Gee has two theorems concerning his studies on Discourses that I found to be quite interesting. The first theorem states that for a person to officially have a certain Discourse, they must fully embrace and display that Discourse, not just in the way they speak but through their values, actions, beliefs, etc. If a person is unable to fully display the Discourse, than they simply do not have it. I believe this is controversial because it people may argue that a person can have exemplify small traits from many smaller Discourses and still conform to those same Discourses. Personally, I understand both sides to this argument, and I agree with Gee’s first theorem. Gee’s second theorem states that primary Discourses are limited, and people need more Discourses in order to for their primary Discourse to be critiqued and analyzed. I think this is controversial because many people must disagree with the idea that their primary Discourses are limited. The idea that these primary Discourses can not be expanded upon must be seen as a sort of “limit” to how people can improve and expand upon themselves.
“Mushfake, resistance, and meta-knowledge: this seems to me like a good combination for successful students and successful social change”(Gee 13). Gee describes “Mushfake” as making do when a person might not have the right means or supplies to get it done, such as prison inmates making makeshift items in their cell using any supplies that they can find. Meta-knowledge is “liberation and power, because it leads to the ability to manipulate, to analyze, to resist while advancing”(Gee 13). Using “meta-knowledge”, a person can take information from another type of “language” or Discourse and apply it to a current Discourse to become more consciously aware of how their current Discourse works. Lastly, Gee mentioned resistance in his recipe for successful students and successful social change. A person having resistance to a Discourse means that they don’t attempt to learn or become involved with a Discourse that may not have use for them. I believe this is important because there is such a large number of Discourses a person can conform to, that it is important for a person to stay true to the Discourses they naturally conform with and will benefit them as a human being the most.
The ideas of Cuddy’s TED talk and Gee’s teachings have many similarities in the overall message both people are trying to convey to their audience. Gee describes “mushfake” as “making do with something less when the real thing is not available”(Gee 13). It is a method of simply working with what you have, and “faking” some of a Discourse when needed. This directly correlates with Cuddy’s main message from her speech. Cuddy tells her audience as her closer, “Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it”. Both talk about the process of “faking it” when all the necessary tools or motifs are not quite there.
