When Performance Overcomes Historical Importance

"Cinemas form memories and memories form history," observed Ukrainian film director Mstyslav Chernov during his acceptance speech for winning the Oscar for Best Documentary at Sunday's Academy Awards show. His powerful condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine resonated throughout the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. 

But for me it also touched on how some cinemas or the subjects they attempt to portray can fade from memory and history if the discerning and capricious spotlight shown on them from the Academy and the audience is affected or shifted in any way, no matter how slight. 

Everyone acclaims the value of the recognition of receiving the prestigious Oscar award, but there are layers of reasons why it is important and how it is important. Also, for whom is it important.

For many actors, it is the ultimate acknowledgment of their ability as an actor, director, producer, etc. But for others, like me, it is an opportunity to recognize something historical; a moment in time or a movement; something that is spoken for by the actor/actress nominated for the award. In an era where the importance of history seems to recede further into the shadows of time, events like winning an Oscar award can do much to solidify one's standing in the always-shifting sands of public sentiment and recollection. 

Lily Gladstone, proudly assumed the role of being the first Blackfeet Indian (Niitsitapie) and Nez Pearce (Nimíipuu) to be nominated for an Oscar award for Best Actress for her brilliant, human, bilingual, and nuanced depiction of Mollie Burkhart, the Osage Indiana who was the victim of a horrendous serious of murders in Oklahoma in 1929. Her role in Martin Scorcese's masterful film "Killers of the Flower Moon" exposes the Reign of Terror that had been hidden in the dustbins of American history for years. 

Had she won for Best Actress award, or if the film had won any award, it would have helped cement the tragedy of the Reign of Terror in the collective conscience of the American persona. For many, this was not just about the best physical performance before a camera, but rather the portrayal of a voice echoing quietly from the past that needed to be heard and understood. The eventual winner, Emma Stone, received the award for her technical prowess in bringing to life Bella, a modern-day re-imagining of Frankenstein, In short, the Academy needed to decide between awarding historical relevance and skilled performance and they chose the safer option. No one, of course, can demean Stone's performance, but for me, Gladstone's effort had more cultural value and historical flavor and was meant to serve as an anchor to avoid the Osage historical tragedy from being swept away by the currents of history. As James LaRue, noted librarian and consultant observed, "cancellation can happen by distraction." And while we cannot say that the Academy hoped to cancel the luminous importance of "Killers of the Flower Moon", they drastically dimmed the light that Mr. Scorcese, Ms. Gladstone, and the team of the film so effectively displayed on this historical moment. The over-extended "rivalry" between "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" did not help either. But I do hope that down the road, people will still remember this film and its subject. If not, future directors may have to hire Emma Stone to play a Native American Indian. Maybe that will work! 😊

Sadly, the Academy is not ready yet to award an Oscar to a Native American Indian; they have much work to do. But at the very least they allowed Osage musicians and singers to peform on stage during the ceremony. 

Winning With Class Still Means Something

Many Americans will probably be unfamiliar with Wrexham FC, the oldest football (soccer) club in Wales and the third oldest professional club in the world that plays in the National League in England. But as the success of the Netflix tv series "Welcome to Wrexham" continues to grow and attract new fans, more people are becoming aware of the team, not only because of the program, but because their owners are American: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Today they played a crucial game against Notts County and won 3-2. Apart from the exultation, what struck me was the class and grace with which Ryan Reynolds spoke about his team's opponents. We live in an age where a win-at-all-costs attitude is celebrated. The recent cases of extremely boorish and poor sportsmanship that were displayed during the latter stages of the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament have rankled many. One player punched another, and two others used a "you-can't-see-me" gesture; one directed toward a team, the other toward one individual in particular. This is symptomatic of what former New York University President John Sexton calls a "colosseum culture". It is no longer just about winning; it is about denigrating your opponent in a fashion that makes for click bait on social media platforms. 

So it was a wonderful breath of fresh air to watch Ryan Reynolds be interviewed after the Wrexham-Notts County game in which he extolled his team's opponents and made sure that they were also recognized for their magnificent season. It is nice to see that grace and dignity still exist in some parts of the sports world. 

