Socratic Questioning derives from the ways of the Greek philosopher, Socrates. Because Socrates is credited with methods in teaching and thinking in our civilization, it is natural we would sponge off of his ideas when delving and thinking critically. Socratic Questioning is a way of thinking, particularly pertaining in the lectures by Cornel West to the black community and their maturity in accepting the forms of death. The terrorized black people of the time, and of today, and the entire country of America post-September 11th, began to question their relation to these forms of death, their relation to the earth, and also how one was perceived by his peers and how people were to define themselves. This is the method of Socrates - to think about where you were and what you meant relative to the things around you. When one tolerated the bad things happening, it was because they had the courage to question Socratically. Because black people at the time were willing to raise the questions revolving around what it "meant to be human", they tolerated the terrorism against them with civil rights movements and not flowery, romanticized speeches and angry idealism. Of course, this ties in with prophetic witness and utmost maturity among their community. America currently feels subjet to random violence because of who they are, and they have not yet questioned Socratically as a whole, so they do not have the maturity or the courage to face death in its various states. The black community from the time period before the Civil War and of today, however, mostly have that maturity because they have thought. They have long ago started the process of Socratic Questioning. Socratic Questioning is distinguishing the truth. Socratic questioning is the process of examining your life and deciding what role you play as an organism on Earth, as a person in your community, as a member of your family and as a citizen of your country. It is to look deeply at the history and the present and determine what part you take in it.
As an ethical democratic citizen one must stop living the unexamined life, because "the unexamined life is not worth living". The Socratic method requires you to really delve and examine your existence as a human and as a functioning part of a community and of a planet. For the first 79 years of democracy, the entire American populus, minus the black slaves not even considered citizens, lived a life of "comfort, convenience and contentment", referred to by West as the "Hotel civilization" - not coming to terms with and playing down the forms of death. The denial of the forms of death was even apparent in our constitution, which does not mention the slave trade. The slave trade, according to West, was denial and hypocrasy. For one to question Socratically, and be an ethical democratic citizen living in America, one has to question their existence and have the courage to think prophetically.
Truth crushed to earth shall rise again.
Tragicomic Hope, otherwise known as the Blues Mentality, is defined by Professor Cornel West as the third gift of black folk in the age of terrorism. It's also defined as "learning how to live in the off key". The black community during the age of the slave trade was subject to all forms of death - civic, social, etc. Because of this, African-Americans, as a community, had to gradually accept the death and vandalism that were continuously thrown at them. The Blues Mentality was a way to "respect reality", and see and understand that there was both joy in sorrow in life. The sorrow referred to was from the hatred of white America, and the hatred that lead to the Civil War. Coming from the period antebellum, the civic and social death practiced became part of America's history, white as well as black. However, in classrooms and textbooks around the country, we see the denial of death West speaks of. West says America will never be able to grow up due to its refusal to acknowledge the damage done by African slavery in history.
American history has a tendency to leave out several unfavorable details in its favor. Tragicomic Hope was the way for black people to come face-to-face with the problems at hand, while the rest of America continued its immaturity and denial. To realize and wrestle with civic and social death was to struggle with what it meant to be human, how others perceived you and how you related to the forms of death at hand. Blues was to realize, yes, black people were being terrorized, yes, people were being lynched and enslaved, and no, it wasn't right - however, realizing and accepting all of this made the Blues Mentality an "idiom for maturity". Blues sensibility took the supremacy and spoke prophetically about them using compassion. According to West, the Blues Mentality "had nothing to do with American optimism and everything to do with mature, hard-earned hope". Tragicomic Hope was acknowledging that life was dissonant and that along with the good things, bad things happened. Because of this, the African-American community from the Civil War antebellum period and the present African-American community has realized the terrorism that America as a country is just coming in contact with.
An ethical democratic American citizen needs to acknowledge the forms of death apparent in America's past and the forms of death we are faced with now. However, I can't think of many ethical democratic citizens who do. To be an ethical democratic citizen, you are supposed to see the joy as well as the sorrow in life, and wrestle with history. A very wise history teacher (haha) once told me that "maturity was being able to hold two ideas in your head at the same time". In my opinion, an ethical democratic citizen needs to learn to tolerate - not accept, but tolerate - these problems that continuously face us. Personally, a person must be able to hold those two ideas and acknowledge that the bad exists. There is something to be said for optimism, but optimism should include KNOWING and RECOGNIZING that the bad is possible and has happened before. A person, to hold the Blues Mentality and to have Tragicomic Hope must "wrestle with history". West says "to wrestle with history is maturity". The "third gift from black folk in the age of terrorism" was the courage to think prophetically. To do this, an individual must realize the forms of death are present, are happening and will continue to happen. "Living in the off key" is what one must do to have the Blues Mentality when things are rough. It is not acceptance of terrorism, it is simply tolerance and admittance.
I don't have a minute to hate. I'll persue justice for the rest of my life.
Mamie Till, mother of Emmett Till
