“I agree with you, in fact, that it is wrong-headed to just dismiss the biology. But to put too much weight to it is also incredibly wrong-headed,” one member of the audience said.
Some say that, were it not for intense media coverage, Summers’ remarks may never have caused such controversy on campus.
“For a bit, it got out of hand,” says Freeman of the media frenzy. “It became like a little circus.”
In retrospect, Freeman says that he thinks “probably the biggest negative” would be if Summers became more restrained at conferences. “It would be terrible. Because he has a real mind.”
“The best thing would be if people say he’s outspoken and just take it as a given,” says Freeman, adding that, “you could say some of the things he said in a way less provocative way.”
—Staff writer Tina Wang can be reached at tinawang@fas.harvard.edu.