The 700 Club

For baseball fans, this year will be remembered as one that provided us with milestones being reached by some of the game's most famous players. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees tied and then

Photo credit: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN / GETTY IMAGES

surpassed the American League homerun record set by Roger Maris in 1961.  Perhaps more impressive is the 700 homeruns that Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals achieved recently. He is now one of the top three homerun hitters of all time.  What an amazing accomplishment! 

Today someone else entered the 700 Club: Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, the goal scoring machine who does not seem to age. Naturally, this did not receive much attention in the North American market, but it is still worth celebrating. As Albert Pujols played his last game yesterday, Cristiano Ronaldo seems to keep going forward at full tilt, dazzling defenses with his technical wizardry, speed and moxie. I really wish newscasts in the US would have celebrated his remarkable achievement. 

Remembering Samantha Smith

Samantha Smith. Source: The Peace Abbey

Before there was Malala Yousafzai, Rachel Corrie, Greta Thunberg or Autumn Peltier, Samantha Smith claimed our full attention during the waning days of the Cold War. Her youthful optimism, honesty and a gentle willfulness made her an endearing figure. Smith was a young activist (13 years of age) when, sadly, she perished in a plane crash on August 25, 1985. But she has left a legacy that we should honor. The 1982 letter she wrote to the then leader of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov, beseeched him to work with the United States to avoid nuclear war. Anyone who grew up in the 1980s knows how palpable this scenario was and Samantha Smith became a light in a period of darkness.  It seemed that back then that was all that was on our minds: the Cold War and the potential for nuclear war. Now as the US and Russia have assumed the roles of antagonists once again, we must look for other people who can take up the role so well embodied and embraced by Samantha. 

In her letter (when she was ten years old) to Mr. Andropov, she wrote:  

Dear Mr. Andropov,

My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on your new job. I have been worrying about Russia and the United States getting into a nuclear war. Are you going to vote to have a war or not? If you aren’t please tell me how you are going to help to not have a war. This question you do not have to answer, but I would like to know why you want to conquer the world or at least our country. God made the world for us to live together in peace and not to fight.

Sincerely,

Samantha Smith

Did her letter have an effect? Yes. According to Maria Grigoryan and Oleg Yegorov, Andropov read the letter and invited Samantha and her family to visit the Soviet Union. Grigoryan and Yegorov write:

"The world sat up and took note. Andropov answered Samantha, assuring her that no one in the USSR wanted war, and invited her to visit the country. She accepted the offer, and the whole world followed her journey across the USSR with her parents. Along the way, Samantha understood that the USSR was full of kind, peaceful people, and she made many new friends. Her youthful idealism became a symbol of hope for a better future for all."

As the 37th anniversary of her death approaches (August 25), we should step back and admire what she did.  There was no social movement pressing her to take the role of peace activist and citizen diplomat. She simply wanted a better world. After her death schools in the state of Washington were renamed in her honor and many schools in the Soviet Union held memorials to her. We need to recapture this feeling of commonality, solidarity and friendship. But more than anything, on August 25th, we should stop and remember Samantha, whose life was cut too short. 

Katya Lycheva is second from the right.

On the Soviet side, there was a young woman who embodied the same spirit that Samantha demonstrated so passionately. Her name was Katya Lycheva.  She came to the US, met with Ronald Reagan and even met Ronald McDonald, making many friends along the way. Click here to learn more about her.

As international education continues to grow and diversify it must not lost sight of its strong citizen diplomacy tradition. 

You do not have to be an international educator to be an internationalist or peace activist. 

Gearan 2.0

Yesterday, the Finger Lakes Times reported that Mark Gearan, former president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1999-2017), will return to succeed President Joyce Jacobsen, who "resigned" on Monday, July 25th to become a faculty member in the Economics department. Having gone through the "reassignment" process myself, I can empathize with President Jacobsen. This was a decision foisted on her by the Board of Trustees who think we are credulous enough to swallow wholeheartedly the "she resigned" spiel they are spoon-feeding us. She was "resigned" to the position of faculty member. I doubt this was entirely her own decision. 

There have been rumors about the state of the Colleges and the appointment of Mr. Gearan makes sense. He is adept at fostering strong relations with the community (a building and a street were named after him), he excels at fundraising and he can hobnob with the best of them, having enticed former President Bill Clinton to visit the campus years ago. Although it has only been five years since he left the campus, Gearan will find that the landscape has changed. Using Finger Lakes vernacular, the Colleges are like a sailboat that has become rudderless amidst the changing political winds. It appears that Hobart and William Smith Colleges does not know what direction to take. Gearan built up the administration at the Colleges, but will he now do the same for academics? 

