Re: MentorNet (one woman's response)

[Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>]

Other things being equal, yes.


"But the claim -- as in this thread --  is that the number of female
physicists is less percentagewise than in the population in general and
_therefore_ we should do something about that, I say fooy -- let the ladies
do as they please -- welcome them as physicists if they wish but don't
fault or berate them if they choose otherwise -- probably wisely.  (The
world is in such a mess that it would benefit from more women government
leaders.)"

But they aren't equal.   To be more specific, this society  limits women's choice.
What us bleeding heart "liberals" are attempting is to make other things equal.  The
easiest method, so we believe, is affirmative action.

bc  Who, as an  UG had no women physics class mates, and in '66, was shocked to find
at Keele (UK) > 1/3 of the UG Physics students were women.


Jim Green wrote:

> > I myself would prefer not to have Jim as a mentor, though. ;-)
> > Incidentally, I think we need more men teaching elementary school.  I think
> > that it would have a positive influence on society.
>
> Come to think of it, Fran, I don't think that I have "mentored" a female
> graduate student.  But I do believe that my better classroom students  have
> been ladies.
>
> My objection to this thread is that it is based on gender.  If someone had
> said that we need more physicists because we were falling behind in some
> way, then yes let's recruit them -- male and female alike.
>
> Or if someone were to make the case that women's brains are in general
> better suited for physics -- as I believe they are -- and we need that
> advantage to deal with world events, then let's recruit more ladies to the
> ranks.
>
> But the claim -- as in this thread --  is that the number of female
> physicists is less percentagewise than in the population in general and
> _therefore_ we should do something about that, I say fooy -- let the ladies
> do as they please -- welcome them as physicists if they wish but don't
> fault or berate them if they choose otherwise -- probably wisely.  (The
> world is in such a mess that it would benefit from more women government
> leaders.)
>
> Otherwise one is left with the argument that there should be more
> Caucasians  in the NFL.
>
> Jim Green
> mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
> http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen

CUT!!!

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.