Caveman comments a firing offence
Re The syllabus according to David Gilmour, Sept. 28 David Gilmour can express any racist or sexist position he wishes to his long-suffering friends, family or even the media, but not to his students. He is paid to teach students of all types, including women, Chinese-Canadians and others who he may dismiss. Students must pay a whack of money to attend his class, and the last thing they should be exposed to is some outdated and ridiculous ideas about women writers. We undeniably have excellent women writers in this country — women who were presumably never given reason to doubt their abilities. I shudder to think that aspiring female writers are even exposed to these misogynist ideas in this day and age. And this from a university professor who is supposed to be open to “new” ideas. If he can’t teach in a respectful and inclusive way, get rid of him. Sylvia Putz, Toronto One hesitates to take the bait over David Gilmour’s caveman comments about female and Chinese authors. The man is not worth the ink, and is no doubt relishing the free publicity. But since his bosses at the University of Toronto have still not sent him his pink slip — what part of “firing offence,” “public relations disaster,” or at the very least, “fundraising liability” do they not understand? — in the interest of scholarly accuracy, I cannot allow Mr. Gilmour’s claim to like Virginia Woolf pass without comment. Woolf’s argument culminates with a celebration of, and call for, androgyny of mind, praising such authors whose spirit encompassed male and female — Shakespeare and Keats, and others. Woolf was thrillingly ahead of her time. There is no excuse for a university tolerating an untenured lecturer who is so far behind his. Tamara Bernstein, Toronto Teachers are supposed to open up the minds of students. A good teacher does not slam shut possible avenues of enlightenment. Russell Pangborn, Keswick