Philosophers have long recognized the value of employing imaginative scenarios to cast special light on things we normally take for granted.  I argue that “Hush” provides us with just such a scenario, thematizing the dynamics of communication.  Drawing on the work of American pragmatists such as John Dewey and G.H. Mead, I explore the ways “Hush” highlights not only communication but also community.  The result is an increased awareness of the living nature of communication and community as well as our participation in each.

Ostensibly the episode is about the virtues of nonverbal modes of communication in contrast with the limits of verbal modes.  Joss Whedon, for instance, offers the insight that “when you stop talking, you start communicating.”  Although “Hush” does in fact demonstrate how we can use nonverbal gestures to communicate our feelings and abilities more directly than we often do using language, it also exposes the limits of the nonverbal which the verbal overcome.

Since communication forms the basis for community, as pragmatists frequently argue, I also consider the insights “Hush” provides into the dynamics of community.  In disturbing modes of human interaction derived from verbal communication, “Hush” brings to light the economic and religious structures that support basic human transactions.  The episode also reinforces the function of language as an agency of liberation from oppressive forces.