Word: mansfield
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...letter to the editor written by Jarrett N. Blanc '97 (May 10) completely misunderstood the purpose and significance of the April 25 non-disruptive protest of Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield's '53 recent editorial, belittling the effort by calling it "intellectualy hollow." If Mr. Blanc "often disagrees" with Mansfield's views on the issues at hand, we hope that he has taken the time to debate his views with Mansfield. We, on the other hand, chose to make a visual statement with 16 other conscientious students. The purpose of the protest was not to impress students...
...ridiculous to suggest that by debating Professor Mansfield he may have "refined his opinions." You cannot refine racism. The point of this protest was to point out to Mansfield that his comments about the performance of black students were unsubstantiated and had no place in Harvard's "marketplace of ideas...
...highly ironic that in Harvard's "marketplace of ideas" Mansfield's racist comments are elevated because they are opinions expressed through editorial writing while Jason B. Phillips '99 is degraded and demonized for attacking such comments through protest. This is the irony that allows racism to flourish, even at Harvard. We would urge Blanc and anyone who is concerned about the race problem in America to write, debate and attempt to change the opinions of people who are misguided or confused and to follow your own advice and contact...
...protesters were certainly entitled to their right to demonstrate and distribute fliers outside of Harvard Hall. But we must question the effectiveness of and motivation for this protest. In our academic environment, shouldn't those who disagree with Mansfield challenge him in an intellectual context? The protesters have the right to see Mansfield in his office hours, or to ask him to meet for a public debate. Mansfield has never been shy about publicly advocating his opinions. Last year, he even agreed to rebut the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson's speech about affirmative action at the Institute of Politics. Following...
...protesters could also have engaged in academic jousting with Mansfield in various campus media outlets. Perhaps they feared that addressing him seriously would only give his ideas credence that they did not deserve. However, Mansfield will probably continue to be Harvard's most outspoken conservative professor. He has tenure and is not likely to leave anytime soon. This makes any mere one-sided protest particularly ineffective...