MAY 04 1978
May 2, 1978
Editor, Towerlight
Dear Editor:
On April 26, Dr. Edgar Berman spoke at Towson State University to a
group of students, faculty and administrators, under the sponsorship of
Lambda Iota Tau, the English Honors Society. He came as a paid consultant
to provide information about the publishing world--how authors snould
present material, seek and achieve publication.
While Dr. Berman did provide such information, he also used the occasion
to make gratuitous and unwarranted attacks on women. Dr. Berman is
known to many as the inventor of the idea, several years ago, that women's
"raging hormones" make them unfit for high-level executive positions,
such as the Presidency of the United States. Some of his remarks at
Towson were unfortunately of the same order. He read excerpts from his
forthcoming book, The Feminine Mystake, including out-of-con
text quotations attacking not only feminists but women as a group;
he asked that feminists in the audience identify themselves and proceeded
to single them out for "special" attention; and he attempted to award
copies of his two published books, for the "two dumbest questions," to
the female member of the audience 'Who most explicitly disagreed with
some of his remarks.
Such tactics of oversimplification, sensationalism and ridicule have
already earned Dr. Berman a reputation, and an income, as a best-selling
author and radio star. While it is no doubt useful for students to be
exposed to such realities of best-sellerdom, it is inexcusable for a
speaker to use such an occasion to mount irrelevant and unfair attacks
on groups with whom he disagrees.
The audience laughter that greeted many of Dr. Berman's remarks was
an unfortunate indication of the extent to which, in this culture, both
women and men continue to see women as, by definition, an appropriate
subject for ridicule. It is especially regrettable that this ridicule
was expressed by one who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the
State Universities and Colleges of Maryland and who is therefore responsible
for the intellectual and moral, as well as the financial, health
of Towson State University, a majority of whose students are women.
Sincerely,
[handwritten: Jo-Ann Fuchs, Philosophy
Vicki Sjolander
K Edgington, Study Skills Center
Renee Marsh
Elaine Hedges, Professor of English, Coordinator of Women's Studies]
C, C •: President James Fisher
Joseph Cox, Vice President and
Dean
Annette Flo,~e:r , Dean of Humanistic
Sciences
Elaine Solez,Affirmative Action
Officer
( contact: J. Fuc s, 321-2753 )
