Sanjay Goupta: Public Intellectual, indeed

The idea that America is built on “headstrong individualism and the myth of self-reliance” indeed implies that this is a nation of “anti-intellectuals”. Yet, public intellectual Sanjay Guopta’s influence seems to elude otherwise.  There is no question as to Goupta’s ability to influence society. Besides being a full time CNN staff member, journalist and “blogger,” both of his books, Chasing Life (2007) and Cheating Death (2009), have become best sellers and documentaries on CNN. His avid fan-base has earned Sanjay a successful Twitter account in which followers can receive updates and advice per Guopta practically 24/7. The American public is not resisting Goupta’s intellectual advice, but rather thirsting for more.

Moreover, any individual concerned with a decline in “class” or quality of public intellectuals of our time, need not point fingers at Goupta. Sanjay has the credentials and experience to back up his commentary. In addition to his position at CNN, Gupta is a staff member at the Emory University School of Medicine, associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and serves as an ambassador on the American Board of Neurosurgery. Atop this, “in 1997, he was selected as a White House Fellow, serving as a special advisor to First Lady Hillary Clinton.” (To read more about Goupta’s highly admirable credentials see http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/gupta.sanjay.html.)

Regardless of Gupta’s educational background, image obsessed naysayers should place their focus not on credentials and credibility of the source, but rather the “function” of the source, as stated by Professor Mack in, “The ‘Decline’ of Public Intellectuals.” Is Sanjay dealing with topics worthy of public attention and discourse? Does he attempt to puncture the “myth-makers” of today? Noted academican, Elshtain acknowledged that it is of utmost importance public intellectuals, like Sanjay, act as “critics.”  Sanjay’s individual CNN site exposes weekly topics he has discussed both on camera and off. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/sanjay.gupta.md/. Recent reports include headlines like, “How medical fraud works,” “Keeping your home safe from chemicals,” and “America’s obesity epidemic,” all of which are indeed worthy of a little “prodding, poking, pestering” and investigating. Via the web, Sanjay also asks viewers to send in their own stories, comments and burning questions so that Sanjay may continue questioning and challenging the “powerful institutions that …shape” America. This active public participation is something Professor Mack points to as the “obligation of every citizen in a democracy.”

However, intertwined with the aforementioned significant social material, are reports on, “What makes men tick?,” the “extremes” of Nascar driving, and Angelina Jolie’s visit to Pakistani aid camps. These newscasts may conger the notion that Sanjay’s credibility has been “cheapened” or “adulterated.”  In addition, they may spark the assumption that his use of “celebritism,” with the likes of Angelina Jolie, has weakened Sanjay’s reliability simply because Angelina is a performer and not a scholar. According to Posner, reports dealing with the “arts and humanities” should be left out of the public intellectualdom entirely. Yet Sanjay’s work beckons the contrary outlook, that such discussion topics, in fact, “uncover implicit orientation and worldviews that, in turn, affect public decisions and actions.” http://www.stephenmack.com/blog/archives/2010/08/the_decline_of_3.html#more. If Angelina’s appearance leads to further debate on the subject and increased aid in Pakistan, than these “shoddy” reports are truly worthy of broadcast.

Furthermore, Sanjay takes his public intelligence past the point of mere discourse. He “practices what he preaches,” so to speak, as his roles as journalist and physician have, at times, overlapped. During the Iraq invasion in 2003, Sanjay not only reported on site, but also “performed brain surgery five times, the first of which was on a 2-year-old Iraqi boy.” http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/gupta.sanjay.html   Most recently, Sanjay traveled to a medical clinic in Haiti to report  on the current situation and ended up being one of the only physicians who stayed on site to make certain that wounded patients  survived throughout the night. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/19/sanjay-gupta-shocked-when_n_428337.html. Guopta’s heroic merit has even warranted Obama’s request to fill the position of Surgeon General. Clearly, Sanjay Guopta’s credibility as a true public intellectual is not damaged.

 To question Guopta’s influence, his authority as an intellect, and his passion to discuss apt subject matter would not only be pointless, it would be an act of civic stupidity. In short, when it comes to public intellectuals, at present, there appears to be no need to fret---Sanjay Guopta is pulling his weight, and he’s doing so quite gracefully.