The past few weeks have necessitated a marked change in the ways we as humans engage in discourse. Our Cartesian concerns and points for debate have either had to remain internalised or funnelled out via the restricted forms of social interaction the COVID-19 pandemic has heralded.

Regular fans of plans will know that Make Me A Plan and its trusty team of Screenfree Super Planners are regularly on hand to challenge over-reliance on your laptops and mobile devices.

So whether you’re digitally dependent or digitally disillusioned, I wanted to use this fortnight’s blog to generate some food for thought about social discourse.

Par for the Discourse

The principle of parity often underlines discourse. This has been a key tenet of the global discourse on the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.

Make Me A Plan would like to make it very clear that a society founded on parity for all colours, genders, creeds, abilities and sexual orientations is morally and legally right.

Those who seek to deny equal opportunity and treatment should be opposed and abhorred.

History will remember you as an egalitarian or a denier on this discourse.

Social Discoursing

As we gradually emerge from lockdown, this philosopher-in-residence will be reflecting that chrysalis to butterfly process by affording greater prominence to wider philosophical discourse. So, just the one section this fortnight relating to everyone’s least favourite novel coronavirus…

The next few weeks will likely involve fraught social discourse as members of our community follow the orders of the government and employers and begin to return to work and consumer habits.

Since you cannot tell whether a fellow member of plankind is feeling anxious or exhilarated by the challenge, and the weight of evidence suggests that getting angry with people without knowing the context of a situation never made anyone feel better, please;

Take your time, keep your distance, mind your behaviour when out in public.

Two Can Foucault

Lastly, as readers will know, I am particularly fond of puns as well as philosophy and so if I can relate a blog segment loosely to a 90s movie about transvestites and the 20^th century Frenchman most associated with philosophy on discourse, then, reader, I shall!

Make Me A Plan believes it’s good to talk and as we deal with loneliness and altered relationships, do distil down to what is really important to you for engaging in social discourse and interaction. You don’t need to have a Derridaesque level of deconstruction to reacquaint yourself with the familiar signs of what maintains or ameliorates your positivity and mindframe.

Next fortnight, I’ll be musing On Trauma. Please get in touch with any particular aspects of this topic you’d like me to write about.

In the meantime,

Happy Planning