A People's History of American Empire by Howard Zinn
Readings From Howard Zinn’s “Voices of a People’s History of the United States”
To see the readings... http://www.peopleshistory.us/watch/videos
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9 years ago
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I like Howard Zinn and all. Read People's History while in college; changed my life and so forth. I find the idolization of him by these celebrities more than a bit disturbing, though. Celebrity readings of academic prose? Granted, Zinn's writing is fairly accessible to lay readers, which is part of the success and importance of this work. But listening to Woody Harrelson, Marissa Tomei, or Robert Redford intone about the struggles of the working class, the predominance of the military-industrial complex, the tribulations of marginalized groups is more than a little ironic, and also adds nothing to the aesthetic experience of the book. This seems to be more of a group masturbation rather than a call to action. People's History is influential because it cut against the grain of bourgeois discourse, while these celebrities, speaking from their positions of privilege, are basically just wasting time, if not diluting the message. I could be wrong, but that's just how it strikes me.
ReplyDeletejust to clarify - they're not reading from the book, they're reading primary history documents like speeches.
ReplyDeleteone argument might be that because they're professionals, the readings sound more professional.
i think i agree with the deep irony in celebrities reading the stories of traditional marginalized voices.
i'm not sure, however, that it needs to be criticized too harshly. this society's celebrity worship puts professional actors in a strange position - at least they're not pulling a bono (what a fuck).
maybe the proper response would just be an alternative project? (those who will be influence, touched, impacted by the celebrities are likely a different cross-section of the population than those we care about, no?)