As if we did not already have enough reactionary "noise pollution" in this society, Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard University's President, has managed to put his foot in it again.
Sommers has been compelled to apologize for the remarks on the subject of gender inequaIity that he made in front of an academic conference in Boston on January 14.
From Harvard's standpoint, these remarks were not only ill-considered and ill-informed. They were also downright self-defeating.
After all, the University has recently committed $25 million of special funds to help recruit underrepresented groups, including female and minority faculty.
Furthermore, the attendees at the Boston conference included a select groups of some of the most talented female academics in the country -- including several that Harvard wanted to recruit!
So this was hardly an object lesson in labor market strategy.
As noted below, this recent incident is just the latest in a long line of unfortunate missteps by President/Herr Professor Summers, a highly-intelligent but congenitally-insensitive former economist.
It also turns out that the President of Harvard was woefully simplistic about the latest academic literature on gender inequality, and rather patronizing and counter-productive in his attempt to "provoke" further research by speculating from the hip about it -- without consulting the best minds in the field, many of whom were seated in the audience!
Whatever we may believe about gender differences and sexual discrimination in academic institutions, therefore, this episode raises serious questions about whether President Summers has the judgment and emotional maturity to occupy one of the most prominent academic offices in the land.
This remains true, whether or not his persistent bad judgment is explained by his genetic endowment, his childhood experiences, his child-rearing choices, or his astrological sign.
See Part II. "The Market for Provocation."
Long Live Larry Summers!
In all of recorded history, women have invented almost nothing, despite living alongside the greatest (male) inventors for thousands of years.
Is this an accident? Are judgements about female deficiencies in the hard sciences "simplistic"? Really!! At a time when women are making political demands for an equal number of coveted research positions, it is time for them to be reminded that they are not entitled to parity in certain subjects.
And screw all you male feminists who have joined the herd and want to be dominated and controlled by spiteful, resentful females.
Posted by: Ewart Archer | February 23, 2005 at 01:12 PM