Comments on: Paul Robeson (Part III–conclusion)–a mind can be an impossible thing to change

By: bohica99

bohica99 — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Tragic and a bit depressing Neo when one thinks about all the Robesons out there.

By: N. O'Brain

N. O'Brain — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

I drive by Robeson's residence in Phila. every day. They have a historical location marker outside the row house in West Philly.

57th (???) and Walnut, just for the record.

By: camojack

camojack — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

At 5:54 PM, neo-neocon said...
Oh, he's "interesting" all right, as in "may you live in interesting times."

Ah yes, the ancient Chinese curse.

I'm also reminded of an old Bill Cosby routine; when asked what he thought of an ugly baby, he responded that said baby was "interesting looking"...

By: Bookworm

Bookworm — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

I read all three parts of your series with great interest. I’ve long known the general story of Robeson’s life, but I’ve never before heard about his willingness to betray a friend over Communism. How utterly poisonous the wrong belief system can be. Also amazing that his son, in attempting to portray him positively, would tell that terrible story about him. I rather wonder what it says about the son’s value systems, aside from the obvious problems about him set out in your post and in m.g.’s comment.

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Oh, he’s “interesting” all right, as in “may you live in interesting times.”

By: m.g.

m.g. — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Hmm. Not sure I’d characterize Paul Robeson Jr. as “interesting.” From an article on a speech he gave at Dartmouth in January 2003:
“As a scholar of Russian studies, Robeson said that the Homeland Security Act was modeled after a collection of documents authored by Joseph Stalin and that President Bush ‘is part of a neo-Confederate government geared at destroying the Union.’
Several times during his speech Robeson mentioned the dominance of the Republican Party and the popularity of President Bush in the Southern states, making allusions to Hitler's support from southern areas of Germany.”