Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________ BATTLING STAG/NATION BY JILL PRILUCK (03/17/99)

Mary Daly's argument for discriminating against male students is a steaming load of horseshit. One easy way to check any argument in favor of excluding a group is to substitute another group in its place, then ask if that would be acceptable. So let's ask: Would it be acceptable for another Boston College instructor to exclude all women from a class? How about if a professor for a class on the history of the American South wanted to exclude all black students? I suspect that those instructors would be run out of town if they tried. Why should it be more acceptable to discriminate on the basis of gender? Prejudice is just as ugly when it wears the guise of feminism as in any other case. Daly says that she wants "explosions of thought," but she thinks that's only possible by smothering the universe of discourse. Any other thoughts but hers need not apply.
The argument that women need a separate space for discourse may hold water, but the proper vessel is not a college classroom. In that context, the argument serves only to perpetuate the victimhood myth that women need special protection because of their gender.
-- Tom Negrino
The care Mary Daly has taken to shelter her female students -- though, perhaps, done with the best of intentions -- is ultimately misguided. She has ensured her students are exposed only to like-minded others and need not worry about the chaos of thought and growth the contributions from male classmates might introduce. I wonder why female students have such trouble speaking their minds (according to Daly; I am happy to say I didn't encounter these rare, delicate flowers during my undergraduate years) when they are isolated and only then told it is OK to say what they think. Daly is cheating her students and herself by substituting therapy for education.
-- T. Faust
As a former student of Mary Daly, I enjoyed your piece profiling her case. However, I took offense to the comment that "The masthead of the Heights, Boston College's student newspaper, is top-heavy with names like Tim, Nicholas and Michael." I worked as editor in chief of the Heights in 1993. And in fact there have been many more female editors than male in the past decade. So, I suggest that you do a little more research before slamming an organization that has not only become a great work experience for women on campus (the Heights is completely independent from the college), but also has worked to protect women's rights.
-- Michele LaMura
Winchester, Mass.
As an alumnus of Boston College, I'm amazed that Boston College and Daly should choose to beat each other up in a lawsuit, playing right into the hands of the rabble-rousing, conservative think tank that drew attention to Daly's policy. Daly's denial of males in her classes poses no real threat to Boston College; and, in truth, men pose no real threat to the harmony of her classroom. Neither Daly nor Boston College nor the think tank is really defensible. This debate is pure fluff: contrived to garner media attention, probably so the conservative group will have something sexy to publicize in its direct-mail pieces.
The only positive spin to this rather pathetic tale is that Boston College may explore gender relations a little bit more this year than it otherwise would. The school could certainly do more to promote women's issues. But so could we all. Perhaps Salon will reevaluate its own gender insensitivity (not to mention its fact-checking standards). I say this because Boston College's university cheerleading club (like most schools' cheerleading clubs) is certainly not a women's organization. It consists of an equal number of men and women. Maybe you were recalling the cheerleaders -- and gender roles -- of your high school days?
-- Mike Hofman
Boston
Mary Daly sounds like a very familiar figure in academia, the would-be founder of a cult of personality, using her power in the classroom to indoctrinate disciples. "Come, follow me," she says. "But only if there are no Simon Peters among you who'll dare to ask me uncomfortable questions."
It's too bad that Daly's being challenged by the hypocritical Center for Individual Rights. The ACLU should have gone after her a long time ago. Feminists should have gone after her, too, for teaching that young women aren't up to the intellectual challenge of a real college class.
-- David Reilly
Syracuse, N.Y.

N E X T+P A G E+| The right and the wrong way to go native

_______________ BATTLING STAG/NATION BY JILL PRILUCK (03/17/99)
	Mary Daly's argument for discriminating against male students is a steaming load of horseshit. One easy way to check any argument in favor of excluding a group is to substitute another group in its place, then ask if that would be acceptable. So let's ask: Would it be acceptable for another Boston College instructor to exclude all women from a class? How about if a professor for a class on the history of the American South wanted to exclude all black students? I suspect that those instructors would be run out of town if they tried. Why should it be more acceptable to discriminate on the basis of gender? Prejudice is just as ugly when it wears the guise of feminism as in any other case. Daly says that she wants "explosions of thought," but she thinks that's only possible by smothering the universe of discourse. Any other thoughts but hers need not apply. The argument that women need a separate space for discourse may hold water, but the proper vessel is not a college classroom. In that context, the argument serves only to perpetuate the victimhood myth that women need special protection because of their gender. -- Tom Negrino The care Mary Daly has taken to shelter her female students -- though, perhaps, done with the best of intentions -- is ultimately misguided. She has ensured her students are exposed only to like-minded others and need not worry about the chaos of thought and growth the contributions from male classmates might introduce. I wonder why female students have such trouble speaking their minds (according to Daly; I am happy to say I didn't encounter these rare, delicate flowers during my undergraduate years) when they are isolated and only then told it is OK to say what they think. Daly is cheating her students and herself by substituting therapy for education. -- T. Faust As a former student of Mary Daly, I enjoyed your piece profiling her case. However, I took offense to the comment that "The masthead of the Heights, Boston College's student newspaper, is top-heavy with names like Tim, Nicholas and Michael." I worked as editor in chief of the Heights in 1993. And in fact there have been many more female editors than male in the past decade. So, I suggest that you do a little more research before slamming an organization that has not only become a great work experience for women on campus (the Heights is completely independent from the college), but also has worked to protect women's rights. -- Michele LaMura Winchester, Mass. As an alumnus of Boston College, I'm amazed that Boston College and Daly should choose to beat each other up in a lawsuit, playing right into the hands of the rabble-rousing, conservative think tank that drew attention to Daly's policy. Daly's denial of males in her classes poses no real threat to Boston College; and, in truth, men pose no real threat to the harmony of her classroom. Neither Daly nor Boston College nor the think tank is really defensible. This debate is pure fluff: contrived to garner media attention, probably so the conservative group will have something sexy to publicize in its direct-mail pieces. The only positive spin to this rather pathetic tale is that Boston College may explore gender relations a little bit more this year than it otherwise would. The school could certainly do more to promote women's issues. But so could we all. Perhaps Salon will reevaluate its own gender insensitivity (not to mention its fact-checking standards). I say this because Boston College's university cheerleading club (like most schools' cheerleading clubs) is certainly not a women's organization. It consists of an equal number of men and women. Maybe you were recalling the cheerleaders -- and gender roles -- of your high school days? -- Mike Hofman Boston Mary Daly sounds like a very familiar figure in academia, the would-be founder of a cult of personality, using her power in the classroom to indoctrinate disciples. "Come, follow me," she says. "But only if there are no Simon Peters among you who'll dare to ask me uncomfortable questions." It's too bad that Daly's being challenged by the hypocritical Center for Individual Rights. The ACLU should have gone after her a long time ago. Feminists should have gone after her, too, for teaching that young women aren't up to the intellectual challenge of a real college class. -- David Reilly Syracuse, N.Y.
	N E X T+P A G E+\| The right and the wrong way to go native