Stanley G. Robertson is a professor of business and law at DeVry University in Chicago. He is the host and producer of the television show titled, The Ink Spot, on CAN-TV and WVON radio in Chicago. The show is currently in its sixth year of production. Stan is the author of the book, The Straw Man Fallacy: Exposing the Faulty Rhetoric of Is Bill Cosby Right? He is currently working on his second book titled, This Ain’t Eric Jerome Dickey: The Ink Spot Anthology of 100 Books You Must Read. In the anthology, Stan has selected and reviewed 100 of their favorite books covered on The Ink Spot between the years 2005-2010. The books selected for inclusion range from the Black literary classics to current best sellers.
The Ink Spot appears on television and radio. The Ink Spot with Stanley G. Robertson airs on CAN-TV in Chicago each Saturday from 11:30-12:00 noon Central Time; and it airs on WVON AM-1690 radio each Sunday from 4:00-5:00 pm Central Time.
Each week the moderator plus three panelists from varied
backgrounds read a book and come together around the table to debate the
issues explored in the book. The show begins with each panelist expressing
their overall opinion of the book. But as opposing viewpoints emerge, the
conversation usually turns to more verbal sparring, good-natured
gamesmanship and occasionally loud crosstalk as the debate heats up. Every
episode ends with Stanley G. Robertson asking for a thumbs up or thumbs down
as to whether each panelist would recommend the book to other readers.
The
Straw Man Fallacy
Click to order via
Amazon
Hardcover: 98 pages
Publisher: Xlibris Corp (June 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1436324645
ISBN-13: 978-1436324649
In this searing critique of Michael Eric Dyson’s book, Is Bill Cosby Right
or Has the Black Middle Class Lost It’s Mind? Stanley G. Robertson asserts
that Dyson’s motives for his diatribe are less than noble.
When it comes to Bill Cosby’s speech, Dyson overreacted like a bit player in
a bad movie. Based on his response, one would have thought that Cosby had
slapped Dyson’s mother instead of calling for Black mothers and fathers to
stand up and be mothers and fathers. It would seem that Michael Eric Dyson,
and not the middle class, is the one who has lost his mind.
In his book, The Straw Man Fallacy, Stanley G. Robertson exposes the logical
fallacies in Michael Dyson’s treatise and explores the rationale behind his
venomous attacks against Bill Cosby.
House
Negro
In this insightful and provocative work, Stanley G. Robertson explores the
etymology of the word “house Negro”. In essence, “house Negro” is a
derivative of “house slave”. At its root, the term is used to denote an
African American whose political views run contrary to the corporate good of
the Black community. In this book, Stan argues that the Black republican is
the direct ideological descendent of the house slave.
The psychological control of the slave was indeed a complex affair whose
repercussions are still felt some 150 years later. As a result of the
conditions suffered while in captivity, the American slave in general, and
the house slave in particular, developed a far-reaching psychosis that
caused them to assist their captors in maintaining their stronghold.
Because of the house slave’s close proximity to his owner, he often
identified with his master and looked out for his well being. The house
slave protected his owner’s property, his home, and his children. House
slaves benefited from their loyalty and some even came to love and care for
their owners even to the detriment of their own community. Their misguided
allegiance caused them to imitate their owner’s deportment and adopt his
political ideology as their own.
Black republicans today, akin to the house slaves of yore, not only identify
with their White counterparts, but they have assumed the same social and
financial interests, and as a result, fully embraced their political views.
Based on this commonality, the Black republican and the house slave are
inextricably linked. In this context, the book House Negro: The
Psychological Containment of the Black Republican makes the argument that
the reference to the Black republican as house Negro is linguistically
accurate.
This
Ain’t Eric Jerome Dickey: The Ink Spot Anthology of 100 Books You Must Read
by Stanley G. Robertson JD & Gavin R. Jackson, JD
From the Introduction
For five years the original panel of The Ink Spot have gathered around the
table and debated books. During that time, the panel has engaged in in-depth
conversations and has fielded hard-hitting questions from the moderator. Due
to the varied backgrounds of the panelists, viewpoints often emerged which
have led to crossfire dialogue, verbal sparring, good-natured gamesmanship,
and occasionally loud crosstalk. The show always ends with Stanley G.
Robertson asking for a thumbs up or thumbs down as to whether each panelist
would recommend the book to other readers.
At the outset, an explanation of the title of this book seems to be in
order. While it may appear to be a slam against Eric Jerome Dickey, the
title is not suggestive of any sort of triviality of Mr. Dickey’s work or
that of other fiction writers. The thought process in developing a title for
this work centered around the concept of reading. When it comes to reading,
many African Americans tend to lean toward works of fiction, and so, the
search was on to find just the right anecdote or symbol to represent this
notion. Eric Jerome Dickey, being one of the stalwarts of Black fiction, fit
the bill perfectly and the title was born. Thus, the title is not a slam
against Mr. Dickey; on the contrary, it pays homage to him.
It is no coincidence that the 100 books included in this anthology are works
of nonfiction; it is because one of the primary goals of The Ink Spot is to
educate and inform its audience. While the show seeks to deliver the debates
in an entertaining format, the panel around the table might be considered in
the public discourse as intellectuals. This is not to speak of the panel in
superlatives, but on the contrary, to suggest that panelists who participate
in The Ink Spot debates are persons who use intelligent thought and reason
to critically analyze information that is contained in the books they read.
In early 2003, Stanley G. Robertson, Tony Hess, John M. Smith, and Will
Dixon, formed a book club in order to intensify the verbal sparring that
they enjoyed on a regular basis since childhood. The book club ran strong
for some three years until it ran its course.
In 2005 the television show, The Ink Spot, was born from this group when
Stanley G. Robertson became a producer at CAN-TV, a local cable access
channel in Chicago, Illinois. Stan would be the host of the show, with Tony
and John appearing often as panelists. Kim Martinez joined the cast the same
year, followed by Gavin R. Jackson in 2006. Stan continued to produce and
host the show with Tony, Kim and Gavin settling in as the regular Ink Spot
panelists. Many other guests have appeared on the show as alternates, most
notably Benita Jackson, Rodger Jackson, Jr., and Lewis W. Powell, III.
The Ink Spot reached a milestone in 2010 when Gavin became an Associate
Producer on the show. Stan and Gavin have worked diligently to advance the
show from its local audience at CAN-TV to a national network audience. The
past five years have been a wild ride indeed! In This Ain’t Eric Jerome
Dickey, Stan and Gavin, along with other members of the original Ink Spot
cast, have selected and reviewed 100 of their favorite books covered on the
show between the years 2005-2010. The books selected for inclusion range
from the Black literary classics to current best sellers.
The scope of recommendations contained in This Ain’t Eric Jerome Dickey: The
Ink Spot Anthology of 100 Books You Must Read are suitable for freshman and
mature scholar alike. It serves as an extraordinary introduction to the
intellectual and social history of many important works in Black literature.
Related Links
The Ink Spot
http://www.inkspottv.com/
The Ink Spot on AALBC.com Book Club
http://aalbc.com/authors/the_ink_spot_on_aalbc.html
Stanley Robertson interviews Jermaine Jackson about the book You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother's Eyes
http://aalbc.com/authors/you_are_not_alone_michael.html
Ink Spot on Blip.TV
Ink Spot on CAN-TV
Ink Spot on WVON
