Comments on: On not being a public intellectual http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:35:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: melgregg http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63603 melgregg Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:29:52 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63603 Sorry about the spaminator eating some comments here, causing some delays. Not sure if it's the email addresses or the increase in traffic - but please keep being passionate! If more coherently so, Graham? What is your position exactly? :-) Sorry about the spaminator eating some comments here, causing some delays. Not sure if it’s the email addresses or the increase in traffic - but please keep being passionate! If more coherently so, Graham? What is your position exactly? :-)

]]> By: barry http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63602 barry Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:05:05 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63602 <i>Isn’t passion a good thing?</i> not always. it's a neutral thing, which is my point. Piers has a lot of passion. as did other, Godwinesque, persons. i don't mean balance in the simplistic, journalistic way, i mean nuanced, multiperspectival balance. Isn’t passion a good thing?

not always. it’s a neutral thing, which is my point. Piers has a lot of passion. as did other, Godwinesque, persons.

i don’t mean balance in the simplistic, journalistic way, i mean nuanced, multiperspectival balance.

]]> By: Emily http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63595 Emily Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:17:01 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63595 Do we want our public intellectuals to be balanced? How can balance provoke thought or inspire debate? Isn't passion a good thing? Do we want our public intellectuals to be balanced? How can balance provoke thought or inspire debate? Isn’t passion a good thing?

]]> By: Graham http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63585 Graham Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:07:56 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63585 Fuck that courage. Fuck that courage.

]]> By: barry http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63581 barry Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:31:19 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63581 I don't know that i want the majority of academic work to be courageous in the terms that Maria's defining it. I like nuanced, intelligent, deep work. If i want passionate, outraged, unbalanced invective then i'll read Piers Akerman. I don’t know that i want the majority of academic work to be courageous in the terms that Maria’s defining it. I like nuanced, intelligent, deep work. If i want passionate, outraged, unbalanced invective then i’ll read Piers Akerman.

]]> By: Emily http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63549 Emily Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:08:04 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63549 I reckon so much of the value of what Maria says lies in its capacity to prompt and provoke thought - not just reactions, but reflections and speculations, on what we all might think intellectual work, or going public, or courage, or whatever might be. Reflections like those that are going on here. And I think that so much academic work doesn't do this: I don't know - has it ever done this? Is it ultimately circumscribed by the institutional setting in its current form? Is this why some academics need/want to slip between speaking-places, like Mel suggest? But anyway, I think it's that real capacity to say 'i think this and this is why' loudly, clearly, and without regard for what people will think of YOU (but with strong regard for the fact that what you say can make them think) that I like about Maria and her work. It's not about her ego, it's about her ideas and the big wide world that she is trying (like all of us) to make sense of. I reckon so much of the value of what Maria says lies in its capacity to prompt and provoke thought - not just reactions, but reflections and speculations, on what we all might think intellectual work, or going public, or courage, or whatever might be. Reflections like those that are going on here. And I think that so much academic work doesn’t do this: I don’t know - has it ever done this? Is it ultimately circumscribed by the institutional setting in its current form? Is this why some academics need/want to slip between speaking-places, like Mel suggest? But anyway, I think it’s that real capacity to say ‘i think this and this is why’ loudly, clearly, and without regard for what people will think of YOU (but with strong regard for the fact that what you say can make them think) that I like about Maria and her work. It’s not about her ego, it’s about her ideas and the big wide world that she is trying (like all of us) to make sense of.

]]> By: John http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63532 John Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:04:38 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63532 I'll confess that the PR session left me with an urge to watch the "Game On" episode from Season Four of "The West Wing". That was the one where the staff spend a week looking for the twelve-word sound bite that would win the televised debate. The Pres goes on to say something like "Twelve words are great, but what about the twelve after that? And the 100 after that?" The ep finished with the CJ character saying "It's alright, the President has given us permission to be complicated." Yes, sound bites can be important, but you can't always reduce things to 12 words, and that seems to me the best way to get a reputation for superficiality. I’ll confess that the PR session left me with an urge to watch the “Game On” episode from Season Four of “The West Wing”. That was the one where the staff spend a week looking for the twelve-word sound bite that would win the televised debate. The Pres goes on to say something like “Twelve words are great, but what about the twelve after that? And the 100 after that?” The ep finished with the CJ character saying “It’s alright, the President has given us permission to be complicated.”

Yes, sound bites can be important, but you can’t always reduce things to 12 words, and that seems to me the best way to get a reputation for superficiality.

]]> By: barry http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63531 barry Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:54:17 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63531 Jason's got a point, certainly a lot of academics could stand to hone their media skillz, and i can't think of anything more unnerving than trying to teach a roomful of cultural studies researchers about the media. Reading Maria's article, I can't help but think of a friend who was outraged that her mum was supportive and unruffled when she came out - she needed the fight and anger of the dominant coming-out discourse to define herself against. Maria seems to need anger and rage to define her writing against. It's a weird nostalgia for a university experience like Berkley in the 60's. <i> Being young is about never letting moderate and well-balanced views get a leg up on honesty or truth. </i> fuck <i>that</i>. Jason’s got a point, certainly a lot of academics could stand to hone their media skillz, and i can’t think of anything more unnerving than trying to teach a roomful of cultural studies researchers about the media.

Reading Maria’s article, I can’t help but think of a friend who was outraged that her mum was supportive and unruffled when she came out - she needed the fight and anger of the dominant coming-out discourse to define herself against. Maria seems to need anger and rage to define her writing against. It’s a weird nostalgia for a university experience like Berkley in the 60’s.


Being young is about never letting moderate and well-balanced views get a leg up on honesty or truth.

fuck that.

]]> By: Jason W http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63530 Jason W Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:41:48 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63530 I only left the session because I had to confer about VERY important stuff with Barry. (Hint: The stuff was coffee) I only left the session because I had to confer about VERY important stuff with Barry. (Hint: The stuff was coffee)

]]> By: melgregg http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63527 melgregg Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:06:38 +0000 http://homecookedtheory.com/archives/2007/12/12/on-not-being-a-public-intellectual/#comment-63527 Yes my tone is completely unfair in the first paragraph, but only because I was trying to keep it brief in a long post: it's not meant to be judgmental. I thought it was unfair for the PR presenter to be put in that position in the first place - to speak for so long, and to an audience that cannot realistically act on many of her incitements. The 'series of conspiring factors' included the fact that she only had a day to prepare. And it was a feeling of empathy for that situation (exactly the pressures you mention) that made me stay until the end. If I remember rightly you left after 20 minutes! It went for another hour after that :-) And I agree that Jeremy's corrective was important - when we talked afterwards I teased him about leaving out some of those details, and he got lots of interest when he did reveal the show he worked for. Because he asked about my blog, I thought there might be a chance he'd show up here some time... we'll see. Yes my tone is completely unfair in the first paragraph, but only because I was trying to keep it brief in a long post: it’s not meant to be judgmental.

I thought it was unfair for the PR presenter to be put in that position in the first place - to speak for so long, and to an audience that cannot realistically act on many of her incitements. The ’series of conspiring factors’ included the fact that she only had a day to prepare. And it was a feeling of empathy for that situation (exactly the pressures you mention) that made me stay until the end. If I remember rightly you left after 20 minutes! It went for another hour after that :-)

And I agree that Jeremy’s corrective was important - when we talked afterwards I teased him about leaving out some of those details, and he got lots of interest when he did reveal the show he worked for. Because he asked about my blog, I thought there might be a chance he’d show up here some time… we’ll see.

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