Paglia Attacks Faculty

Self-described "culture critic" Camille Paglia criticized prominent female Harvard faculty members Friday for "playing the career game" at the expense of intellectual standards.

In an interview with The Crimson, Paglia blasted three senior members of the Committee on Women's Studies, including Professor of Romance and Comparative Literatures Susan R. Suleiman, who chairs the committee.

"Why is that woman in charge of women's studies?" asked Paglia. "Has she ever studied science? Does she know anything about history? Does she know anything about anthropology? Does she know anything at all about the history of psychology?"

Women's studies departments, Paglia has written, tend to distort history in order to exaggerate the historical oppression of women.

Interviewed last week before Paglia spoke at the Kennedy School's ARCO Forum, Suleiman said Paglia was more of a media sensationalist than an academic.

"[Paglia's] thinking is rather incoherent as far as I'm concerned," Suleiman said. "It's very difficult to be a serious thinker when you're giving TV interviews all the time."

Paglia also attacked Professor of English Marjorie Garber and Professor of English and Comparative Literature Barbara E. Johnson, both members of the Committee on Women's Studies, saying they "have no credentials to befeminists whatever."

She said Garber and Johnson began posturing asfeminists in the early 1980s, when feminism becamefashionable.

During the 1970s, Paglia said, "they sucked upto the men, played the game. [Garber] kissed everymale ass in sight."

Paglia, who was Garber's classmate at Yalegraduate school, said Garber "stayed in thecloset" in order to protect career in theopportunities.

"I was the only openly lesbian student Yalegraduate school in the early 70s," Paglia said.

Johnson refused to comment last night. Garberdid not return a phone call to her home lastnight.

Paglia also criticized Porter UniversityProfessor Helen H. Vendler for not opposing thecreation of Harvard's Committee on Women'sStudies.

"I called the whole period when women's studiesrose "When Vendler Slept," Paglia said. Vendler,she said, had been a vocal critic of women'sstudies in the early 1980s, but since coming toHarvard, "she's been morally neutralized by hergreed for power."

But Vendler denied ever vocalizing an opinionon women's studies programs.

"I don't remember making any such statements[about women's studies]," Vendler said, "nor did[Paglia] cite any sources."

"There's not one single authentic feminist youhave right here, right now [on Harvard'sfaculty]," Paglia said. "There is no one, when itwould have cost them something, who went on theline for anything."

Paglia said she was systematically shut out ofIvy League universities in the 1970s and 1980sbecause her ideas about literature and feminismdid not "toe the party line."

Paglia praised Kenan Professor of GovernmentHarvey C. Mansfield '53 for speaking out againstwomen's studies at Harvard.

Paglia commended Mansfield for his support ofColorado's law limiting gay rights because heconfronted politically correct opinions.

Mansfield "[struck] a blow for free speech,"Paglia said.

During the trial that questioned theamendment's legality, Mansfield outragedgay-rights groups when he testified thathomosexuality "undermines civilization."

Elaborating on her critique of Ivy Leagueuniversities that she began in a speech sponsoredby the IOP Thursday, Paglia said that academics ingeneral are out of touch with the world beyond theuniversity.

"There is such a gap between the reality of thepeople that I see on the street, and the victimpolitics being projected by the white media andwhite P.C. rhetoric," she said.

Today's liberal humanities professors, shesaid, oversimplify political issues.

"It's like there are people on one side who areabout suffering and people on the other side whodon't," Paglia said.

Paglia said her generation's top academicprofessionals are using the classroom to spreadtheir own ideology and are suppressing the freeexchange of ideas among undergraduates.

"The standard of intellectual debate in thiscountry is very low," Paglia said, She attributedthis standard to "sanctimonious, humanitarian,white, bourgeois, Victorian" attitudes of mostcontemporary humanities professors.

Paglia said most academics have succeeded byconforming to established trends rather thanbreaking new ground.

"It doesn't matter what color they are," shesaid. "If they have gotten in front of yourclassroom, they've had to dress in a certain wayand act in a certain way to get there."

Excerpts from Friday's interview with Pagliawill be broadcast on WHRB on Saturday, February12

She said Garber and Johnson began posturing asfeminists in the early 1980s, when feminism becamefashionable.

During the 1970s, Paglia said, "they sucked upto the men, played the game. [Garber] kissed everymale ass in sight."

Paglia, who was Garber's classmate at Yalegraduate school, said Garber "stayed in thecloset" in order to protect career in theopportunities.

"I was the only openly lesbian student Yalegraduate school in the early 70s," Paglia said.

Johnson refused to comment last night. Garberdid not return a phone call to her home lastnight.

Paglia also criticized Porter UniversityProfessor Helen H. Vendler for not opposing thecreation of Harvard's Committee on Women'sStudies.

"I called the whole period when women's studiesrose "When Vendler Slept," Paglia said. Vendler,she said, had been a vocal critic of women'sstudies in the early 1980s, but since coming toHarvard, "she's been morally neutralized by hergreed for power."

But Vendler denied ever vocalizing an opinionon women's studies programs.

"I don't remember making any such statements[about women's studies]," Vendler said, "nor did[Paglia] cite any sources."

"There's not one single authentic feminist youhave right here, right now [on Harvard'sfaculty]," Paglia said. "There is no one, when itwould have cost them something, who went on theline for anything."

Paglia said she was systematically shut out ofIvy League universities in the 1970s and 1980sbecause her ideas about literature and feminismdid not "toe the party line."

Paglia praised Kenan Professor of GovernmentHarvey C. Mansfield '53 for speaking out againstwomen's studies at Harvard.

Paglia commended Mansfield for his support ofColorado's law limiting gay rights because heconfronted politically correct opinions.

Mansfield "[struck] a blow for free speech,"Paglia said.

During the trial that questioned theamendment's legality, Mansfield outragedgay-rights groups when he testified thathomosexuality "undermines civilization."

Elaborating on her critique of Ivy Leagueuniversities that she began in a speech sponsoredby the IOP Thursday, Paglia said that academics ingeneral are out of touch with the world beyond theuniversity.

"There is such a gap between the reality of thepeople that I see on the street, and the victimpolitics being projected by the white media andwhite P.C. rhetoric," she said.

Today's liberal humanities professors, shesaid, oversimplify political issues.

"It's like there are people on one side who areabout suffering and people on the other side whodon't," Paglia said.

Paglia said her generation's top academicprofessionals are using the classroom to spreadtheir own ideology and are suppressing the freeexchange of ideas among undergraduates.

"The standard of intellectual debate in thiscountry is very low," Paglia said, She attributedthis standard to "sanctimonious, humanitarian,white, bourgeois, Victorian" attitudes of mostcontemporary humanities professors.

Paglia said most academics have succeeded byconforming to established trends rather thanbreaking new ground.

"It doesn't matter what color they are," shesaid. "If they have gotten in front of yourclassroom, they've had to dress in a certain wayand act in a certain way to get there."

Excerpts from Friday's interview with Pagliawill be broadcast on WHRB on Saturday, February12