[Peace-discuss] My letter in today's News-Gazette

[David Green]

This responds to “Speakers: Sexual ‘coercion’ tip of iceberg: Policy
overhaul must consider ‘gender harassment’ they say at special summit,” by
Julie Wurth. Wurth refers to UI anthropology professor Kate Clancy, who
co-authored a national study on sexual harassment in STEM fields in higher
education.

I have read this 292-page study. It is, quite simply, garbage in, garbage
out, from the ridiculous sampling methodology, to the opaque and dated
literature review, to the overwrought generalizations and contrived
language based on predetermined conclusions.

To “gaslight” is to “manipulate (someone) by psychological means into
questioning their own sanity.” There is a problem in academia of male
faculty sexually exploiting their authority over women, with notable local
examples. Instead of addressing this specific issue in terms of
institutional power dynamics and patriarchy, Clancy chooses to gaslight all
males on this campus as being part of a sexist “put-down” culture.

Her conclusions are vastly over-stated and carelessly slanderous. They are
supported by powerful bureaucrats wishing to deflect attention from
actionable behavior among their own economic class of men.

If campus “climate” were as sexually and verbally abusive as Clancy claims,
it would behoove Chancellor Jones to immediately suspend business-as-usual
and hold intensive, mandatory sensitivity-training and interpersonal
truth-telling workshops for at least a solid week in every office,
classroom, and laboratory on this campus. Moreover, he would be compelled
to restrain his grandiose rhetoric about this institution.

But he won’t, because he knows that this “summit” reflects an ongoing
administrative public relations effort; i.e., propaganda.
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