More importantly, Gearan is going to have to be very proactive in repairing the relationship with the community of Geneva. Two Hobart and William Smith professors, Jody Dean and Hannah Dickinson have assumed antagonistic roles within the community. Dean openly called for the burning down of all police departments while Dickinson has been very vocal in her support of an inflammatory Geneva City Council member. Dean is no stranger to controversy. She made an appearance in Kurt Anderson's book Fantasyland in which the author chastises her for her promotion of a fantasy industrial complex. Dean, especially, has antagonized the community and one of the first things Gearan will have to do is to remind her of her obligation to teach students, conduct research and form part of the Geneva community. 

New York Times columnist Bret Stephens spoke at HWS in April 2022

Many small colleges these days are struggling with enrollment and Gearan will find this to be at the top of his list of priorities. It has been said that HWS has seen a drastic decrease in the number of applicants and Jacobsen herself, when we spoke to her last summer, acknowledged the severity of the issue. 

It would be devastating to see Hobart and William Smith Colleges close down. I doubt that would happen, but Mark Gearan would only be returning if the situation at the Colleges is much more dire than has been let on. 

In the three years that Jacobsen was at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, she never seemed to make an effort to become acquainted with the community and it was not clear what exactly her academic vision for the Colleges was.  Mark Gearan has a track record of success at the Colleges and established and maintained cordial if not solid relationships with the community of Geneva. He has a very tall order in front of him, but I believe he is the person that Hobart and William Smith Colleges need right now. 

How Far Can Ryan Long Go?

If you have not been following Jeopardy for the last ten days, you have missed an amazing display of talent and democracy. Ryan Long hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and after becoming Jeopardy champion on May 13th, he has held steady thwarting all attempts to dethrone him. His winning streak is now at 11 games. 

Ryan Long 

What makes Ryan's run so impressive? His profile doesn't fit what the "stereotypical" image many people have of someone who displays a strong intellect. Many contestants on Jeopardy are professors, lawyers, computer programmers, etc. These and many other positions are associated with intelligence and and high-cognitive skills. But Ryan goes against that perception. He is a rideshare driver. Sadly, we live in a society where people dismiss participants in the gig economy as not being "smart enough." Historian Richard Hofstatder observed that for many Americans, "Intellect is resented as a form of power or privilege." The vast number of "reality tv programs" on the air now seems to prove this. Ryan shows that anyone outside of that circle can possess, display and apply intellect. I wrote earlier this year about a wonderful program that highlights the artistic talent of airport workers in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida airport. It is wonderful to see that talent is celebrated in all facets of American society. We need to do much more of it. 

I am rooting for him as it is nice to see that someone from outside of academe can display an intellect that far too many people associate with a certain sector of the professional landscape. 

The Rise of the Intreprideur

In her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein, assails the predatory behavior of capitalist leaders who swoop in after a natural or man-made disaster to set their plans in motion while the local population is reeling in a state of shock or the government is distracted. Examining cases from Iraq to Chile to Indonesia she deftly illustrates how individuals and corporations took advantage of the shock of a Gotterdämmerung to strike while the iron is hot and impose their ideas and profit-making aspirations while there is minimal resistance. 

Although it has been 15 yeas since the publication of that book, a residue of Klein's message remains. There will always be someone who will try to take advantage of an adverse situation to make a profit. 

The first appearance of Covid-19 in 2020 wreaked havoc on all professions and remade how we envisioned work. Indeed, it launched an era of per ardua ad astra thinking that many of us have struggled to navigate through. But others saw an opportunity. 

Intrepideur (n)-an individual or company who with little or no fear or experience seeks to migrate their business to a sector normally not affiliated with their line of business or area of expertise.

Intrepideur combines "intrepid" and "entrepreneur" to identify individuals or organizations that attempt something new while downplaying the expertise and knowledge of the people who work in the sector they are cavalierly encroaching upon. This individual is intrepid for taking such a bold move, albeit with little experience. The entrepreneurial aspect lies in the innovative vision that is being applied. But does it mean it is the right move for the company or the new clients to which it seeks to work with?

Only time will tell. Until then we have a new descriptor for a new breed of innovators.