Reading Response

Reading through "The Language War" by Robin Tolmach Lakoff there were a couple of issues that caught my attention. The first point that I chose to focus on was the section titled, "The Uncommonness of Common Sense" (48). This idea was brought up in the bok by Ramage as well. It brings up the question of what exactly is common sense and is it even a real thing? Lakoff says, "What seems common sense at one moment, or in one society, is anything but in another"(49). So what we have always thought of as the definition of common sense really doesn't hold true. Things are only common sense when grouped into a frame of people with the same views. Therefore, someone from another culture would have a different set of common sense ideas because they are grouped in a different frame. Expanding further on this idea, Lakoff discusses the struggle to not only stay within that frame of "commonsense" but also to stay "mainstream". People seem to be content with staying in the middle and avoid being labled an "extremist", which seems to label anyone thinking outside of the box. Isn't it ironic how when we are young, we are told to be individuals and make a unique life for ourselves, yet, as we grow we realize that as much as we are told that, we are still bombarded with the ideas of society that require us to be "moderate" to "fit in".