[lbo-talk] Here she goes again

Tayssir John Gabbour tayssir.john at googlemail.com
Wed Apr 25 08:06:45 PDT 2007


On 4/25/07, Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> wrote:
> Picked up on another list, reference to a "report," issued by the
> American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) (which is headed by Lynne
> Cheney), entitled "The Vanishing Shakespeare" and condemns English
> departments around the country for abandoning traditional authors such
> as Shakespeare and teaching courses in popular culture and theory. It
> urges alumni, students and parents to demand change at their various
> universities.
>
> http://www.goacta.org/publications/Reports/VanishingShakespeare.pdf

Why don't these bardolators argue against intellectual property? Shakespeare and his fellow writers were free to "steal" stories that other people wrote and rework them. While nowadays, Time Warner owns the "Happy Birthday" song and probably demands up to $10,000 in royalties for performing it.

I looked at the link, and these writer-worshippers are appalled that:

"English majors can avoid reading Othello in favor of studying:

'Critical Race Theory,' which explores why race 'continue[s] to

have vital significance in politics, economics, education,

culture, arts, and everyday social realities" including

'sexuality, class, disability, multiculturalism, nationality, and

globalism.'"

The problem isn't that there's no one around to teach Shakespeare -- merely that students aren't REQUIRED to study it. After all, they can't think for themselves. The real stakeholders are:

"Employers -- especially newspapers, publishers, schools, and

others who hire English majors -- should be deeply concerned. So

should parents, alumni, trustees, and interested citizens."

Bardolatry fascinates me. I don't get it. If someone does, I'd be grateful for their explanation.

Tayssir



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