February 9, 2006
BECOMING UNBECOMING:
'Power without grace is a curse': The US has long lauded John Hope Franklin, the doyen of African-American historians. But he remains as fiercely critical of his country as when he was growing up in the racist south. He tells Benny Morris why (Benny Morris, February 9, 2006, The Guardian)
America has been good to him. John Hope Franklin has been showered with honorary degrees and has sat on countless advisory and decision-making governmental and academic boards and committees. But he remains deeply critical of the US, and some Americans."This country is so arrogant, so self-certain," he says, asked whether the west is now engaged with the Muslim world in a war of civilisations. "I am not sure that is what we are confronting. [But I am also] not sure we have done what we ought to have done to cultivate the rest of the world. We're so powerful and so presumptuous that it makes us unattractive, almost unbecoming. We don't treat other countries and people right. Power without grace is a curse."
Franklin is also fierce in his opposition to the war in Iraq. "I don't see any good reason why we went in there or why we are there now. The invasion has sullied our reputation as has our behaviour there. We have undertaken to spread democracy when we ourselves are not democratic."
Yet other nations just keep becoming more like us and foreigners are literally dying to get here. It's an odd sort of unattractive.
Posted by Orrin Judd at February 9, 2006 7:58 AM
The Progressive lament: "But it's not perfect! I hate you for not being perfect as I want you to be!" wail, sob, gnash teeth, stomp feet, slam bedroom door shut.
Posted by: Mikey at February 9, 2006 8:06 AMOh, my G-d. John Hope Franklin is a Democrat. All my illusions are crush ... wait, hold on, ... whew, good news, my illusions have survived.
Posted by: David Cohen at February 9, 2006 8:27 AMWhile it is certainly true that "power without grace is a curse," and it is also true that America may not exercise grace in every action, it is also true that no nation (or empire) this powerful has exercised as much grace a America.
Grading on a curve, we get the A+.
(further, note how easy it is to be "graceful" when you have no power)
Posted by: Bruno at February 9, 2006 9:41 AMHe's not sure what we're confronting? He needs to get out more.
He's a historian. Mebbe he should broaden his Af-Am history to Af history in the ME.
Posted by: Sandy P at February 9, 2006 10:03 AMPeople love a winner.
Posted by: Robert Duquette at February 9, 2006 10:25 AMWhen I was an undergraduate at the University of Chicago back in a previous millennium, John Hope, (as he was known) was the chairman of the history department. I was a history major. One day I had to get a piece of paper signed by him. (Some bureaucratic bs of whatever sort), so I went to the Departmental office.
"Just leave it here," the secretary told me, "John Hope is in Tashkent." As I left I was wondering to myself silently: "Why is an American Historian of American History in Tashkent."
Just another junketering politician I guess.
Now he is a bitter old man.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at February 9, 2006 11:15 AMI was a history major and had to get my next semester's schedule signed, but my advisor was off campus so I went to get the Dept. Secretary to sign it. She said there was a department meeting going on so she'd ask a professor. I begged her not to but she opened the door and asked the room for a volunteer. Three of them came out to ask where the papers were that I owed them....
Posted by: oj at February 9, 2006 11:35 AMmaybe he would be happier in darfur or somalia. hopefully America will get by without his blessings. funny how he still lives here.
Posted by: toe at February 9, 2006 12:04 PMUnloop.
Posted by: oj at February 9, 2006 12:38 PMThis article reminds me that I took one of the courses he taught at the U of Chicago, and that I remember absolutely nothing about it. And why is shown in shallow and superficial comments like this: "Our presidents are elected by electoral colleges, not directly. And our military is not democratic. There's no draft. Bush's children and my children do not serve." Hey, doc! As a self-proclaimed pacifist, maybe that's because you never tried to get your children to join up , hmmm?
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at February 9, 2006 3:07 PM