A prominent researcher visits my grad school,
the much-anticipated appearance of this academic celebrity having been announced with flyers
plastering the campus
The local TV station has scheduled an interview.
He is one of the most renowned scholars in His field, a famous expert on the causality of
bleak Black urban deprivation,
my observation of which has been troubling me quite deeply for years.
The crowded roomful of aspiring scholars is just titillated to be so close to Him
sitting attentively around the huge conference table
Packed in like young dressed-for-success sardines
The highest ranking PhD in attendance does His introduction, which
the Great Man interrupts after a few moments
annoyed that His middle name has been reduced to an abbreviation.
He wants the whole name said aloud.
Maybe He just wants announcing His name to take longer.
Having demonstrated His arrogance, He
begins the speech we all came for
launching into a long monologue about
the difficulties of never being quite satisfied with the titles of one’s bestselling books.
He smiles widely as He talks,
exposing His perfect even teeth,
savoring the polished sound of His own voice.
The crowd is still attentive, eager.
He drones on, speaking in the technical jargon of scientists.
"Fuck this asshole from Harvard!" I am thinking,
scribbling angrily in my sketchbook.
All this goes on for an hour or so.
Towards the end He went on for a while about how much He loved
a certain popular cable TV show. An urban crime drama.
“I learned so much from that show about urban poverty...” He extolls.
I have never even seen whatever the hell smash hit program he is talking about.
Because I don’t have cable.
Because I think it is a waste of money.
And I am poor.
As are almost all my friends, none of whom have cable either.
And that was when I realized that assholes like this really had nothing to teach me.
Especially about poverty and social inequality.
