I won't try to add to what Jill says right away as she seems to cover it and I am still shocked by the original content. But I did want to share it here.
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2010/04/29/stephanie-grace-racist-...
Issues Pages:
Interesting post re "Stephanie Grace, racist Harvard emailer"
Fri, 2010-04-30 08:04
#1
Interesting post re "Stephanie Grace, racist Harvard emailer"
Thu, 2010-04-29 19:23
#2
Shocking, as much for its content, as for the entitlement that made her think she could just put it out there and it be OK, and as for her shocking lack of CYA-instinct. Employers who may give her overt racism a pass, will dismay at her lack of self-preservation, indeed, her blind self-sabotage. If that bears out, perversely, maybe she's helped the justice system dodge a bullet.
ETA: I have to disagree with the blogger's sense that some ideas or arguments are untouchable (I'm talking in the legal sphere, and in particular, the context of courts and tribunals, and the processes leading up to them). Party of the commentary on the Law Society of Upper Canada's Rule 4 famously states:
The lawyer has a duty to the client to raise fearlessly every issue, advance every argument, and ask every question, however distasteful, which the lawyer thinks will help the client's case and to endeavour to obtain for the client the benefit of every remedy and defence authorized by law.
If an idea is that bad or unworthy, it is easily refuted, and if it is gratuitously distasteful, it will ruin the reputation of its maker. Relying on self-evidence is arguably lazy and potentionally dangerous.
On the other hand, if an argument is contrary to public opinion and common decency, but it advances your client's case (and you still want to represent that client), you have a duty to make it. You're the one that has to live with yourself.
Thu, 2010-04-29 19:46
#3
This part:
Women tend to perform less well in math due at least in part to prenatal levels of testosterone, which also account for variations in mathematics performance within genders.
...other than being total crap, it shows a breathtaking ignorance of the most basic science, and betrays the bad education this girl had. Perhaps Harvard has had to lower its standards in order to accommodate the lousy education so many Americans are receiving.
Thu, 2010-04-29 19:47
#4
Cueball
I like this part... (remember this is coming from Harvard!)
African Americans tend to have darker skin. Irish people are more likely to have red hair.
Who am I quoting, when I say: "There goes the myth of white superiority"?
Thu, 2010-04-29 19:52
#5
I don't get it, is everyone supposed to know about prenatal levels of testosterone or something? Cause I'll admit it, I know squat about it.
Thu, 2010-04-29 20:12
#6
This really puts into perspective the American judiciary. She is someone on the fast track. I also posted some of the Judge's sexist comments. The most prestige law school in the world is inhabited by racist sexist women who are on the fast track to power. Goddess help us all.
Stephanie graduated from Princeton in 2007 with a degree in—wait for it—sociology. She's on the Harvard Law Review and, after graduation, she'll head to California for a plum federal clerkship with Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski, the titillating defender of free speech who had to recuse himself from a obscenity case when his cache of cow porn pictures came to light.
http://gawker.com/5527355/meet-stephanie-grace-the-harvard-law-student-w...
The original article said:
Some nonsexual material on the website might also be considered demeaning to women: There was mock mathematical equation presented as “proof that girls are evil,” and a photo of a 1950s-era mother and her daughter sharing a book titled, “Becoming a Bitch.”
Let’s take a look at the equation:
Thu, 2010-04-29 22:16
#7
I don't get it, is everyone supposed to know about prenatal levels of testosterone or something? Cause I'll admit it, I know squat about it.
Sorry - wasn't clear. I meant, believing girls are stoopid in math because of prenatal testoterone levels is beyond silly. And there are tons of girls in maths and sciences.
Thu, 2010-04-29 22:28
#8
Le T
While this is yet another great example of racism in racist north america. I don't get why it was put in a forum that is meant to discuss anti-racism.
Fri, 2010-04-30 00:55
#9
ok-- I guess since I was the one to post I can answer.
I did not post the article for the value of shocking people about racism -- I did not post it to expose the racist opinion.
I did post it because of the comments that Jill, the blogger made. I posted it to share her insight in responding to the racist attacks. I found her arguments about why somethings should not be allowed to be debated interesting and I found several of her responses interesting. It was the reply that I thought as worth posting. I thought that there were things in there that were helpfu for anti-racism- or at least worthy of discussion.
That said, I think sometimes you do have to acknowledge what you are up against and that is part of the process-- although in this case that was not my purpose-- I wanted to share Jill's words here.
I thought we would discuss the blog.
An additional value one might consider could be that this is an example of expressed racism. Most racists today may think the things this person did but few will put it out there. There is some value in knowing what you are dealing with.
There is also value in addressing those who say we no longer have a problem-- the example is useful in proving not only that we have a problem but this problem is not one of simply so-called uneducated but the highest elites of our society. An example illustrating that is useful.
I get Le T that you are somehow upset that I posted this-- can you explain why you think it is counter-productive here? However, as hateful as those words were, I don't think that those who frequent this forum are in denial that this bile exists and I thought the response to be useful.
Anyway I am open to learning why posting this was inappropriate if indeed people think it was.
Fri, 2010-04-30 00:59
#10
RevolutionPlease
I appreciated Jill's response as well Sean, thanks for posting.
Fri, 2010-04-30 07:58
#11
Maysie
This thread is in the correct forum.
The anti-racism forum has generally been a place to post OMG-style stories of racism in the news, as well as threads actually about anti-racism. It's to ensure that the discussion takes place with an anti-racist politic, and it also makes topics a bit more searchable.