Howard Zinn is a Fear.less contributor with a rich life-tapestry and a compelling story to bring to our magazine. The interview he gave refreshed, in contexts steeped in the most important events of American history, basic and treasured bastions against fear that we sometimes lose sight of. He granted adages like “strength in numbers” and “stand up for what you believe in” a brighter breath.
He died on January 27, 2010. I went into a class of mine two days later and the professor informed the class that “Howard Zinn, hero of the American Left” passed away a couple days ago, and the class’s general sentiment was “for whatever that’s worth”. Then this morning, three weeks later, in a different class, we discussed federalism and Hamilton and Madison and Wheatley and a student brought Zinn into the conversation and at the mere mention of his name the instructor flinched and went “ugh”.
A second later, when I realized that several circumstances precluded Zinn from defending himself, I gained new insight on courage.
I have a capricious interest in politics and I had never heard of Howard Zinn before I read his Fear.less story. I didn’t know he had written over 20 books, or had participated in the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement with so much exposure. I gathered from his Fear.less story the general idea that he placed himself in peril for his beliefs, but I under-understood it. The man put himself on front street, at risk of either praise, or disgust and derision from my class’s pretentious gooberocracy. I grasp how fame works, but it never really hit home until I saw how it affected people’s perception of Howard Zinn. It resonated with me because he participated in a project that has brought me great personal reward, not because I agreed with his politics, but I’ll make do with what I have.
Ideas can be big hits, but big hits make big waves, in all oceans. J.K. Rowling and Stephen King have earned vast wealth and admiration for their imaginations, but it’s so easy (especially through the cowardly anonymity of the Internet) to find people blubbering “Harry Potter is formulaic tripe” or “King can’t write endings worth a crap”. Maybe it’s true, and those people are entitled to their opinions. Certainly Zinn generated controversy and disagreement. But sometimes the amateur armchair critics overdo it. They hate people who are commonly believed to have universal acclaim. When your beliefs and ideas become exposed to millions, you open yourself up to be hated. Not just your ideas, you. People will seriously think that you are a detriment to the human species. And yeah, you can dismiss them as petty and resentful and all that, but I don’t think you can escape being stung over and over. Unless you are even more fearless than Howard Zinn.
The day Zinn died there was discussion about it on a forum I frequent, and in poured anonymous insults more severe than what the relative politeness of the classroom allowed my instructors to get away with. My responses were incredulous and profanity-ridden. These people didn’t even know him. I never met him, but after reading his Fear.less story I wish I did, and I know something about how he felt during a very important time in his life and in American history, and he seemed like a swell guy. I am biased because like Zinn I support civil rights and liberties (crazy I know) and would have opposed the Vietnam War, but I didn’t know any of that about him until after I learned his position on fear.
In one of his last interviews, Zinn said he wanted to be remembered as “somebody who gave people a feeling of hope and power that they didn’t have before.” As far as I’m concerned, he succeeded with his Fear.less story, and also taught me something about the challenge of standing up for what you believe in. And yeah, a lot of bad people say nice-sounding things, but I think there comes a point where you have to admit to yourself that maybe someone who disagrees with you isn’t a villain who’s going to cripple the human race, they just disagree with you. Reserve the rage for the malevolent and the manipulative, why don’t we.
I have a story that exemplifies this, a story about Roger Ebert and Rob Schneider.
Rob Schneider releases Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, which is panned by a Los Angeles Times critic. Schneider attacks the critic in an open letter, mocking him for not winning any awards… “maybe you didn’t win a Pulitzer Prize because they haven’t invented a category for Best Third-Rate, Unfunny Pompous Reporter Who’s Never Been Acknowledged by His Peers.”
Roger Ebert, alumnus of my university and all-around disher-outer of important thoughts, replies in his review of the film, “As chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified. Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks.” He then writes a book about terrible movies called Your Movie Sucks.
Two years later, Roger Ebert is struggling with cancer, operations, recovery, life. Then he writes a curious article: “A beautiful bouquet of flowers was delivered to the house the other day. A handwritten note paid compliments to my work and wished me a speedy recovery… The card was signed, “Your Least Favorite Movie Star, Rob Schneider.” Roger Ebert realizes something important. “They were a reminder, if I needed one, that although Rob Schneider might (in my opinion) have made a bad movie, he is not a bad man, and no doubt tried to make a wonderful movie, and hopes to again. I hope so, too.”
I didn’t know Howard Zinn but from what I do know about him I don’t think he was a bad man and I find his story very uplifting, even after what he has posthumously taught me about the price of being vocal.
Stand up for what you believe in. You will make mistakes. You will have to put up with a lot of bullshit. But do it anyway.
Rest in peace, Mr. Zinn.
In 1976, I enrolled in Boston University School of Management to try to learn enough to make it in the music business. I took many tiresome classes in accounting, economics and organizational behavior. When it came time to pick an elective, I chose American History with this guy, Zinn, whom everybody said was a pistol. It turned out to be an amazing course, all the more so because the president of the University, John Silber, made no secret of wanting to fire Zinn, and Zinn, in turn, made no secret about calling Silber out for what he was, a profit-oriented capitalist with a big ego and little interest in things academic. Zinn walked us through his People’s History of the U.S., showing us that you could be awake and aware to the terrible inequities around us and still have humor and grace.
dude. that is so awesome. thank you for sharing.