Recently I reread Malcolm Gladwell’s characteristically penetrating and elegant essay “In Plain View” (New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2012), published on the occasion of Jerry Sandusky’s exposure as a long-term child molester. The essay is not for the faint-hearted. It is a sickening profile of how child molesters groom not only their victims, but also their communities, and—in Sandusky’s case, as well untold others—their employers or supervisors, like Joe Paterno. Since the last time I read the piece, I’ve learned a great deal about professor-on-student sexual harassment and assault; this time through Gladwell’s essay, I was struck by the parallels between the two kinds of sexual molestation. [Read more…]
To Split or To Not Split
What’s a split infinitive? Let’s start with what an infinitive is. It’s the irreducible form of a verb, composed of two words, to and the infinitive form of the verb. Examples: to run, to swim, to party, to study. All of any verb’s other forms derive from the infinitive. [Read more…]
Dimensional Thinking
More often than not these days, you hear people use the term one-dimensional to describe a shallow or superficial rendering of a person or an idea. But the term that serves that purpose is actually two-dimensional. Mathematically speaking, a one-dimensional entity is a single point or a line—not really an “entity” at all. Neither can be seen because they don’t take up any space. They’re theoretical. A two-dimensional entity is a plane. It occupies space, but it’s flat, without depth. Three-dimensionality adds depth to a two-dimensional entity. It can expand a plane to a cube. So when we speak of an inadequate characterization in a movie, for example, we’re referring not to something as slender as a line, but to a surface without depth—in this case, the depth of personality, humanity, and believability. [Read more…]
Why the Dean’s Lawsuit against Rolling Stone Is Bad News for College Campuses
UVa’s Associate Dean of Students, Nicole Eramo, is suing Rolling Stone magazine for libel to the tune of $7.5 million in damages. Of course, the magazine denies either misrepresenting or criticizing Ms. Eramo, whose lawyer accuses Rolling Stone of “malicious and reckless journalism.” Whether or not the lawsuit has merit, though, it will have the deleterious effect of discouraging future reporting about sexual assault on campus. [Read more…]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 12
- Next Page »