Frank Beacham's Journal

Right-Wing Texas Education Massacre is Just the Beginning of a National History Whitewash

 

So many are shocked this weekend by news that a group of right-wingers have taken the Texas education system hostage by demanding their dogmatic drivel replace history in textbooks.

Wake up, folks! Such a rewrite of actual history has been going since our nation was founded. In fact, U.S. history has always been written by the rich and powerful who want to shape events to their liking.  Sad to say you never got the truth in school. It was mostly propaganda!

When I was growing up in South Carolina, a place that can match Texas any day with right-wing nutcases, the state-approved history textbook actually said that blacks were prohibited from working in textile mills because the machinery lulled them to sleep. No kidding!

Of course, the reason blacks weren’t hired was racism, but the South Carolina textbook couldn’t admit the mill owners were racists, could they? The ultraconservatives in Texas wielded their power over hundreds of subjects this week, introducing and rejecting amendments on everything from the civil rights movement to global politics. It was whitewashing as usual.

Howard Zinn, the late historian, made an alternative history available to everyone and it’s now available to teachers who dare to use it.  It’s called A People’s History of the United States. There are different versions and one new edition is aimed at teenagers.  

There’s also a wonderful new movie, The People Speak, in which well known actors and musicians tell the stories of slaves, authors, politicians, poets, protestors and others who have shaped American life. Most of these people who actually changed the world fail to gain even a mention in school textbooks.

If you really want to learn or have your kids learn the truth, first turn off the television set.  Then buy Howard Zinn’s great book. Your eyes will be opened.

 

Howard Zinn, the People’s Historian, Dies at 87

Many historians are essentially paid hacks who write “history” to favor the rich and powerful. Unfortunately, these magicians with the facts have skewed our nation’s history books and the perceptions of events for millions of Americans.

Then there was Howard Zinn, the author, teacher and political activist whose book—A People’s History of the United States—became a million-selling alternative to mainstream texts. Zinn wrote history from the viewpoint of ordinary people, not the wealthy elite.  

A People's History was published in 1980 with little promotion and a first printing of only 5,000 copies. By 2003, it had sold over a million copies. Adopted by individual teachers against the wishes of the establishment, the book now is taught in high schools and colleges throughout the country.

 Howard Zinn last May at the 92nd St. Y.  Photo by Frank Beacham

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Needless to say that Howard Zinn had enemies among mainstream historians. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. once said: “I know he regards me as a dangerous reactionary. And I don’t take him very seriously. He’s a polemicist, not a historian.” Others had much harsher things to saw.

However, Howard Zinn acknowledged that he was not trying to write objective history, and saw A People's History as a response to traditional works. “There’s no such thing as a whole story; every story is incomplete,” Zinn said. “My idea was the orthodox viewpoint has already been done a thousand times.”

Actors, filmmakers and even Bruce Springsteen, whose Nebraska album was inspired in part by A People’s History, celebrated Zinn. I last saw Howard Zinn on May 13, 2009 at the 92nd Street Y in New York at an actor’s reading from the new young people’s edition of A People’s History.

One of Zinn’s final public writings was a brief essay on President Obama in the Nation. “I’ve been searching hard for a highlight,” Zinn wrote, adding that he wasn’t disappointed because he never expected a lot from the president.

“I think people are dazzled by Obama’s rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president—which means, in our time, a dangerous president—unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction.”

As usual, Howard Zinn was dead-on accurate. Men of his caliber are far too few. His alternative views in this culture-for-money will be sorely missed.

Beat Poet Gary Snyder Writes Ode to Apple's Macintosh

Since reading Jack Kerouac’s On the Road as a kid, I've always loved the beat poets and their literature. One of my favorites has always been Gary Snyder. In 1975, at the moment he won the Pulitzer Prize for his great book of poems, Turtle Island, I was driving Snyder, Michael McClure and Allen Ginsberg around Gainesville, Florida during a visit there. This led to a lifetime of great relationships and wonderful poetry.

 Gary Snyder in 1975 in Gainesville, Florida. Photo by Frank Beacham

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It was a real surprise this morning to wake up to Gary's new poem, Why I Take Good Care of My Macintosh in the New York Times. It seems a Times reporter found Snyder, who lives in the Sierra foothills in Northern California, and asked him to reflect on the digital age. Since Snyder normally writes about nature, this was quite a stretch.

Like myself, Snyder is an avid user of Apple's Macintosh laptop. Snyder, now 79, who doesn’t have a mobile phone and considers texting “abhorrent,” said he loved his Mac. “I like the storage space it has,” he told the Times, “and I like the ability to have back files accessible to me wherever I go.”  Here is the poem:

 

 

Wallace Shawn Writes His First Book of Essays

Since the 1981 film, My Dinner with Andre, I have been a big fan of Wallace Shawn’s work. In 2000, a year after I moved to New York City, Shawn and his directing partner, Andre Gregory, produced The Designated Mourner in the city and I somehow got an opening night ticket. Held in a derelict former men’s club in the Wall Street district and limited to 30 audience members each night, the play was one of the most remarkable theatrical experiences of my life. Nothing since has topped it.

Shawn and Gregory, I learned that night, know how to break the walls (and rules) so common in theatrical productions. The production moved about multiple floors in the old building—then under construction—and the audience was seated on old Salvation Army chairs. I won’t go into details here, but the play is set in an unnamed country where repressive forces encroach upon—and then eventually do away with—the intelligentsia. Perfect Shawn material!

