31–40 of 108 posts
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?
They are however, ignoring the part where he was declined tenure for no good reason, and despite being a professor at other prestigious universities. He was also paid badly and was treated poorly when it came to sabbaticals.
In other words he was sidelined for no good reason. This is sad.
There are some questions though, why did he leave Princeton? I mean what difference does it make if you're at Princeton or Harvard, they are both great schools.
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 coll…
likely he suspects that colleagues are afraid to publicly associate with him because he is too left wing / unapologetically Black / hot topic for Harvard.
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?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 coll…
a tweet eulogy seems like an easy peformative act. likely he suspects that colleagues are afraid to publicly associate with him because he is too left wing / unapologetically Black / hot topic for Harvard.
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?
No, the death of a parent (depending on one's relationship) can be incredibly devastating. It is certainly appropriate to bring that to work, because it will almost always impact one's performance. Is it strange for folks to talk about a newborn child, or marriage at work? Conversely, what about infant death or divorce? Can you bring your "whole self" or just the good news?
Weren't there truly any better reasons to resign? If no, then I think Harvard is really a good place to work.
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?
Harvard still has a divinity school? That's retro.