Broad Shoulders

Abstract

This brief narrative represents a tribute to Norman Denzin’s leadership.

Broad shoulders have always marked a man as big for me. I’m tall, on the edge of six feet and two inches, but I’m not big. All of my joints, not just my shoulders, are narrow and wiry. They give me a taut, bird-like profile. So when I see a man with heft through his ankles, knees, wrists, and shoulders, the contrast always strikes me.

It’s shoulders that draw out this contrast the most. Maybe it’s because where my eyes go when I first size up a man I meet—from his face down to his shoulders. Shoulders also have this wrap around quality to them that ankles, knees, and wrists don’t. They can expand forward across the chest and backward along the back; they can become a broad landing space: a place to rest one’s hand or head, a place for support. Broad shoulders can also provide a step up to see what otherwise might not be visible.

So it is that big men can have a powerful effect on me. Yes it’s partly the strength that comes with their size. The strength to do things I’m incapable of. But many strong men are not built for support. Their shoulders hold up only themselves. It would be impossible for them to hold up a community, to affect thousands upon thousands to imagine new heights for themselves. That takes a particular type of big man indeed. One who is also wise and whose actions can be an inspiration for others. And how thankful I am to have known such a man.