[Priya] Venkatesan said the incident occurred when she was lecturing about The Death of Nature, a book by Carolyne Merchant, and the witch trials of the Renaissance. The student went on a “diatribe” about the inappropriate nature of challenging patriarchal authority, Venkatesan said. Vakatesan respected the student’s right to express this opinion, she said, but the manner in which he vocalized his views and the applause afterward were disrespectful and offensive.
“I was horrified,” Venkatesan said. “My responsibility is not to stifle them, but when they clapped at his comment, I thought that crossed the line. … I was facing intolerance of ideas and intolerance of freedom of expression.”
Venkatesan contacted [Thomas Cormen, chair of Dartmouth’s writing program] about the event, she said, but claims she received no support from him. She canceled class because the incident caused her “intellectual and emotional distress,” she said. This event, which occurred on Feb. 1, would likely be included in a list of grievances relating to a potential lawsuit, she said.
HT: Gene Veith
3 comments:
OHMIGOONESS!!! By inveighing against the inappropriate nature of challenging patriarchal authority, he thereby challenges her...umm...matriarchal authority? Or is "matriarchy" too confining in its suggestion of motherhood and traditional femininity?
That is funny...and really, really sad.
Some folks just never do get around to utilizin' that lump of cerebral goulash what's aligned betwixt their ears. Sad thing is, there's enough of 'em around that she'll probly win the ignert lawsuit, should it get filed. On the bright side, if she does win, she might have enough money to retire from attempting to spread her brand of gooberism amongst the nation's college kids.
And LOL Colin; nice questions. *grin*
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