Pablo captures the malaise quite eloquently with these words: "the embarrassing Pan-"Afrikan" infantile, therapeutic achievism that afflicts so many black people world over-- the need to find heroes that result in a cathartic sycophancy of anything achieved by black folks."
Racial therapy is a dangerous enterprise because it emotionalizes what should belong to the realm of reasoned skepticism and intense interrogation. Claims are usually tested, but not when they're mediated by the tyrannical culture of unquestioning racial solidarity. Because it emanates from a cathartic impulse, this culture rarely brooks actual, subtle accomplishments, which are usually not of the self-promoting, self-aggrandizing type. Consequently, our real scientific heroes and achievers are ignored while the fakes take center stage.
Very sad! It's the reason why we're discussing Emeagwali today instead of Professor Dabiri, who just won a McArthur Genius Award.
--
There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
---Mohandas Ghandi
-- On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Pablo Idahosa <pidahosa@yorku.ca> wrote:
I feel little gratification in once having been gatekeeper against this man, but chagrined at the time in not doing enough. A number of years ago when I directed African Studies, I had leaders from a "Black" student association come to me with a letter from this man's organization, requesting that he come to my University to speak about the "Father of the Internet". I had also received an e-mail from him outlining his schedule of fees for his inspirational talks. I flatly refused the students' request/claim, authoritarian academic that I am, insisting that this statement couldn't' possibility be true, and I trashed and junked his e-mail, knowing, or believing, his claims to be so outrageously silly as to not eve warrant a nasty, chastening reply. If I had a dollar for very charlatan that comes across my desk, or through my e-mail, requesting to talk, or requests from gullible students, wanting to find black heroes behind the invention, evolution and making of the world through the vaunted or absurd claims claims of some would-be, or sometimes even actual academic or innovator money-maker, I too would be wealthy.
My regret, however, lies in not following it up (how many of us have this time-- maybe I should drop one my other hobbies for this?); in doing the research on his website, and, as people are doing now, posting his false claims on the internet. Having seen this video, I cringe at the embarrassing Pan-"Afrikan" infantile, therapeutic achievism that afflicts so many black people world over-- the need to find heroes that result in a cathartic sycophancy of anything achieved by black folks. I can understand this racial psychotherapy amongst some young people; however, that mature adults could have been taken in by this fraudster is beyond me. I'm also sorry and appalled for my Sister Gloria's name being dragged into this. She has shown enormous dignity the face of all of this, when others might have hired a lawyer.
Incredible, but let this be a lesson to all of us.
PLEI
On 29/09/10 6:23 AM, Wassa Fatti wrote:The Philip Emeagwali story or saga is becoming a disturbing factor to some of us, despite the fact that some of us were in doubt about it. I always assume since reading Gloria Emeagwali's book about three years ago that she was a biological sister to Philip Emeagwali. I can't believe that Philip Emeagwali has made a fraudulent claim on her being. My apologies to those I disputed and reguested evidence regarding the deceptive nature of Philip Emeagwali. I now believe that Philip Emeagwali needs to seek help. Lot of Black folks will be traumatised by these exposures, be assured of that.
Wassa
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:04:12 -0700
From: xokigbo@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Phillip Emeagwali's Fraudulent Activities Have Tainted the LSAT
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
The most disturbing thing to me is that Philip Emeagwali had the audacity to place my photo
next to his- by cut 'n paste wizardry- to make the fraudulent claim that I was his wife. I stumbled on a newspaper that
innocently bought into the lie and was able to get an apology from the editors.
For the last few years I have had a disclaimer on my website at:
What a jerk! What a fraudster! He should be stopped.
Professor Gloria T. Emeagwali
Prof of History and African Studies
Prof,Interesting. For a long time I thought you were his spouse. And then I started spying your disclaimer and my heart went out to both of you, I thought you had suffered a painful, perhaps bitter divorce. Little did I know that the scammer had cut and pasted you into an imaginary marriage. The man is a loser. What breaks my heart is the feverish defense of his fraud by people who are supposedly learned. They are basically saying, so what if he lied about his achievements, his degrees, his marriage, and has delusions about being Father of the Internet, must man not wack? And they wonder why things are the way they are with us.In the video below, please watch "Professor" "Dr" Emeagwali making fools of his supporters in his own words. Hear him bask in the adulation of winning the Nobel Prize of computing, of having two masters and a PhD, of being the father of the Internet, etc, etc. Listen to him and you will be filled with compassion - the man actually has delusions of grandeur.Enjoy.... I am done with this fool. And his posse of foolish supporters:- Ikhide
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---Mohandas Ghandi
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