neo
The conformity gauntlet
Ideological conformity is required in academia: We then take the reader on an imaginary tour of academia from the point of view of an independent-minded highschooler and demonstrate how many conformity pressures he or she will face on their way … Continue reading →
Claptrap from Harvard interim president Alan Garber
Blahbitty blah blah blah: Since I first arrived here as an undergraduate in 1973, I cannot recall a period of comparable tension on our campus and across our community. That tension has been exacerbated by concerns about how we address … Continue reading →
Random thoughts of the day
(1) Regarding a discussion about AI in today’s Open Thread – any source of information, be it tedious old-fashioned library work, Google, or AI so far (and maybe into the future), is vulnerable to “garbage in, garbage out.” The human … Continue reading →
Open thread 1/8/24
Balanchine’s Serenade in Sacramento
Serenade is one of my favorite ballets. It was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in the US – in 1934, ninety years ago, although it’s timeless – and one of his very greatest as well as one of the greatest … Continue reading →
Biden’s Valley Forge speech, the Democrats, and mirror politics
Guess what? The gloves are off!: This time it’s personal. On Friday Joe Biden tore into his predecessor Donald Trump as never before. He brimmed with anger, disdain and contempt. “As never before”? If you’ve been hiding under a rock, … Continue reading →
Using that search function
Every now and then I get a commenter asking why I don’t write about a certain topic. But it’s often something I have written about. For example, today a commenter mentioned – perhaps tongue in cheek, so I’m not intending … Continue reading →
Academia: brilliance, race, and politics
Commenter “Mike K” writes: The sad and infuriating thing about what was done to Roland Fryer is that he was a genuine academic star. No need for that thumb on the scale or affirmative action. The book “The Bell Curve” … Continue reading →
Open thread 1/6/24
Seen in the YouTube comments: “Barry captures another heart.”
Continue reading →Oh, and another thing: Claudine Gay made a career out of taking down black male professors who were insufficiently leftist
Another aspect of Claudine Gay’s illustrious career as a Harvard administrator: …[I]n the face of numerous mounting scandals, many are defending Gay by claiming that the attacks against her are racial in nature. They are not. They are all well … Continue reading →