Re: [xmca] Columbia events

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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Received on Tue Sep 25 09:44 PDT 2007