A few years later, I saw Shawn perform in The Fever, another amazing work that challenged how I view everyday common objects. In fact, I have not been able to drink a cup of coffee again without thinking of that play. Let’s just say that Shawn challenges conventional ideas about theater, power, sex, class, and, most unsparingly, liberal complacency.

This week, the actor-playwright released his first book of non-fiction essays. I’ve just started it, but so far I’m blown away by Shawn’s provocative insights. Not only is this man a great writer, but he’s one of the few real public intellectuals left in our dumbed down culture.  The book is simply called Essays. However, the ideas he expresses are not simple at all.

     ---Wallace Shawn signs Essays for readers at the Barnes & Noble store at Lincoln Triangle on Sept. 1, 2009.  Photo by Frank Beacham

Writing Fees Go Down, Down, Down

The economy remains in the toilet. For people like myself -- a professional writer by trade -- a double whammy is at work. The analog-to-digital transition has resulted in a massive shift of publishing from print to the Internet. The poor economy has accelerated this transition.

An interesting side effect of this transition are all the Internet sites claiming to hire writers. Sadly, they offer to pay virtually nothing. Blogging is the biggest joke, with fees ranging from $5 to $15 for a 250 word article. One Florida-based publisher, claiming to pay the going rate, is attempting to find writers for 60,000-word books for a flat fee of under $1500.

Of course, the biggest scam is the "intern" worker. Everyone wants interns who will work for free. Supposedly it's for the "experience," which will most certainly be very bad. Fools seem to never learn.

Some who hire writers don't even know how to spell the word. More than once I've seen it spelled "writter." Now there's someone who admires the craft and will certainly pay fairly for quality writing services!

As one who has spent his entire life writing and being paid well for it, the whole scene today is very disturbing. We are seeing more bad writing than ever and few even care or know the difference. Writing on the Internet is generally poor for a reason. Many books are barely researched, abysmally written and certainly not worth publishing. 

Where it will end remains a major question mark.

Kindle Owners Get a Revealing Lesson on the Digital Lifestyle

On the surface, life in the digital world appears good, shiny and convenient. In a universe where news has mainly become hype for selling products, we are only told of the upside of new technologies,  Armed with that hype and little more, we excited engage in the transaction to buy and embrace what is new.

Inevitably, the other shoe drops. The dark side of the new technology is revealed. When the truth comes out, we begin to learn what we have traded off for the new convenience. Once again, we were fooled. It always works that way in America.  

This month the negative spotlight turned on the Kindle—Amazon's popular electronic book reader. The incident of revelation was hilariously funny—making the Orwellian lesson Kindle owners received all the more relevant. It appears that Amazon changed its mind after selling two digital editions of an author's books and suddenly, without notice, wiped them from all Kindles.

Most Kindle owners—who never read the fine print of their Amazon contracts—had no idea the company had reserved the right to erase a book they had previously purchased. That's a bit like Barnes and Noble coming into your home and removing a book that you bought at their store and thought that you owned.

Amazon's excuse was they had accidently offered the books without having the proper rights. Rather than making the customer happy, Amazon apparently sided with the publisher. No news there. Corporations usually stick together.

What made this Big Brother plot so delicious was the name of the author and the two books that were deleted. How about George Orwell, and his books, 1984 and Animal Farm. Of course, 1984 is the story of authority erasing stories to change history. It's the source of such iconic phrases as the "thought police" and "doublethink." Animal Farm is Orwell's great book about the inequality of animals and how some are more equal than others in our society. 

Amazon, in the depths of its corporate ignorance, couldn't have picked better examples to strong-arm its customers!

Of course, Amazon is so, so sorry and promises not to do it again. But don't believe that for a second. Amazon has demonstrated they have wireless control over your Kindle. You cannot loan a friend a book, or even be sure you books will last. The fiasco left Kindle owners with a sinking feeling. 

George Orwell's lead character in 1984, Winston Smith, is a civil servant assigned to perpetrating the regime's propaganda by falsifying records. Eventually, Smith grows disillusioned with his meager existence and begins a rebellion against the system. Let's hope Kindle owners do the same!

On Living with the Kindle 2...

I love books. I own far too many of them—many first editions signed by their authors. I love the smell and feel of the paper. And the binding, especially of the older editions. And I like the fact so much work went into each book. I know, because I've written them myself. Each volume represents a chunk of the author's soul.

You might find it surprising, therefore, that I've been playing with a Kindle 2 from Amazon.com. I must admit there's a lot to like about it. It's very thin—about the thickness of a pencil—and weighs about 10 ounces. I like the fact I can read with one hand—something that went over my head in the sales pitch. Ordering books and magazines is simple and you can have them delivered wirelessly in a minute or so. It couldn't be quicker or easier. The cost of reading material is considerably lower than the traditional paper versions.

Living in New York City, I lighten the load I carry when I'm out for the day. That used to mean I'd avoid carrying heavy books. The Kindle has changed that. Now, because the Kindle is always in my bag, I'm reading more and faster. 

At $350 the Kindle is a bit expensive, but it does come with a lifetime of Sprint wireless service, something many people forget. It's a lot cheaper in the long-run than buying new hardcover editions these days.  Only problem is that the book is yours and you can't loan it or give it away. 

The Kindle is certainly not for everyone. But if you think it might be for you, ignore all the critics and try one. You might just love it. It's a very personal thing. And it's much, much better than the Kindle 1, which I rejected in less than a day.

The Kindle is another example of the digitization of our culture. Everything is turning to digital files—music, movies, television and now books and newspaper. Like it or not, paper has become too expensive and unwieldy for mass distribution. Devices like the Kindle may just save newspapers and book publishing from an untimely death.