Read on Twitter
David Graeber was a friend & he inspired me to write in more public, engaging ways. I had no idea that was an option until I read him. As a grad student, I emailed him after coming across his work (he replied, which given what I know now about profs & how busy is a surprise)
I first assigned his work as a grad student when I taugh my very first Hacker class: Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology (such a good book). I had one conservative econ student in my class and he loved David& #39;s book and ideas. His writing has that power.
I have devoured all his books. I laugh out loud when I read him and learn so much. He analyzed the social and cultural world with such force and grace and better: he inspired people to seek and demand a better world.
To finish and to commemorate him every so briefly, for many years now I& #39;ve assigned this short piece in The Baffler to my large undergraduate class on science and technology (including this year) https://thebaffler.com/salvos/whats-the-point-if-we-cant-have-fun">https://thebaffler.com/salvos/wh...
His loss is a reminder: what is the fucking point if we can& #39;t have fun? And you might be wondering what the hell does this have to do with science? Well, a lot (read it, you won& #39;t be disappointed). It is such a good, brilliant essay. And it never grows old.
Everything about his work and life is a reminder: we do have an ability to change things--and for the better and while he was a devout organizer, his writing and ideas also show us they have power and force in the world. May you rest in peace David, thank you for all you did.
