President Summers receives grading

<p><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/03/02/grading_larry_summers/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/03/02/grading_larry_summers/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.studentsforlarry.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.studentsforlarry.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Can' they stop with this nonsense? God!! What he said is completely understandable!!</p>

<p>plushenko-- I agree.</p>

<p>Byerly-- Thanks for the link.</p>

<p>For a view contrary to that of the leftist Globe writer:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/u-v/usher/2005/usher022205.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/u-v/usher/2005/usher022205.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"For a view contrary to that of the leftist Globe writer"</p>

<p>There's that MO again. If you don't like the message, attack the messenger.</p>

<p>Boston Globe v. Mens News Daily (now there's a battle of equals)</p>

<p>You are one sour character, aren't you?</p>

<p>Stay on topic Byerly. Stop insulting messengers. Comment on the merits of the message. </p>

<p>Forgive me if I agree with the Boston Globe, NY Times, Fox News etc. etc., that this topic deserves much attention. I have stated before that we should not underestimate the impact of Summers' statements on teenage women and men (if not others as well).</p>

<p>byerly is staunchly defending a position that Summers, himself, has already abandoned.</p>

<p>This is from Summers' letter to the faculty published on Harvard's website:</p>

<p>"As I now know better than I did a month ago, the matters I discussed at NBER are the subject of intense debate across a range of disciplines. Colleagues from these fields have taken time to educate me further. My January remarks substantially understated the impact of socialization and discrimination, including implicit attitudes - patterns of thought to which all of us are unconsciously subject. The issue of gender difference is far more complex than comes through in my comments, and my remarks about variability went beyond what the research has established."</p>

<p>We all would have expected the President of Harvard to have been better prepared for his speech, but at least he has apologized and now understands he was in error. </p>

<p>What more should he do?</p>

<p>Congragulations the Political Correctness crowd on their fine brainwashing job! That'll teach Mr. Summers to imply there are differences between men and women!</p>

<p>so there is no difference between men and women?
<em>forget me if I am wrong but if we were the same why would we have different names?</em>
just a thought</p>

<p>Maybe I'm the one missing something Gabe, but I was being sarcastic....mocking the ridiculous PC crowd that guilts and forces people to watch everything they say, think, and do on the grounds of ridiculous "sensitivity issues."</p>

<p>hunter: it's not a matter of political correctness. It's about being correct. People that are experts on this issue, who know the facts, would never have claimed or postulated what Summers did in his speech simply because it is wrong. Summers should have done his homework before he spoke. Read his letter. It's all there.</p>

<p>maybe his comments have not impacted (or bothered) some of you because you have never had to actually deal with that type of crap. (because honestly, that's what it is... premium Crrrap). personally: i have had to put up with such bigotry my entire life, and in a sense, I appreciate it because it has only pushed me to succeed (and I am not finished yet). but seriously, no matter how subtle you guys are trying to make your point (oh... but maybe he IS right?), you WILL always offend someone [obviously, some more than others]. and about the whole PC thing... maybe it's about time? don't get me wrong-- i'm not promoting big brother or anything :) i think that is all....</p>

<p>hmm, y cant we move on he just made a dumb comment</p>

<p>Steven Pinker on Summer's hypothesis about innate differences, "There is certainly enough evidence for the hypothesis to be taken seriously."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=505366%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=505366&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here's what Bill Maher had to say on his HBO show a couple weeks ago, and I am inclined agree with, especially that part about not being able to provoke a discussion and having to apologize because you said something "mean:"</p>

<p>MAHER: But why can't men and women be equal at the end of the day, but we divide up the chores? I mean, evolution is efficient. Isn't it more efficient that men are better at some things and women are better at other things? I'm not saying it's necessarily true, but couldn't it be true?</p>

<p>BIDEN: It theoretically could be true. But one of the problems is, as the governor knows better than I do when he was running a state, 50% of all the math degrees in college go to women, 52% of all the biology degrees go to women. So something happens between the time they graduate and that career path. So there's something else going on.</p>

<p>Whether there is a different wiring, that's above my pay grade. [laughter] But one of the things that's clear – one of the things that's real clear, you have half the folks in medical school today are women. So there's something going on after—after that.</p>

<p>MAHER: Well—</p>

<p>TOMMY THOMPSON: Well, it's a career path, you know. There's no question that men are much more involved in businesses and in spending more time at a particular thing. And there's the “mommy-track.”</p>

<p>BIDEN: We don't give birth. It's easier.</p>

<p>MAHER: Yeah, it is.</p>

<p>THOMPSON: And—</p>

<p>WILLIAMS: Boy, that'd be an interesting discussion. [laughter]</p>

<p>THOMPSON: It would be.</p>

<p>WILLIAMS: A guy giving birth: “Come on, I've got things to do. Let's go!” [laughter] If you look at—</p>

<p>THOMPSON: But Larry Summers, he – you know, he was trying to provoke a discussion.</p>

<p>MAHER: Trying to provoke a discussion. Which is the point of college!</p>

<p>THOMPSON: That is right. That is what a professor does.</p>

<p>MAHER: But – and it seems a shame that in America that doesn't apply anymore; that when you provoke a discussion, you have to go away because you said something mean.</p>

<p>WILLIAMS: But what about the former – I mean, in the old Russia, the former Soviet Union, most of doctors – I mean, many of them are women, I mean – and they come with a medical degree to America and have to re-study again. But it's—</p>

<p>MAHER: But, you know, at this luncheon, when he said it, there was an MIT biologist named Nancy Hopkins there, who left the room. She said she felt physically ill. She said she had to leave because she was too upset to stay. She said, “I would have either blacked out or thrown up.” So in other words, she acted like a girl! [laughter] Excuse me, but she's objecting to the stereotype of women by running out of the room screaming, to go eat a pint of Hagendaaz! [laughter] I just think it's kind of funny. [applause] Okay—</p>

<p>I like this article in US New and World Report (<a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/050307/education/7harvard.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/050307/education/7harvard.htm&lt;/a&gt;) because it addresses both sides of the argument, talks more in depth about Summers and his actions as President overall, and seems to come to the heart of the issue at hand. Though I already thought the "innate differences" issue was blown way out of proportion, this article helped me appreciate Summers more. I respect what he's trying to do and the fact that he has uncommon opinions and isn't afraid to voice them in order to effect change.</p>

<p>I believe a reaction will set in eventually. More observers will realize that what was really happening was that disgruntled faculty fossils disgracefully seized on this "incident" to try to wound a president who clearly plans to change their little world as they have known it.</p>

<p>The president of Harvard has always had considerable "paper" powers in tenure matters, but recent incumbents (including, particularly, Summers' bovine predecessor), generally failed to excercize them.</p>

<p>Summers means to remake the faculty, focus on getting better teachers, and find some way to broom the ineffective and the superannuated out the door.</p>

<p>This effort has earned him powerful enemies, but guaranteed him significant support from the Corporation, the Overseers, the alumni, and even from a sizable number of students. Many college administrators across the country will be watching closely, hoping to emulate Summers' efforts (if he survives the faculty assault!)</p>

<p>"I respect what he's trying to do and the fact that he has uncommon opinions and isn't afraid to voice them in order to effect change."</p>

<p>Wow, talk about trying to soften the blow. History is loaded with dangerous characters loaded with "uncommon opinions". The same characters, who with their "uncommon opinions", wreaked havoc on those around them. Toying with the psyche of vulnerable teenagers is not something that should be taken lightly.</p>

<p>For those of you staunchly supporting Summers original statements, are you saying that his eventual apology was less than genuine? Or, if in fact it was genuine, how do you feel about him now?</p>