Bartow on Saletan on Summers
I had a pretty bad feeling about William Saletan's article about Larry Summers at Slate.com when I read the title: "Don't Worry Your Pretty Head." Readers can make up their own minds about the merits of his defense of Summers, but the end of the piece really made me angry. Saletan wrote:
"Already Summers is being forced to apologize, in the style of a Communist show trial, for sending "an unintended signal of discouragement to talented girls and women." But the best signal to send to talented girls and boys is that science isn't about respecting sensitivities. It's about respecting facts. The only people who don't belong in science, male or female, are those who would rather close their eyes—and yours—than see what's there."
Who exactly is forcing Summers to do anything? And "in the style of a Communist show trial" no less? If a group of feminists has that kind of power over Summers, why don't they similarly "force" him to hire more qualified women? "It's about respecting facts," writes Saletan, but what he really seems to be saying is, "It's about respecting the staus quo power structure, you dumb girls."
How I wish feminists had the power people like Saletan instrumentally credit us with when it suits their purposes. Better to blame the evil feminists than to entertain the frightening-to-Saletan possibility that a lot of people across genders and ideologies seem to strongly disagree with Summers' actions. Better to call the feminists "censors," in the hope that this shuts them up...
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