Monday, February 27, 2012

An Evening With Rachel Maddow






This past Saturday evening, I had the supreme pleasure of watching Rachel Maddow walk onto the stage of the Morris Daily Auditorium at San Jose State University wearing black sneakers with bright blue stripes and pink socks. She was on the SJSU campus to receive the John Steinbeck Award. Presented by The Center for Steinbeck Studies, the award is given to “artists and activists whose work exemplifies values found in the writings of John Steinbeck: a concern for the natural environment, a commitment to the common people, and the courage to critique the contrasts between the powerful and the poor.”

Ms. Maddow is a local girl, having been born and raised in Castro Valley, California. She graduated from Castro Valley High School, received her bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1994, and her doctorate in political science from Oxford University, which she attended on a Rhodes Scholarship, as the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes Scholarship.

During the hour and a half interview with San Francisco KGO’s Pat Thurston, Maddow talked about her career in talk radio, hosting her own show on MSNBC, as well as a few political issues of the day like the Occupy movements, gay marriage, and the upcoming 2012 election. When asked what she thought made her successful as a radio host and personality, Maddow answered that it basically boiled down to her detail in explaining issues, rather than being the liberal activist many of her critics paint her as – but make no mistake, she is proud to be a Liberal.

My favorite quote was when she was asked what she thought of those who hate her and she said it comes from them not wanting to hear what’s wrong.

“I sometimes think that hate and that reactionary position comes from a love of country, you don’t want to be told that there is anything wrong…,” Maddow said.

The much too short evening was closed by the presentation of the John Steinbeck Award by John Steinbeck’s oldest son, Thomas, who said his father’s job was “to reconnect humans with their own humanity” and that his father would have been “absolutely fascinated and intrigued by Rachel Maddow and her role as a first-class observer and commentator of the political agendas that now embroil our country…”

5 comments:

Randy Johnson said...

I love the Rachel Maddow Show
...and Steinbeck novels.

She’s is one of the very best in her field
...and who doesn’t love Of Mice and Men?

Bravo Ms. Madow!
...and you too John!

Pam Beers. said...

AH-H-H, connecting with our own humanity. I love it!

Plus I especially love Maddow's pink socks and blue sneakers. Yes, my kind of personal humanity.

Have a super day y'all! I'm donning my pink socks and going out to the barn for a ride on two wild and crazy thoroughbreds. I can feel the adrenaline pumping now.

lemming said...

Sounds marvelous. I do run into a surprising number of people who don't want to hear or learn anything critical about the United States and suggest that I am unpatriotic for saying that I think we got something wrong, so I have to agree with Maddow.

Randy - I hate to tell you this, but I hate John Steinbeck's writing...

itsmecissy said...

A --- really, you hate Steinbeck?

Randy Johnson said...

What?! Somebody hate Steinbeck’s writing?? How can that be? Lennie will be crushed …or at least his mouse will be.