Obscure Drivel

Vincent J. Curtis

11 Mar 24

RE: Assassins of memory and the crisis of civic memory. Op-ed by Henry A. Giroux. The Hamilton Spectator 11 Mar 24.

The piece by Henry Giroux is a mixture of obscurity and dog-whistles. “Memory currently occupies a large media presence” means what, exactly? “Far-right GOP legislators, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis…” is a dog-whistle; one that makes a glaring error any American ought to realize: that a governor is not a legislator, and Gov. DeSantis could not serve as an example of a legislator.

The rest of the piece rises not an inch above this level of literary and analytical obscurity. It’s nothing but obscure, dark, and threatening. Maybe being so obscure and threatening is supposed to make the author look smart; and perhaps it does to some; but to high school grads who at a gut level think the article is junk: your instincts are good.

I know Giroux is supposed to be an academic in something called critical pedagogy, but how can you teach anything when your locution is so obscure? This sort of writing would never get past an old newspaper editor, and I don’t understand how Giroux’s continues to fool the Spec’s editorial page editor.

-30-