Camille Paglia's subtle dig at LitHum/Columbia/Prez

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>I don't want to start a political war on here (every political debate on here is lame), but any Columbian would certainly find this amusing:</p>

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[quote]
And then there was the fiasco of the ham-handed White House reception for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which was evidently lacking the most basic elements of ceremony and protocol. Don't they read the "Iliad" anymore in the Ivy League? Check that out for the all-important ritual of gift giving, which has cemented alliances around the world for 5,000 years.

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<p>Camille</a> Paglia on Obama, Rush and Daniela Mercury | Salon</p>

2

<p>I like it. The reference to "The Illiad" is especially interesting, in that my Columbia-bound son yesterday received a letter from the chair of the Columbia Classics department warning that a copy of "The Illiad" is forthcoming in preparation for the Literature Humanities course. Perhaps if President Obama had spent his first year at Columbia, the world would be different?</p>

3

<p>She's a smart cookie, and she's well educated and undoubtedly hangs around other well-credentialed folk. So she's probably well aware of the Core and is making a very direct reference (rather than some general notion that Ivy leaguers all read the Iliad).</p>

4

<p>people still read Salon?</p>

5

<p>People read drudge, and he linked to it.</p>

6

<p><strong>Insert generic "Drudge is a fascist" posting here</strong></p>

<p><strong>Insert generic "Not as much as Pelosi" response below this line</strong></p>

<p><strong>Rinse and repeat</strong></p>

7

<p>*Insert above generic prediction that insults the intelligence of board.</p>

8

<p><em>insert generic welcoming back of Musil, who I hope sticks around</em></p>

9

<p>Even if he did not spend his first year in college at Columbia, Obama still had to take Lit Hum to graduate.</p>

10

<p>did Obama go to General studies?</p>

11

<p>no, he transferred from Occidental College to Columbia College as a rising junior, finishing his last two years at CC.</p>

12

<p>Isn't it impossible to transfer to CC after being more than one year out of high school?</p>

13

<p>no, it's impossible (or extremely unlikely) to START at CC as a freshman if you've been out of high school more than one year.</p>

<p>CC, to my knowledge, accepts transfers from rising sophomores and rising juniors.</p>

14

<p>"5000 years ago"? I wouldn't be lauding the author--it looks like an editor caught her trying to talk about the bible and switched up the reference, unless she is saying that the Iliad is about an event 5000 years ago.</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
"5000 years ago"? I wouldn't be lauding the author--it looks like an editor caught her trying to talk about the bible and switched up the reference, unless she is saying that the Iliad is about an event 5000 years ago.

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<p>Do you know what you're talking about? Paglia's hardly a Bible-banger -- she's a lesbian who writes about sex and drugs and prostitution for a living.</p>