Sunday, March 18, 2007

Duke’s Starn’s Latest Round

Duke University Professor of Cultural Anthropology Orin Starn made his first appearance on the JinC main page when he misrepresented remarks by Duke’s Men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski concerning the racial aspects of the Duke lacrosse case.

I emailed Starn and asked about to correct his misrepresentation. In a rambling response in which he added defense attorney Joseph Cheshire to his “target list,” Starn denied misrepresenting Coach K.

So I emailed Starn again, this time including an explication of exactly how, by eliminating certain key words and phases and conflating two separate thoughts the coach had expressed, Starn created what I told him it was hard to believe was anything other than a deliberately false statement which he presented to unsuspecting readers as Coach K’s remarks.

I invited Starn to reply to the explication; and promised to publish his reply in full. He never responded. You can read our email exchanges here.

In the past year, Starn has emerged as a loud, angry and irresponsible critic of Duke athletics in general and the lacrosse players in particular.

As evidence of the players’ innocence has accumulated Starn’s become, if anything, louder, angrier and more irresponsible. See, for example, KC Johnson’s post: “The Arrogance of Starn.”

Now for Starn’s latest ---

From Duke News an announcement of an “academic conference”:

[…] The event, called “Tiger Woods ©: American Empire, Global Golf and the Making of a Megacelebrity,” will be held from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, March 23, in Room 240 of Duke University’s John Hope Franklin Center, 2204 Erwin Road. It is free and open to the public.

Panelists include Selena Roberts, New York Times sports columnist; Edward Wanambwa, editor of African American Golf Digest; Bruce Selcraig, investigative sports journalist; and Anna Grzebien and Jennifer Pandolfi, members of Duke’s NCAA championship golf team. […]

Also on the panel are Duke faculty members Orin Starn, a cultural anthropologist and a conference organizer; Grant Farred, a literature professor; and Rachael Miyung Joo, a visiting professor of cultural anthropology. […]
Starn, who’s taken a leave of absence from Duke to reinvent himself as a “sports cultural anthropologist” and write a book about golf from a cultural perspective, is listed as the conference contact person.

No doubt Starn had a lot to do with picking the panelists.

What does it tell us when from among all the sports writers in America, Starn and others at Duke invited Selena Roberts to join the panel?

Last Spring Roberts was one of those who most viciously and falsely attacked the lacrosse players.

Pundit Stuart Taylor, among the first to call attention to Nifong's frame-up and the contributions of its enablers, has said:
Selena Roberts helped set the tone [for The Times’ treatment of the case as a fable of evil, rich white men running amok and abusing poor black women] in a March 31 commentary seething with hatred for "a group of privileged players of fine pedigree entangled in a night that threatens to belie their social standing as human beings."

All but presuming guilt, Roberts parroted false prosecution claims that all team members had observed a "code of silence." (A correction ran six days later). She likened them to "drug dealers and gang members engaged in an anti-snitch campaign."
Roberts has never apologized for her slimes.

On March 23 Starn will no doubt tell Roberts and conference participants at Duke’s John Hope Franklin Center how “happy” and “honored” he is to have Roberts with him and on the panel.

About that I think you can believe Starn.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you think Roberts and The New York Times will be among those sued for libel and defamation once the slow-moving North Carolina legal system drops the remaining charges against the lacrosse players?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the heads up. This is a topic of interest to me and I’d like to attend. After Starn and Robert’s comments on the Duke lacrosse case, I’m interested to hear their opinion of Tiger Woods and his “role as a black man dominating a traditionally white game.” This should be a hoot!

Btw, didn’t you go to Duke? Perhaps it’s an inside joke or something, but you butchered Coach K’s name. It’s “Krzyzewski.”

Keep up the good work!

~krddurham

Anonymous said...

Also…

In the link you provided to the Duke announcement, Starn referenced Tiger’s use of the word “Cablinasian” to describe himself. I’ve read about this before…Tiger made up the word as a kid to describe his ethnicity.

I’d like to ask Orin Starn, as a “sports cultural anthropologist,” if he made up his career.

JWM said...

Dear Anon @1:22 am,

I don't know whether Roberts and The Times will be sued.

I hope at the least they make full apologies but I'm not holding my breath.

Dear Krddurham,

Thanks for your heads up on the proper spelling of Coach K's name.

I had it wrong, but it's right now because of you.

To answer your question: I earned my masters and doctorate at Duke.

Thank you for not asking whether some of my professors were members of Duke faculty’s Group of 88 or its “88 like” professors such as Orin Starn.

That would have been so hurtful.

Please keep in touch.

Thank you both for your comments.

John

Anonymous said...

"Edward Wanambwa, editor of African American Golf Digest"

Wow, circulation, what, 12?

Sorta reminds me of that joke about 30 white guys chasing a black guy 6 miles one afternoon - PGA championship...

-AC

Anonymous said...

Tiger Woods has trademarked his name as do many celebs. Go here for verification.

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=d9en03.3.4

I wonder if TW knows that Duke has infringed on his trademark by using his name to promote a conference?

Anonymous said...

Here is a contact e-mail for Tiger Woods Web Site. I sent them a copy of the Duke Announcement. Might be a ghood idea for other to send them. Tiger follows a code of do good works and stay out of politics. He is quite a man.

http://www.tigerwoods.com/defaultflash.sps

Anonymous said...

And I might mention AC, not catching him. Mr. Woods is one of my favorite athletes. He is dedicated, hard working, principled, responsible and a Hell of a golfer, come to think of it I HATE HIM. :)

Seriously, I don't know if I am allowed to like him. Won't that torque some people like Starn for me to cross racial lines in my admiration of a fine young man?

I am not all white, but I look it. Should I be angry too? Who should I default hate? Amerinds or Caucasians? Or Blacks? After all some of those Amerinds were very liberal for their day, and mine more so than any of the others.

Damn I just can't get the hang of this hatred thing based on race. I don't have a lot of trouble, though, hating based on racism.

I still remember going to town with my great grandmother and how we were treated by some. I hated those some and hurt some of them, I didn't hate everybody their color or occupation though, they didn't all do it. Just the dumbasses. Back then, one didn't have to have a doctorate to be a dumbass. I guess that proves the educational system is broken. Now you have to study to become stupid. Starns is studying again? How damn dumb is he going to be then?

Anonymous said...

I hope that some of you in Durham can attend and report on the conference and perhaps ask Selena some pointed questions.

Anonymous said...

Questions for The New York Times writer need to be compiled. Could J-in-C link to or reprint the reprehensible piece of journalism cranked out by Roberts?