Comments on: CE Week #9: “A hero who has no Nobel”

By: Stephanie Semb

Stephanie Semb — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:33:12 +0000

Wahoo! This article was really touching. I loved it. J. Skelly Wright is an amazing man. He was so selfless and courageous. The fact that he wasn’t intimidated let alone concerned about his lawn being burnt by the KKK shows his incredible strength. He used that strength to fight for his beliefs. Also, his beliefs were not only unique and individual to him, but he also acted upon them. Wright really impacted many lives. He helped the poor, minorities, and women. My favorite description of him has to be this: “He didn’t set out to be a hero. He just believed it was his job to do what was right, to enforce the law.” He is a good human being. He is a hero. I truly enjoyed the fact that Susan Estrich chose a real person that affected her life dramatically in a positive way as her hero. Her choice of hero was a good one, too. It was enticing and original. Usually you hear famous people as heroes, or family members as heroes. Susan chose not only a non-family member, but also a not-so-famous person who affected her life positively and supported her through times of need. He used empathy to make the world and the people in it better. What a guy!
SSEMB

By: Caitlin Barschig

Caitlin Barschig — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:20:05 +0000

Honestly I was surprised to read that so many people chose Al Gore as their “hero.” Yes, he has been on the television a great deal of late, but mostly on the news and our young people (this is a generalization) aren’t that avid in keeping up with the news. Most the people I know for one don’t see Al Gore more than an environmentalist. Apart from that, I found this article very interesting to read. J. Skelly Wright a person whom I have never heard of affected Susan Estrich so much she put him as her hero. I do agree that this man was a great person who did even greater things. He helped fight against racial inequality and he helped fight for women’s rights, two things people look up to. Estrich repeatedly states that Wright did not receive a Nobel Prize, and brings up that Gore did. Is she trying to say that Gore didn’t deserve it or that what Gore did doesn’t amount to Wrights actions? Estrich writes like she is somewhat angry that Gore received the Nobel Prize instead of Wright and that Gore is not as good of a person as Wright. “For it was his soul that made J. Skelly Wright a hero. He never got a Nobel Prize, but truth be told, he didn’t need one.” I can’t help but to read that quote as being bitter that Wright didn’t get a Nobel Prize. Maybe it was just how I read it.

-Caitlin Barschig

By: Kirk E. McLaughlin

Kirk E. McLaughlin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:24:13 +0000

I liked this article a lot, the overall message of it all is down right flawless. Basically it says that just because someone is in the media spot light all the time and has won tons of awards it doesn’t necessarily make them a hero. This isn’t to say that Al Gore isn’t doing some good, its just saying that there are some individuals out there who have made a fairly large impact somewhere and ask for nothing In return. Kind of like the articles main topic, J. Skelly Wright. As the author explained this man fought against oppression against the black community, racially integrated schools, and help fight for women’s rights. He didn’t become rich in his endeavors and is not well known (did you know who he was before the article?) and he never received any rewards nor considered himself a hero, he just considered it to be his job nothing more. I think there are honestly a lot of people like this in our world, not a rarity as our author makes them out to be. The reason we don’t see them is that like Wright they don’t ask for anything in return, it sort of makes you wonder how credible some of the “heroes” we see on television really are.

By: FDinger

FDinger — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:01:44 +0000

Alyssa,
The author uses the furniture store story as an introduction into Wright’s political career. The furniture store was taking advantage of poor black customers, subjecting them to unfare interest rates and reposession. Wright didn’t think it was fair to take advantage of the poor so he helped pass a bill making it illegal. Wright was the circuit judge during the Williams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Store legal case. You can read more about it here http://www.scu.edu/law/FacWebPage/Neustadter/contractsebook/main/cases/Williams.html

By: Alyssa Osterback

Alyssa Osterback — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:18:55 +0000

At first I was kind of confused at first where the article was going; overall I think it was a good article. It is so rare to find someone like this that is so deeply involved in the government. I admire people like J. Shelley Wright who are willing to stick up for the minorities, or the people that have no voice. I thought it was funny how it didn’t even faze him that the KKK was setting his front lawn on fire. I thought the best part of the article was the part where Wright stuck up for the rape victim when no one else would. We need more people in our government that are like that. We need people that aren’t worried about furthering their career, but people who are really there for the good of the United States people. Wright never made millions, or went all that far, but he was genuine which is a very hard thing to find in politics today. What I was still confused. Why the author was talking about the furniture company at the beginning? If someone could explain that to me, that would be great.