Neutrality

While it is true, as Flower describes, that we should use differences to explore alternative perspectives, thus reinventing our understandings of those we work with in the community, I must admit that I find the whole thing a bit obvious. Our concern should not center on making all opinions absolutely equal, because as experience volunteering should illustrate, the world is inherently unequal. But instead, we should focus on hearing all viewpoints with their perspectives in mind. It is absolutely true that “neutrality is an illusion.” Regardless of education or experience, bias does enter the equation, but this need not be a negative. Instead, I believe we need to embrace these biases, recognize them, and enter into the conversation honestly. It is not surprising that a young, urban, black man could not view a white college student as a mentor, because the “otherness” that Bickford describes is not only experienced by volunteers but by those receiving the aid as well. Perhaps it is my own experience as a volunteer and researcher, but I think the main failing of public service in school is that it is sterilized and made politically correct by creating a situation in which students provide aid without critically analyzing the real root of inequality, or as Bickford describes, service learning is “too often infused with the volunteer ethos, a philanthropic or charitable viewpoint that ignores the structural reasons to help others” (230).

Other posts have echoed these sentiments with the qualifier that regardless of the faults of community service, it is overall a good thing. I don’t doubt that this is the attitude of anyone that would willingly enter into a service oriented class, but just because an activity is positive does not mean it should go without critique. As long as there are reasons to volunteer, there will most likely be ways to improve on the process. I simply hope that as we enter into this project we look not only for the easy answers and the help that we as individuals can provide, but also for the more complex reasons for the situations that we enter into and broader issues that must be changed in order to solve the problems that we face.