A Modern Argument

But we did have a smidgeon of argument at Cambridge. It wasn't oral -- this isn't the 19'th century anymore -- but rather took place via email.

I should perhaps warn you at once that after the Emma-Knightley swordplay we've just had (in Arguments, my previous letter), it may leave you a tad disappointed.

On the other hand, if Grand Auto Theft is more to your liking than, say, ballet, then this modern brawl between one guy and three angry femmes may be more entertaining than that genteel disputation of 200 years ago.

The summer literature program consisted of two sessions -- Aug. 1 to 9 and Aug. 11 to 19 -- each comprising 7 weekdays. 74 students (including me) had registered for both sessions, and 46 had registered for just one. (Thus on average there were 74+23, or 97, students per session.)

The trouble arose when Jacquie returned home to the U.S. after session #1 and emailed 12 friends from the program to say she'd made it home and to send her good wishes. The 12 recipients included me.

Jacquie said she missed Cambridge and "the wonderful people" she'd met. Her message offered a bunch of photos she'd taken, including this one of yours truly with three fellow students in the St. Catherine's College quadrangle:

Jacquie's message was mostly upbeat, but there was one little mention of our less-than-excellent accommodations, for which she noted she'd paid over $1200. (She was at St. Catherine's, like me, and that would have included meals. As I was there for both sessions, I paid 1,110 pounds, or about $2000 U.S. Tuition fees for both sessions cost a further $1,380.)

There were indeed some well-founded objections to our accommodations, particularly with regard to cleanliness. Jacquie had told me before leaving that she'd submitted her feedback form to the administration and had let them know that the accommodations were "totally unacceptable."

I'd told her, however, as I told others, that she should share her written criticisms with fellow students -- like me. But she hadn't. No one had! Except for me and my "Downside."

Jacquie seemed to derive some measure of vindication from her blunt feedback to the administration. But I felt a bit frustrated. Why, when people saw a robbery taking place, were they content to alert the robbers?

On receiving Jacquie's email, I did a "Reply All" to respond to Jacquie and the others she'd sent her message to. This produced a completely unexpected explosion of acrimony from certain of Jacquie's friends -- acrimony of which there'd been no hint from anyone before. I'd offer a summary, but some might distrust that, so I present the complete correspondence here, unedited except for message headers:

From: Uriel Wittenberg
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: I'm home!

Congrats on your safe and happy return.

Indeed our accommodations aren't topnotch. But one has to give them points for the public washrooms on campus (e.g. in the English Faculty building). They're sparkling clean. (I can't understand it.)

I believe you mentioned you offered the summer school admin some feedback. What disturbs me a bit about that is that they surely know about various problems already. Surely they've been told about them in previous years. Yet just look at the ecstatic comments from former students that they advertise on their website.

Besides the unclean rooms, I know many students have had a sense that several of the plenary lectures were gibberish. (Remember "the implied interlocutor is always assimilated to different categories of silence.") These ideas should be SHARED among students. Otherwise, people tend to think it's just them. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone besides me has distributed written criticisms to fellow students. I encourage you to email your frank thoughts on the program. I'd be interested to read them. (Likewise, let me know if you haven't seen mine and would like to.)

Regards,

Uriel

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From: Christina Welsh
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 12:44 PM
Subject: Re: I'm home!

I'm sure I speak for most when I say that first off, please do not assume that because Jackie has e-mailed me that you also have the right. I gave Jackie my e-mail because she is my friend. I do not appreciate this invasion of my privacy.

Secondly, I do not agree with your inflammatory remarks. While there are aspects of any program that could be improved, overall the experience has been beneficial for anyone who is seriously interested in literature or medieval studies. I am sorry that you are not having a positive experience. I believe that your comments on "The Downside" of this program would be more useful if they were directed at those in charge rather than distributed to all.

Thank you.

Christina

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From: Bianka Reinhardt
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 2:03 PM
Subject: Ant: Re: I'm home!

Dear Uriel,
I totally agree with Christina and would appreciate if you'd respect my privacy and my wish to benefit from the programme. I don't want to get any further e-mail from you and would furthermore appreciate if you stop your impertinent habit of asking irrelevant questions in classes. I don't find that at all helpful. I paid an awful lot of money for this programme and want to learn something.
Thank you very much.
Bianka Reinhardt

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From: Uriel Wittenberg
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 3:17 PM
Subject: The fury that lurks within

I never cease to be amazed by the way email can reveal fierce hostility, rancor and bitterness beneath the mildest and most placid of countenances.

