Jim K. sent me this article from the Onion: Scholars Discover 23 Blank Pages That May As Well Be Lost Samuel Beckett Play. Although this is obviously a joke, the poet and critic Susan Howe, who takes a strong textualist postion, would claim that, yes, the meaning of a text is dependent upon its material form. Howe suggests, for example, that editions of Emily Dickinson's poems in which irregular spacing has been corrected and stray marks from the original manuscript pages omitted alter the poem's meaning. She also objects to editons of The Autobiography of Thomas Shepard that have omitted eighty-six blank pages from his journals on similar grounds.
Ahhhh, esoteric literary debates...
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Gender and Education
Does Feminism Control The Bush Administration? The preposterous title of Phyllis Schlafly's op ed piece doesn't really give a sense of the essay's argumen. Basically it decries what Schlafly regards as the pernicious influence of feminism on American higher education. She's upset about the Title IX law that regulates the proportion of men and women on athletic teams.
She claims that's the law has resulted in the "senseless abolishment" of 171 men's wrestling teams, and suggests that a similiar move to effect a more proportional gender representation in math and science will be equally, if not more harmful. What cripples her argument, I think, is her acceptance of the notion that males are innately better at math and science than females. I'm skeptical about this, just as I reject the notion that females are innately better at languages or teaching.
I'm intrigued by the way Schlafly closes her essay. First she decries the gender inequality in the field of teaching. She observes:
The number of male public school teachers has fallen to only 20 percent, and at the elementary school level fewer than 10 percent of teachers are men, giving boys the distinct impression that school is not for them.
I agree that the decline in the number of male schoolteachers in public schools is a problem, not least because young boys do need male intellectual figures as role models. (Based on what I've heard from people who've been certified as teachers, a degree in education and getting certified to teach can be a decidely un-intellectual pursuit. I won't elaborate, but it's the oft-repeated claim that knowledge in a particular subject matter gets trumped by a lot of touchy feely tips. I've often thought it ridiculous that academics with MAs or even PhDs are not automatically qualified to teach in America's high schools, many of which are strapped for teachers. But this is another topic altogether.) There's definitely a need for more men in America's classrooms - hired as teachers, not security guards - though I wonder if Schlafly, like most conservatives, would endorse higher pay for American teachers? A fair salary, coupled with smaller student-teacher ratios in the classrooms, would make teaching a more attractive field.
Schlaffly closes by appearing to support the Liberal Arts, or at least an initiative to get more men to major in these subjects:
Nor do we hear anything about spending taxpayer funds to force universities to attract more men into the soft Liberal Arts subjects that now have a big majority of women students.
I'll refrain from ranting about that modifer "soft," and state that I’m all for more funding for the Liberal Arts subjects (not just for men – but for the Liberal Arts peritod) but I’m willing to bet that’s just a smokescreen.
Bottom line: When we talk about inequalities that undermine the American education system, the root problem remains class.
She claims that's the law has resulted in the "senseless abolishment" of 171 men's wrestling teams, and suggests that a similiar move to effect a more proportional gender representation in math and science will be equally, if not more harmful. What cripples her argument, I think, is her acceptance of the notion that males are innately better at math and science than females. I'm skeptical about this, just as I reject the notion that females are innately better at languages or teaching.
I'm intrigued by the way Schlafly closes her essay. First she decries the gender inequality in the field of teaching. She observes:
The number of male public school teachers has fallen to only 20 percent, and at the elementary school level fewer than 10 percent of teachers are men, giving boys the distinct impression that school is not for them.
I agree that the decline in the number of male schoolteachers in public schools is a problem, not least because young boys do need male intellectual figures as role models. (Based on what I've heard from people who've been certified as teachers, a degree in education and getting certified to teach can be a decidely un-intellectual pursuit. I won't elaborate, but it's the oft-repeated claim that knowledge in a particular subject matter gets trumped by a lot of touchy feely tips. I've often thought it ridiculous that academics with MAs or even PhDs are not automatically qualified to teach in America's high schools, many of which are strapped for teachers. But this is another topic altogether.) There's definitely a need for more men in America's classrooms - hired as teachers, not security guards - though I wonder if Schlafly, like most conservatives, would endorse higher pay for American teachers? A fair salary, coupled with smaller student-teacher ratios in the classrooms, would make teaching a more attractive field.
