Two things occurred to me as I read it. For one, the 'great man' theory still lives in the hearts and minds of so many.
Take most situations between a man and a woman today: the man will be considered blameless while the woman will have been the villain/seductress/fill in the blank. Men so often come out smelling like roses, even when they were the ones at fault.
Second, and I almost credit this new myth with fuelling the popularity of Trump, is the buffoon who always succeeds, as shown in numerous movies: Dumb and Dumber, Forest Gump for example. I detest these kinds of movies so can't name many, but it seems to be a recurring theme these days. These men win the day in spite of themselves.
I wish we'd credit movements and not automatically assume it was the efforts of one or two very special men who were responsible for positive outcomes.
I like this very much Diana. Not so much men being heroes (got to have 'em), but buffoons as winners. i.e. Trump. What a ghastly decision by US money. He's spicing up the deck, but making the West bow out prematurely. There is no improvment w.r.t. manufacturing, rather an underlining of BRICS etc. Tariffs are an old idea for sure, and a very bad one. He won't be remembered well. IMO
This makes me think about how we create a great leader in our minds and make him into this mythic man who does no wrong. There really is no “great man” so to speak. There are always skeletons in their closet, it is only natural, we are only human. We really do become complacent in our fight waiting for someone to make the first move. Forgetting that real change starts within us. Which is why it is really best to hear from the thousands or millions that work together to bring change. We really should teach one another to not be afraid to take on or adopt leadership skills. Through numbers we can strive for more and build interwoven strong communities.
Thank you for your thoughts and for introducing me to a new Civil Rights activist to share with my students!
As you were writing about MLK Day and our tendency towards the Great Man theory, I was thinking about Labor Day. Do you think there's a reason Labor Day is attributed to a faceless group, while other movements are attributed to a single person?
No news we run on fibs. Boils more down to the term 'great' I think. Large men *are* the turning of society. Ideas are fulcrums. Btw, we need one or two on the right side of Gaza IMNSHO. Right now, before all those gentle Palestinians are evaporated.
Dr. Ransby is a fountain of reflection and wisdom, always love to see her work promoted! This was a great read and reminded me that for many, regardless of reason, they are just starting to see this world for how it objectively is. This ideology is killing everyone.
Also "Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker" - a great documentary available to rent for cheap on Vimeo. This is the doc that, happening upon it in a film festival in my youth, enlightened me about Ella Baker by name and incredible history.
Also "Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker" - a wonderful documentary I saw shortly after college that tuned me in to this incredible leader..- available to rent on Vimeo and Moviephone
Thanks for this important post, Joshua.
Two things occurred to me as I read it. For one, the 'great man' theory still lives in the hearts and minds of so many.
Take most situations between a man and a woman today: the man will be considered blameless while the woman will have been the villain/seductress/fill in the blank. Men so often come out smelling like roses, even when they were the ones at fault.
Second, and I almost credit this new myth with fuelling the popularity of Trump, is the buffoon who always succeeds, as shown in numerous movies: Dumb and Dumber, Forest Gump for example. I detest these kinds of movies so can't name many, but it seems to be a recurring theme these days. These men win the day in spite of themselves.
I wish we'd credit movements and not automatically assume it was the efforts of one or two very special men who were responsible for positive outcomes.
I like this very much Diana. Not so much men being heroes (got to have 'em), but buffoons as winners. i.e. Trump. What a ghastly decision by US money. He's spicing up the deck, but making the West bow out prematurely. There is no improvment w.r.t. manufacturing, rather an underlining of BRICS etc. Tariffs are an old idea for sure, and a very bad one. He won't be remembered well. IMO
This makes me think about how we create a great leader in our minds and make him into this mythic man who does no wrong. There really is no “great man” so to speak. There are always skeletons in their closet, it is only natural, we are only human. We really do become complacent in our fight waiting for someone to make the first move. Forgetting that real change starts within us. Which is why it is really best to hear from the thousands or millions that work together to bring change. We really should teach one another to not be afraid to take on or adopt leadership skills. Through numbers we can strive for more and build interwoven strong communities.
Not related to your post, but I've been to that castle before, Burg Eltz.
https://open.substack.com/pub/kareneffie/p/ending-the-cosmic-war-7b1?r=7g32w&utm_medium=ios here is my pretend interview with Luke Skysquawker, a chicken. We discuss the saviour hero archetype and how problematic it has become.
Thank you for your thoughts and for introducing me to a new Civil Rights activist to share with my students!
As you were writing about MLK Day and our tendency towards the Great Man theory, I was thinking about Labor Day. Do you think there's a reason Labor Day is attributed to a faceless group, while other movements are attributed to a single person?
No news we run on fibs. Boils more down to the term 'great' I think. Large men *are* the turning of society. Ideas are fulcrums. Btw, we need one or two on the right side of Gaza IMNSHO. Right now, before all those gentle Palestinians are evaporated.
What a great article. Keeping this for always. Thank you.
Dr. Ransby is a fountain of reflection and wisdom, always love to see her work promoted! This was a great read and reminded me that for many, regardless of reason, they are just starting to see this world for how it objectively is. This ideology is killing everyone.
Also "Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker" - a great documentary available to rent for cheap on Vimeo. This is the doc that, happening upon it in a film festival in my youth, enlightened me about Ella Baker by name and incredible history.
Well played.
Also "Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker" - a wonderful documentary I saw shortly after college that tuned me in to this incredible leader..- available to rent on Vimeo and Moviephone