“Raymond Williams on community”;
The word ‘community’ sounds odd. For many of us, negative images tend to come to mind. When we think about what other people are like, without quite realizing it, we draw on images from the media. Headlines allow us to think that most people are pretty violent, driven by success and fame, and not necessarily very pleasant. It breeds an urge to stay at home and make private, family life the center of things. We associate happiness with independence and standing out from the crowd, with personal fulfillment, the nuclear family and business success. ‘Community’ feels as though it is for losers. In modern society, the individual is king.
In 1976, however, this is a different story. In his renowned essay ‘Raymond Williams concluded that the word ‘community’ never seems to be used unfavorably. Perhaps his view was more accurate at the time he expressed it, and it may have been this cultural attitude that allowed communities to proliferate and flourish throughout the 1970s. Williams compiles that earlier uses of the word ‘community’ were applied to classes, ranks or socially constructed organizations of living. Upon further inspection of the word, the author illustrates the distinction between the direct relationships of community and the elusive power and distance of society as a whole. In his painting of community in the context of a greater society, Williams specifically emphasizes themes of intimacy and nearness. Contrastingly, however, Williams also displays the use of the word community as a label for groups on the fringes of society. In his pursuit of an appropriate definition, Williams reaches across the boundaries drawn by the English language and employs the use of the word community in the context of different dialects and their respective cultures. The definitive implications of these variations materialize the contrast between communities birthed of local organization, national politics, administrative division and voluntary service to a community.
In conclusion, Raymond Williams states that the complex word ‘community’ is is virtually never used unfavorably. For the citizens of modern day, his conclusion may seem odd. However, within the context of contemporary society, Williams’ summation can be used to shed light on a truth that many of us have forgotten. Williams envisions a concept of community that may seem archaic, but it is one worth listening to. To Williams, community is a web of direct, whole, and therefore more significant relationships. To Williams, community is the thread that connects members of an alternative lifestyle. To Williams, community is a palpable and warm concept. Inevitably, the use of the label ‘community’ on any group is inherently exclusionary and inclusionary, like two sides of a coin. The conclusion that Williams chooses to highlight, however, is the inclusionary side. Williams removes the sting of exclusion that a term like gated community might entail in order to illustrate the bonds that those gates can incubate. In favor of cohesive strength and collective understanding, the author illustrates the proliferation of community groups and community spokespersons as a means to cultivate the sense of warm, localized inclusion. Even in regards to bonds of identity rather than locality, such as the LGBT community or the greater black community, Williams paints a picture that is undeniably warm and collectively prideful.
Williams’ essay gives us the opportunity to warm our cold perspectives. Perhaps community isn’t as cold as we thought. After all, the difference between a community rally and a sporting event are minute at best. With works and occasions like these, we might learn something as simple as it is entirely critical: most people are very nice. Despite some surface differences, they are like you. An achingly exhilarating idea comes to mind: if we could more consistently create communal occasions, we would no longer have to imagine a dangerous and competitive society. As a culture, we would not be as defensive, walled off, or suspicious. In the context of a wider view, our issues would appear to be insular. In our current society, we have allowed our worldview to be kidnapped by the media, by narcissists and sociopaths. We have allowed our sense of normality to be shaped by headlines. The kinder elements of life appear as the exceptions to us. The idea that it is the bad, not the good, that is the exception seems radical, when it is, in fact, the truth. It is time for us to change.
With the concepts provided by Williams, people are not so strange or so different. We can trust in and understand community. There is a core aspect of humanity that desires to live more collectively. It is hugely advantageous to be able to feel content and committed in community, to feel a sense of belonging. Williams shines light on a vital truth: collective pride unburdens the heavy weight of self concern off of the individual ego. We do not have to do it alone. We do not have to do it by ourselves, we can be a part of something better, maybe even greater than we ar