Chapter 4 Common Sense

Common sense is a very interesting topic because it's something that varies from person to person, yet people are always amazed when someone doesn't view it in the same way.  The book states that "Common sense emerges from the communities we know and the practices we do.  Common sense is only common when there is familiarity with a community and its practices." (Arnett, 63).  This relates back to the differing narratives between different groups of people.  For example the different narratives and lifestyles at different campuses across the country result in different ideas of what common sense is between the students at those campuses.

I have a friend from high school that goes to school out in South Dakota.  From talking with him on Facebook and via text messages I can tell that the different narratives and way of life results in different ideas of what is and isn't common sense.  For example, my friend is a big Gopher football fan, so we were talking about an upcoming game and he said he wouldn't be able to watch it.  This took me by surprise and I asked him why he doesn't just watch it on the Big Ten Network.  He then explained to me that his school is out of the Big Ten Network range and he doesn't get that channel.  That was completely new to me because here, everyone gets the Big Ten Network.  What was common sense to me, wasn't an option for him because of the community that he's in.