching skills without instilling hope for change fails students. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 851; A hegemonic realism retroactively erases cultural possibilities it cannot absorb — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1009 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• A hegemonic realism retroactively erases cultural possibilities it cannot absorb #expands (0.80) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1009
• The culture industry predetermines discourse so that truth itself becomes implausible. #corroborates (0.80) — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 122