Schlaffly closes by appearing to support the Liberal Arts, or at least an initiative to get more men to major in these subjects:
Nor do we hear anything about spending taxpayer funds to force universities to attract more men into the soft Liberal Arts subjects that now have a big majority of women students.
I'll refrain from ranting about that modifer "soft," and state that I’m all for more funding for the Liberal Arts subjects (not just for men – but for the Liberal Arts peritod) but I’m willing to bet that’s just a smokescreen.
Bottom line: When we talk about inequalities that undermine the American education system, the root problem remains class.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
What's Your Political Philosophy?
This thirty-five answer quiz promises to pinpoint your political philosophy.
Not surprisingly, I found some of the questions worded using unnecessary absolutes (e.g. always, never, etc., that made me pause about fully endorsing ideological sentiments or positions with which I generally agree. How that impacted my score, I don't know. Had I more time, I'd retake the quiz to better guage how it determines one's score.
I don't take the results too seriously, though I'lll admit to being a bit disturbed by how high my "Foreign Policy Hawk" and "New Democract" scores were. It's pretty obvious that this quiz was made by a North American, probably from the U.S., since it completely forecloses the possibility of holding a socialist political philosophy. Anyway, here's my results. Do not assume these results accurately reflects my actual political positions, which, for professional reasons, I prefer to keep fairly private.
That said, I do appreciate the fact that my initials are EDR.
Not surprisingly, I found some of the questions worded using unnecessary absolutes (e.g. always, never, etc., that made me pause about fully endorsing ideological sentiments or positions with which I generally agree. How that impacted my score, I don't know. Had I more time, I'd retake the quiz to better guage how it determines one's score.
I don't take the results too seriously, though I'lll admit to being a bit disturbed by how high my "Foreign Policy Hawk" and "New Democract" scores were. It's pretty obvious that this quiz was made by a North American, probably from the U.S., since it completely forecloses the possibility of holding a socialist political philosophy. Anyway, here's my results. Do not assume these results accurately reflects my actual political positions, which, for professional reasons, I prefer to keep fairly private.
That said, I do appreciate the fact that my initials are EDR.
 | You scored as Old School Democrat. Old school Democrats emphasize economic justice and opportunity. The Democratic ideal is best summarized by the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
What's Your Political Philosophy? created with QuizFarm.com |
Brothel Brouhaha: Muslim Mob Demands Removal of Pink Panty Poster
Another brouhaha in Europe involving Muslims offended by Western imagery declared to be an insult to the prophet Muhammad. This time the locale is Germany, not Denmark, where a murderous Muslim mob threatened violence against a brothel that displayed an enormous seven-story poster featuring allegedly sacrilegious imagery. No, the poster didn't depict the prophet Muhammad. Designed to solicit World Cup customers, the poster a depicted a woman wearing pink panties lifting up her bra next to the slogan "A Time to Make Friends." Just below the panties were images of flags from the 32 nations that will be competing in the 2006 World Cup, including two Islamic countries, Iran and Saudia Arabia.
Personally, I'm not convinced Muhammad would be bothered enough by a silly poster to demand a bombing in retribution, but to defuse the possibility of a bomb attack or other acts of violence the brothel owners capitulated to the angry mob's demands. The whole scenario is even more ridiculous than the Danish cartoon scandal, but I find the violent imposition of censorship chilling and think those who profess to uphold the right to free speech should take the situation seriously and speak out against a blantant act of intimidation. Read more here: World Cup Row: German Brothel Removes Muslim Flags Amid Threats.
Personally, I'm not convinced Muhammad would be bothered enough by a silly poster to demand a bombing in retribution, but to defuse the possibility of a bomb attack or other acts of violence the brothel owners capitulated to the angry mob's demands. The whole scenario is even more ridiculous than the Danish cartoon scandal, but I find the violent imposition of censorship chilling and think those who profess to uphold the right to free speech should take the situation seriously and speak out against a blantant act of intimidation. Read more here: World Cup Row: German Brothel Removes Muslim Flags Amid Threats.
Friday, April 21, 2006
DeLillo Speaks (as little as possible)
This reporter's interview with Don DeLillo yielded little new information about the private author, just a few anecdotes. It does provide some background on DeLillo's new play, Love-Lies-Bleeding, which opens in Chicago next week. I've got a ticket for opening night. In fact, it arrived in Thursday's mail. I'm excited.
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