Word: mansfield
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...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...
...must stress that we found many of the arguments in Mansfield's editorial neither moral nor reasoned. However, while we share the outrage Mansfield's racist comments may have sparked, we are also disappointed with the nature of the protest against Mansfield's views. The protesters stain a back row of Mansfield's class and walked out silently after 15 minutes. This protest was certainly not as outlandish or offensive as the active disruption of Mansfield's Government 1091 class, "Liberalism and Conservatism in American Politics," which occurred last September. But even this mild disruption is a violation...
...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...