[csaa-forum] Trashy magpies

[Terry Flew]

Jason/CSAA (last post, honest)

I'd never given a moment's thought to Frank Furedi until about 5 hours ago, 
but Googling on the guy proved to be very interesting.

My issue isn't that he is a Marxist, or an ex-Marxist, or a sociologist 
from Kent. I'd like to know more about his 'Linda Ryan' pseudonym, but that 
can wait until another day.

My issue is that the guy seems to be a rolled gold, 24-carat intellectual 
shyster and professional hypocrite. The problem is not that he defends the 
traditional role of the intellectual, or that he offers his consultancy 
services to Monsanto, or that he writes for the tabloid press about 
widening roads or whether claims of  parental abuse of children are 
exaggerated.

The issue - and I should emphasise that these are insights formed in 5 
hours - is that the guy appears to promote such obviously inconsistent 
messages to the various audiences he deals with (academic, industry, 
general public) that the idea that his writings provide a moral compass to 
anything looks pretty darn shaky.

I think that the capacity to speak to academics, to industry and 
government, and to the wider public, is to be highly valued. Moreover, I 
recognise that these conversations will happen in different registers 
(Continuum articles have a different style, tone etc. to ARC Linkage grant 
applications, which is different to newspaper feature pieces, and so on). I 
just reckon that, in this case, this guy Frank Furedi is a bona fide false 
prophet, and a fish best thrown back into the water.

And, Jason, I look forward to that drink.

Cheers
Terry

At 05:16 PM 26/10/2004 +1000, you wrote:

>Terry,
>
>It's no doubt true that Frank Furedi is an alien-baby-eating-Marxist from 
>Mars. But what has that got to do with the argument he makes in his book 
>Where Have All The Intellectuals Gone?
>
>
>Hm?
>
>
>Dr Jason Jacobs
>Senior Lecturer
>School of Arts, Media and Culture
>Griffith University
>Nathan Campus
>Queensland 4111
>Australia
>Phone: (07) 3875 5164
>Fax: (07) 3875 7730
>_______________________________________
>
>csaa-forum
>discussion list of the cultural studies association of australasia
>
>www.csaa.asn.au

Dr. Terry Flew
Senior Lecturer and Discipline Head, Media and Communication
Course Co-ordinator, Creative Industries postgraduate coursework degree program
Reviews Editor, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies

Creative Industries Faculty
Queensland University of Technology

GPO Box 2434
Brisbane Queensland 4001

Location: The Hub Z6-510 Kelvin Grove Urban Village
Phone: 61-07-3864 8188
Fax: 61-07-3864 8195
Mobile: 0405 070 980
Email: t.flew at qut.edu.au
Research profile: 
http://www.creativeindustries.qut.com/people/staff/next.jsp?userid=flew&secid=Introduction

CRICOS No: 00213J

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