I appreciate the emphasis in the “Straighten Up and Fly Right” chapter on not effacing the identities of the students who work in the writing center. It would be easy to see their individuality as posing an interesting training problem rather than as something to be valued. This chapter reminded me of an article I read a while ago about the suburbanization of America. It pointed out that moving from one community to another is less unsettling than it once was because every town has a Best Buy, a Costco, and an Applebee’s. I can move to the other side of the country and shop at the same retailers I shop at in Cincinnati—and probably know where the cereal aisle will be in the local Kroger when I shop there the first time. The effacement of local identity is good for retail, but universities and their writing centers need to facilitate the proliferation of individuality.
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I'm not so sure it's even good for retail, although I must confess is it more convenient for me when I'm in a hurry while on vacation and can stop at a Wal-Mart and know where to find everything. But, given the time, I'd much rather visit the local stores and wander around the aisles to find interesting foods to challenge my palate and items that reflect the local culture. Besides, it's a bit unnerving to be in a Big Box that is so familiar I expect to find people from back home in the aisles.
I'm not sure if there's a WC metaphor in there somewhere or if I just want to be somewhere the sun is shining as I watch the rain pour from my roof.
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