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Dana Gioia's Challenge
On June 17th, NEA Chair Dana Gioia delivered the commencement address at Stanford University. A colleague of mine from Philadelphia, Moira Baylson, sent me this link to his speech text where I read it last evening.
The speech, which invoked the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius’ words, “Trade easy pleasures for more complex and challenging ones,� moved me, disturbed me, and inspired me like few things I read nowadays. Gioia’s observations, about which I concur, sadden me, though I cannot help but agree with him. His appraisal of the current state of the culture - summed up here - could not be more right on:
“I don't think that Americans were smarter then, but American culture was.�
He continues, later in his address with:
“The role of culture, however, must go beyond economics. It is not focused on the price of things, but on their value. And, above all, culture should tell us what is beyond price, including what does not belong in the marketplace. A culture should also provide some cogent view of the good life beyond mass accumulation. In this respect, our culture is failing us.�
When Gioia’s selection as ‘07’s Stanford’s commencement speaker was announced, there was controversy that Chairman Gioia was not sufficiently famous to merit the attention or consideration of the graduating Stanford 2007 class or their families. Celebrity, it seems, is a more important indicator of worth than an opportunity to hear someone who one might not know much about, but who might have something to say that is worth listening to.
Gioia, himself, in response to the controversy surrounding his own selection, quipped “A few students were especially concerned that I lacked celebrity status. It seemed I wasn’t famous enough. I couldn’t agree more. As I have often told my wife and children, ‘I’m simply not famous enough."
That’s the whole point. Gioia, who is a respected poet, ought to be more renown than he is, as should a whole array of other poets, scientists, writers, and thinkers. As Gioia observed, it says a lot about our culture that American Idol participants are known to the average American while the truly accomplished greats of our time remain obscure - eclipsed by seamy and tawdry escapades of the Hilton sisters and their ilk.
How could any thinking person fail to appreciate the merit of thinking about the issues that Gioia raised? Evidently a number of Stanford students fall into this category. Student comments following this story in The Stanford Daily gobsmacked me.
Here's one particularly depressing example from someone who was at least smart enough to refrain from using his name:
I agree with the above comment. As an undergraduate alum of Harvard, and a JD from Stanford, I have to say that the scarlet H has Stanford beat out on this one without even trying hard. Bill Clinton and Bill Gates spoke at this year's fete. They said things just as broadly and tepidly inspiring as Goia, if on a different theme. But that's totally irrelevant. It's not the substance of things said at graduation; no one pays attention to that, really. It's the stature of the speaker, and correspondingly, the stature of the university. My buddy just graduated from the Univ. of Oklahoma. His speaker? Mayor Michael Bloomberg, NYC. Stanford should do better.
How could these solipsistic, narcissistic little turds make it through Stanford University?
These reports have further shaken my confidence in higher education which, frankly, was not all that high beforehand. If Stanford, arguably one of the top two or three schools in the United States, can’t produce thoughtful grads with good critical thinking skills and open minds who understand celebrity-cult rot, then what chance do other universities have to accomplish the same?
Chairman Gioia, I applaud your courage to raise these issues. I hope that your words created some impact on some of your listeners.
Posted on June 27, 2007 09:30 AM | Permalink
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Comments
Heh, great minds think alike apparently. I just did an entry on his speech last night.
Initially, I thought maybe he was being a little self-deprecating when he said there was a controversy about not being famous enough. I figured he was just acknowledging he wasn't as famous as previous speakers.
Frankly, I was a little uneasy posting his comment out of concern that I was doing the Stanford students a disservice by perpetuating the idea that they would really be that upset that he was chosen.
After reading the Stanford Daily piece, I start to believe my concern was unwarranted. Especially with comments like "Who even knew about the National Endowment for the Arts before Dana Gioia was selected?"
If James Earl Jones had given the exact same speech sans the personal background, the grads would probably be delighted with the experience. But would any more of them integrated the message into their lives than will having heard Gioia deliver it?
Neill,
This is a very interesting post. I agree 100 percent as to your statement reference to the “how did they make it out of….� One would think that in their undergraduate work they would have been introduced to the arts.
I think the former student’s quote says a lot about some of the current graduates…. It is not about education or the person receiving the degree… it is about the “stuck-up-ed-ness� of the graduates; the speaker at my graduation was “more famous� than the one at yours... na-na-na-a-na-na. Sound like grade school children on the playground rather than graduates from one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation.
I listened closely to the speaker at my graduation from college in the hopes I could gain “more knowledge� from him. Times have changed in the 27 years since I graduated, it use to be about how can I help society become better… now it appears that some parts of society lean towards a “ME-ME-ME� attitude. With this attitude long term failure is assured.
I have always believed that if I listen to the messenger, I could take away at least one thing that would make me more productive or a better person. I guess my thinking is deemed Old-Fashioned, if so, then so be it.
Please keep in mind that I am sure not all graduates are like this… the most vocal are not always the ones to watch… you have to keep an eye on the quiet ones… they tend to have long term success.
"Famous"is in the eye of the beholder.
Robert
I heard Gates give the Harvard graduation speech, and it was actually quite moving and impressive, made poignant by his being able to finally tell his father, sitting in the audience, that he always said he'd go back and get his degree. Without knocking Gioia's well-stated call to arms on behalf of culture, I don't think it is celebrity alone that puts Gates in a different category of accomplishment and real impact in the world. And the reason Clinton is a celebrity is that he was president for two terms. These two are hardly comparable to American Idol stars, whose celebrity is all they have to bring to the podium. The Stanford students may have stated their disappointment inelegantly, but I think few would disagree that Harvard bested Stanford in the speakers department this year.