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Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

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Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#11

Post by freshdonut »

x86_64Ubuntu wrote: post #3
underseacables wrote: post #2

I think Harvard has wrapped itself in an echo chamber and views itself as, well, invincible. Nothing can hurt Harvard. Nothing can tarnish its reputation. It doesn’t need anyone, with the money it has in the bank, and I think all of those billions has fulfilled the adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Did you read the resignation letter? It had pretty much nothing to do with "corruption" or absolute power.

Did you read the resignation letter? I thought it was pretty obvious that corruption - maybe in a less sinister form - was the underlying reason for the issues he brought up.

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#13

Post by whymauri »

enlyth wrote: post #9
whymauri wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is an image OK? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6JB3QqWQAMCsyC?format=jpg&name=...

OCR of your image https://pastebin.com/raw/66mAzqyL

Pleasantly surprised by the quality and turnaround -- thank you for Pastebinning the letter!

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#15

Post by pradn »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

His resignation letter chastises the school for not giving enough attention to his mother's death-- he only got two condolences. Does this strike anyone else as a really strange thing to bring up a tally of condolences in a resignation letter?

He means that his colleagues at the Divinity School don't seem to care enough about him to send him a condolence for his mother's death. It's about the apathetic work environment at the school. That would be a problem for me, too, at my company if I chose to disclose that via a public email. Hell, I have several colleagues that wish me well when I have a cold.

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#16

Post by duxup »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

His resignation letter chastises the school for not giving enough attention to his mother's death-- he only got two condolences. Does this strike anyone else as a really strange thing to bring up a tally of condolences in a resignation letter?

I don't know Cornel West, but I often find academia and some who inhabit it ... sort of impenetrable to understand.

My theory:

Many of them are passionate, and it makes them good at their job, but their personalities and their job and the relationships with their peers seem almost inseparable... resulting in the sort of mish mash of professional and personal life that seem inseparable. For some almost everything can be personal to some extent... and in some cases I would find it inappropriate to mix all that up in the way some (not all) of them do at times.

It doesn't make them wrong, but it makes it really hard to understand. Such things happen outside of academia too, but it seems particularly prevalent there in my experience.

At least that's how I explain it to myself when I bump into such things.

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#17

Post by eric_b »

Yikes, the writing in that letter was not up to par for a professor who was seeking tenure at a prestigious university. The tone, word choice, layout, everything felt amateur and overly emotional. I haven't read many resignation letters but I'd have expected more polish and professionalism.

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#18

Post by eplanit »

The main reasons in his conclusion are: Harvard doesn't support Palestine, he's displeased by the level of sympathy he received at his mother's passing, and general issues with the underlying politics of the curriculum.

It all seems a bit self-centered. Why publicize the letter, other than to signal and cue the outrage mob?

The letter helps make the point of how absurd these heavily-endowed universities have become.

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#19

Post by handrous »

stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

His resignation letter chastises the school for not giving enough attention to his mother's death-- he only got two condolences. Does this strike anyone else as a really strange thing to bring up a tally of condolences in a resignation letter?

I took it as an example of how fake and political their communication has become, and/or how disconnected a "community" they are. Course announcement that's easy to comment on, 20 pointless "that's great!" replies. Something serious and personal, 0 or 2 (there are two cases mentioned, not just his) because it's a channel for obligatory, performative engagement with strangers, not sincere communication with close colleagues.

It's probably intended to land best with people who are familiar with how communication works in that school/department, and the general atmosphere there, I'd expect.

Re: Cornel West Releases Resignation Letter from Harvard

#20

Post by whymauri »

pradn wrote: post #15
stevecalifornia wrote: post #6

His resignation letter chastises the school for not giving enough attention to his mother's death-- he only got two condolences. Does this strike anyone else as a really strange thing to bring up a tally of condolences in a resignation letter?

He means that his colleagues at the Divinity School don't seem to care enough about him to send him a condolence for his mother's death. It's about the apathetic work environment at the school. That would be a problem for me, too, at my company if I chose to disclose that via a public email. Hell, I have several colleagues that wish me well when I have a cold.

Especially for a Divinity School, his point is that it marks a fundamental departure from the spirituality and community that made the school special at some point.
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