Re: [xmca] Columbia events

Hi Kevin,
these were exactly the kind of questions I was doing myself when I
opened the thread. Thanks for putting them so nicely. I could not
express them as well as you did. And, as you, I don´t have an easy
answer.
David

On Sep 25, 2007, at 12:28 PM, Kevin Rocap wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> I'm not quite sure if I'm amplifying Eric's query below or
> diverging from it. Sorry to be unclear. ;-)
>
> I've been thinking about this myself. As a "host" are you obliged
> to be "gracious" such that pointing out things you find atrocious
> in your "guest", even though you're willing to give him/her the
> floor, completely undermines your role as "host"? Is this the
> question? Sorry to make it sound so abstract under the circumstances.
>
> If I heard correctly, Bollinger alluded in his speech that the
> invitation to come to Columbia was not unqualified. I believe he
> suggested that Ahmadinejad was told and understood that he'd have a
> say, but that it was unlikely to be an hospitable environment. If
> that's the case (and even if that wasn't that explicit, I would
> think someone as smart as Ahmadinejad would understand this), then
> Ahmadinejad bears as much responsibility for his decision to put
> himself in that position, no? It would be a bit disingenuous I
> think for him to believe he was blind-sided, no?
>
> If I'm understanding Eric's comment then I also wonder why should
> hard statements and difficult questions be off-limits? Does the
> role of "host" in an academic exchange require an abdication of
> conscience and a tacit agreement to not call out an interlocutor,
> even if you intend to give him/her the floor for his/her own
> statements and rebuttals? What are the premises of academic life
> and free speech that you have in mind, David, that would preclude
> this?
>
> These are genuine, not rhetorical questions, as I am still fuzzy on
> the answers myself. Personally I felt it was a mixed bag. I
> liked most of Bollinger's hard hitting statements and thought just
> a couple were over the top in that they did not add substance, per
> se, and, as has been noted, could easily be perceived as
> victimizing Ahmadinejad, which I'd imagine would run counter to
> sentiments Bollinger himself would care to stir. But the notion
> of giving a hard-hitting and critical introduction is not something
> I believe is de facto inappropriate in an academic setting. Thoughts?
>
> In Peace,
> K.
>
>
>
> ERIC.RAMBERG@spps.org wrote:
>> David:
>>
>> Providing a stage for a polarizing figure such as Ahmadinejad is
>> exactly
>> how colleges have faired over the years. How does this preclude
>> not asking
>> difficult questions?
>>
>> eric
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> David
>> Preiss
>>
>> <davidpreiss@uc. To: Activity Mind Culture eXtended
>> <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
>> cl>
>> cc:
>> Sent by: Subject:
>> [xmca] Columbia
>> events
>> xmca-
>> bounces@web
>>
>> er.ucsd.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 09/24/2007
>> 09:36
>>
>> PM
>> Please
>> respond
>> to
>> "eXtended
>> Mind,
>> Culture,
>> Activity"
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear XMCArs,
>>
>> I followed from Chile the strange sequence of events at Columbia at
>> the international press. I was wondering if somebody wants to comment
>> the issues raised by the occasion. At least, for me, it is hard to
>> understand the final move made by L. Bollinger: to invite the iranian
>> president, and then to attack him verbally. What was that? If he
>> really thinks what he says, he should have not invited him, first
>> place. But if he made that, to excoriate the guy his institution was
>> inviting as a result of context pressure, then he is acting
>> hypocritically and using the hate the iranian president raises to
>> gain publicity. Too contradictory for me and anything but the way
>> academic life and free speech should be handled, in my opinion.
>>
>>
>> David Preiss, Ph.D.
>> Subdirector de Extensión y Comunicaciones
>> Escuela de Psicología
>> Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
>> Av Vicuña Mackenna 4860
>> Macul, Santiago
>> Chile
>>
>> Fono: 3544605
>> Fax: 3544844
>> e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
>> web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
>> web institucional: http://www.epuc.cl
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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David Preiss, Ph.D.
Subdirector de Extensión y Comunicaciones
Escuela de Psicología
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Av Vicuña Mackenna 4860
Macul, Santiago
Chile

Fono: 3544605
Fax: 3544844
e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
web institucional: http://www.epuc.cl

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Received on Tue Sep 25 11:33 PDT 2007