Last week, Deborah Dugan was placed on “administrative leave” following what the Academy’s board called “serious concerns” about her mistreatment of staff. Dugan responded by filing an EEOC complaint saying she was being retaliated against after reporting numerous dishonest practices at the Academy. Now Dugan’s interim replacement alleges that she only reported the allegedly improper practices after a staffer formally complained about her behavior, and another source claims she demanded $22 million to drop her allegations of impropriety (her side denies this). Meanwhile, Dugan now charges that her predecessor was accused of rape by a recording artist and that the Academy’s attorney sexually harassed her. – Slate
Beware Arrogance
There exists in the hearts and minds of at least some in the nonprofit arts sector a sense that the work they present is superior to most or all popular culture — and that those who patronize such culture are inferior. This sets up a monumental barrier to connecting with new communities. And even if it is unconscious and unspoken, the attitude itself is easy for people to spot when it is directed at them. – Doug Borwick
Allan Bloom, Identity Politics, and “Closed Minds”
After many years, I recently re-opened The Closing of the American Mind and discovered that Allan Bloom was prophetic. In effect, he prophesied identity politics and political rectitude – and closed minds and “impoverished souls.” – Joseph Horowitz