Friday, April 18, 2008

Purple Vindication?

You know, when I was at Northwestern, we had an awful lot of fun made of us as people who went there because we couldn't get in to an Ivy League College like Yale. Those colleges were just a bit too selective for ordinary plebians like us.

Guess things have changed.

Later information suggests the young lady...er, student,...er, artist -- well, I can't think of a single word to describe her role that doesn't merit scare quotes showing she's neither a lady, a student or an artist -- sort of made up her little project. Yale says the whole bit -- including her denials that she made it up -- is part of the performance art piece. One commenter who unofficially interviewed some medical folks says that what she suggests she's done would pose a serious danger to her health and represent some definite mental illness.

CO2-footprint reducing Yale administrators apparently used up their quota of neuron firing for the day once they said the piece was fake and went on defend Ms. Shvarts' "right to express herself through performance art."

They only did so, of course, because her piece was fake. Had she actually done what she claims she did, well, that "would have violated basic ethical standards and raised serious mental and physical health concerns." Since she really didn't do what she says she did, the only serious mental health concerns that need be addressed are those among Yale's administrators and the professors...er, instructors...er, teachers...er, adults...ah, I know: people apparently drawing paychecks for no good reason, who approved the project.

Maybe their neurons will fire come grading day and they'll flunk Ms. Shvarts, which will teach her more than four years at Yale apparently have. Barring that, maybe someone will wash her mouth out with soap for thinking miscarriages are a fit subject of her little "Let's Pretend!" charade.

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