The death of the public intellectual
is Hailey Bieber the new Susan Sontag?
In the winter of 1965, three days before the assassination of Malcom X and six months before the Voting Rights Act was passed, the Cambridge Union Debating Chamber was packed to over-capacity. 700 students and guests filled the grand chamber, hundreds of others packed into adjacent galleries for a live broadcast, and even more stood waiting outside, hoping for a chance to get in. Over 1000 people were there to witness what has since become known as one of the most influential intellectual debates on race in America.
That night, James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. stood on opposing sides of the question: “Has the American Dream been achieved at the expense of African Americans?”. It was an electrifying debate, with the two men embodying not just opposing arguments, but opposing Americas. Buckley, a conservative commentator, argued that personal responsibility, not systemic oppression, determined ones success in the country. While Baldwin, a civil rights activist carrying the weight of the lived experiences of a black man in America, spoke on the country’s foundations of racial injustice.
“I picked the cotton and I carried it to market and I built the railroads under someone else’s whip.”
The weight of his words was felt throughout the hall, those who had entered certain in their convictions felt their opinions begin to unravel. When it came time to cast their vote, the audience—composed mainly of British conservatives, many from the upper echelons of society—decided on an overwhelming result: 540 to 160 in favor of Baldwin. Even those predisposed to Buckley’s views could not deny the force of Baldwin’s argument. That was the ability and purpose of the public intellectual—to challenge deeply held beliefs, to present ideas so undeniable that they could break through even the most firm ideologies.
The significance of the debate extended far beyond the wooden walls of the chamber. It was re-broadcasted by several American stations, dissected in newspapers and classrooms, and continues to maintain relevance even today. The debate was a moment that reflected how intellectuals at the time were more than just thinkers, they were shapers of cultural discourse and influencers of entire societies. It represented an era when public intellectuals had real power to shift public mindsets, to educate, and to challenge.
It’s difficult to imagine such a debate commanding that kind of attention today, especially not with the same level of cultural impact. Where once a thousand people crammed into a hall to listen to debates, today’s intellectual confrontations unfold through the online sphere. What once demanded silence and focus now competes with the endless scroll of content. This shift from intellectualism to spectacle marks a fundamental change in the way our culture engages with ideas.
