Dr. Gerald Horne Feigning Boredom
First, a disclaimer: any of the views expressed in this Blog post are not those of Dr. Gerald Horne or his affiliates. This comes into the rasx() context. The picture below shows what happens when you raise your hand to make a lengthy statement and not ask any questions at all during a book reading:
This is Professor Gerald Horne at the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research, in August of last year (2006), promoting his new book, The Final Victim of the Blacklist: John Howard Lawson, Dean of the Hollywood Ten. Gerald Horne struck this pose within seconds of realizing that the person speaking at the back of the room was not going to ask a question. These are a few rasx() reasons why this impulse fires:
- We all speak a language (English) that is by design an egocentric, materialistic language. English keeps it real. It follows that when you come to a book reading, you really came to hear yourself speak. Poets who come to open-mike readings do this all the time—I should know: it takes one to know one…
- You describe yourself as a “white person” and this information is important when you reach for amazement in the face of a person like the esteemed professor, Dr. Gerald Horne. You don’t quite know what to do—and asking a question is the last thing that you would think of… Perhaps the only question you would ask (in sincere, deep psychological innocence) is, “Is Gerald Horne dead yet?” Seriously, you would cry at his funeral. You really would cry real tears but at the same time you would feel relief that all is “right” with the world—because “everybody knows” this New World Order must prevail.
A political form of egocentrism is racism. Egocentrism limits the imagination. You have to imagine what its like to walk to your car behind a frightened woman who is also going to the parking lot. The frightened woman makes furtive glances at you as she prepares herself for “the inevitable.” “Wisdom” informs her that the person behind her may be following her to her car. She would never imagine that the person following her is the esteemed professor, Dr. Gerald Horne. You see how far a person like Gerald Horne has to travel? At one moment he is a seething, rabid, predatory rapist and in the next moment he ascends to the heights of professional intellection and world-class, world traveling scholarship.
Eventually you would get bored with people who are mired in layers upon layers of limitations related to thoughts, thinking, seeing… You would, however, realize that these people outnumber you and trying to compete with them is a high-energy extravagance reserved for talk-show power houses like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates. You would do better to conserve your energy for your next book and your next teachable moment. You would do better by showing respect for others by producing writings with meticulous care instead of pandering to emotions and insecurities that really, really should have been addressed in the warm, childhood home instead of the cold, public place.
Again, these are my opinions here in the rasx() context. Any of the views expressed in this Blog post are not those of Dr. Gerald Horne or his affiliates. You can read about what Dr. Gerald Horne takes the time to write about here in the kinté space. Check out Dr. Gerald Horne: The Blackberry Interview.