Terministic screens are understood to be a nomenclature that determines an individual's perception of his reality, or is used to represent what he understands of his world and reality. This nomenclature that we develop as individuals is used not only to determine what we see, but the way we see things, through the language systems that we learn, but we use these very systems to re-appropriate what we understand of our reality. According to Burke, "Not only does the nature of our terms affect the nature of our observations, in the sense that the terms direct attention to one field rather than to another. Also, many of the "observations" are but implications of the particular terminology in terms of which the observations are made" (46). What we see is based upon the terministic screens that are embedded in us. We cannot help but to see certain things the way that we do, because of our choice of our nomenclature. Burke further explicates, "...much that we take as observations about "reality" may be but the spinning out of possibilities implicit in our particular choice of terms" (46). If then, our nomenclature predetermines how we conceive or observe a reality, how can we change our reality of race?
Race is a classification employed to belittle minorities. A language that is utilized by the "white man" to make sense of the reality he is faced with. A language that can be chosen to unlearn or, to redirect our attention to different behaviors or patterns . "Race...pretends to be an objective term of classification, when in fact it is a dangerous trope," it is a function of language that is applied to represent the difference in our reality (Gates 5). As a part of the nomenclature, given that race functions as a part of language, we are able to choose our language. Whether or not we want to perceive things through the racial lens that are provided to us or to redirect our attention to another reality, is up to us. It is left up to us to choose the way we perceive our reality. "All terminologies must implicitly or explicitly embody choices between the principle of continuity and the principle of discontinuity" (Burke 50). When we learn to perceive race as an arbitrary construct of society, that has been implemented into our language system, then we will learn to redirect the attention of our terministic screens to another reality. As Gates tells us, "Race is the ultimate trope of difference because it is so very arbitrary in application" (5). We perceive it as merely a thing and not a part of our nomenclature, which easily influences our perception of our reality.
Burke tells us, "...much of our reality could not exist for us were it not for our profound and inveterate involvement in symbol systems"(48). They are very symbol systems that influence our terministic screens, that influence our perception of our reality. If we should detach ourselves from the symbol systems imbues race as just a thing, we would perceive it much differently. Our terministic screening of our reality would be overwhelmingly different. If we see race as a language, then we would use it differently.
-Kelli
Works Cited:
Burke, Kenneth. “Terministic Screens.” In Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method.
Berkeley: U of California P, 1966. 44-57.
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. “Writing ‘Race’ and the Difference It Makes.” Critical Inquiry 12.1 (1985): 1-20.
I love what you said about race being a language that can be continued and discontinued by choice. The concept makes you stop and think for a moment about the problems concerning race that we have today and to what degree they are determined by language and premeditated actions. I talked a lot about an individual’s perception and to what extent the terministic screens are almost “in charge” of us/our actions. I think the case is different for every person, but the language that is applied to race, that represents race, and gives it a connotation is an interesting notion. There are certain words that we have all come to know as “inappropriate” and “demeaning” to people and objects in general, but what I am wondering is if there wasn’t a language system or direct way of speaking, would discrimination be a thing? Language is probably the most important element of society, since it is necessary for communication and interaction, but I wonder how we could have/could still stop this negative connotation production that seems to have gotten worse in recent years, with children developing a “dirty” vocabulary at younger and younger ages. I can see how race became classified as something in our language systems, just as red clay is distinguished from green grass, but I can also see how it is difficult to root out the divisions that have become second nature to so many people because of their racial terministic screens. Great job explaining everything!
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