Bianka -- before this, I never got anything more from you than a shy smile. How could I have guessed the fury it masked?

My "impertinent habit of asking irrelevant questions in classes"?! I don't even know what class(es) we share, since I've never heard you utter a peep in any classrooom. I don't know what questions from me you can be referring to, but I invite you to quote an irrelevant one, if you think you can.

Some students want to sit in devotional silence and receive the teacher's wisdom without interruption throughout the 90-minute sessions. But those students, I'm sorry to say, don't have a clue what the enterprise of education is all about. And I'm afraid Cambridge won't enlighten you. If you weren't so hostile, I'd be happy to do so myself. But I've found that enlightenment is the very last thing many students here are interested in.

Nonetheless, I will mention that your "invasion of privacy" grievance is preposterous. You don't understand email and internet norms any better than you do education.

Christina -- I have indeed passed my "Downside" comments along to Fred Parker, the director of our literature program. But, as mentioned, I don't think the people running this program can be unaware that some of the lectures, in which they peddle the type of silly academic theories that are caricatured in some of the very novels we study (like David Lodge's "Nice Work"), are totally inappropriate for an audience like us. So some communication amongst ourselves is perfectly appropriate. It's too bad some people are too dutiful and fearful even to consider the possibility of dissent from the authority figures in their lives.

"Critical thinking" is one of the primary goals of education, but some people view such thinking as "inflammatory." Is the danger of a conflagration really so acute?

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From: Sarah A. Wray
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 3:31 PM
Subject: Re: The fury that lurks within

Uriel,
The only problem with the program is you and your comments.
Sarah

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From: Christina Welsh
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 3:57 PM
Subject: enough is enough

Uriel,

I refuse to lower myself to your level and attack you personally or patronise you. I will mention, however, that I do have a clue what the "enterprise of education is all about" because not only am I highly educated (as many of us are) but I also teach in a university environment. It's not that students here are not interested in being enlightened, it's that they are not interested in being enlightened by you. I do not believe that your empty negativity has the capacity to either inform or instruct.

To answer you, I am not "too dutiful and fearful even to consider the possibility of dissent", but I dissent when I think the circumstances call for it. I have been enjoying my time here and I've found the lectures informative. I am allowed to have my opinion just as you are allowed to have yours. I will not dissent if I see no reason to. If you wish to dissent, that is your prerogative, but please do not assume that everyone will follow you, or be offended if we choose not to.

Finally, regardless of whether or not "internet norms" state that you have a right to contact me, I would ask that you do not. Most SPAM e-mails have an option to unsubscribe, and if that doesn't work, you block the sender. I am officially asking you not to contact me again as I do not know you and do not wish to get to know you. If this fails to work, I will block you.

Again, I am sorry that you are not enjoying your time here. I hope when you return to Canada you find something that makes you happy.

Christina

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From: Uriel Wittenberg
To: [All]
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 5:57 PM
Subject: Re: enough is enough

Christina,

Despite your extremely extremely high education, your very first sentence contradicts itself:

"I refuse to lower myself to your level and attack you personally."

It's easy to fling empty accusations about "empty negativity," but my commentary presented several *specific* examples of empty and/or silly ideas in the plenary lectures, and no one has even tried to defend them. It seems to me you're so emotionally committed to seeing this as a wonderful experience, you're unable to see obvious problems. I hope as a teacher you don't spend this much energy protesting that the emperor is fully clothed.

But it's hard to be optimistic about your dedication to true insight, after you deliver your big argument and then demand there be no response. It doesn't suggest much faith in your own point of view.

Now, if you want to stop this discussion, it's as simple as not replying. If you want to continue, on the other hand, I will too -- with pleasure.

Regards,

Uriel

But no further pleasure was to be had. Enough had indeed been enough. Christina, perhaps picking up on my hint and realizing that her chastisements were causing no pain, kept her peace.

Incidentally, the gentle Ms. Reinhardt can be seen sitting beside me in the photo above (taken prior to our email exchange).

(Continued....)