Monthly Archives: April 2023

(JTA) She once said that she was proud to be racist and has called herself the mother of the politically incorrect. She once had a video removed from TikTok for inappropriate speech. And she may be Israels next top diplomat in New York City.

May Golan, an Israeli government minister and ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been offered Israels consul general job in New York, a coveted position that is the countrys highest post in the largest city in the United States, according to Israeli press reports. Golan would replace Asaf Zamir, a centrist politician who resigned last month in protest of Netanyahus proposed judicial overhaul, which would sap much of the power of the Israeli Supreme Court.

Golan, 36, has long been a vociferous advocate for curbing the courts power and is one of the most outspoken right-wing voices in Israels parliament, the Knesset. Speculation that Netanyahu sought to ship Golan to New York to remove a firebrand supporter of the judicial overhaul from the Knesset prompted a denial from his Likud Party.

The offer was made to Golan because of her excellent public diplomacy skills in English, the Likud statement said, according to Haaretz. Contrary to some claims, the offer has nothing to do with Justice Minister Levin, the architect of the overhaul. Golan does not appear to have commented publicly on the offer as of Wednesday night.

This week, according to her social media, Golan was in New York, where she posted a video criticizing a Holocaust exhibit at the United Nations. She also visited the grave of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, and posted a photo of herself posing next to his headstone.

Golan first made her name as an activist in her home neighborhood of south Tel Aviv, where she was a leader of a movement against the citys population of African asylum seekers, whom she has repeatedly accused of crimes including rape. She has said the neighborhood is occupied by asylum seekers and has sought to pass a law allowing Israel to expel them from the country. (She says her racist comment, made about a decade ago, was taken out of context and was meant to demonstrate how her opponents misuse the term. She has also identified as a target of racism because she is Mizrahi, or a Jew of Middle Eastern descent.)

In 2016, she went on Fox News to advocate against the African asylum seekers she termed Muslim infiltrators in Israel and to support the immigration policy of then-U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The word racist has just lost all meaning to me, Golan said on Sean Hannitys talk show. I can see here whats going on with Donald Trump. Theyre calling him racist just for wanting to protect the borders of his country. Well, this is the same thing in Israel. I think I, and the rest of the people of Israel, have the right to protect their homes, and its borders.

Golan first ran for Knesset in 2013 with the defunct far-right Otzma LYisrael, or Power for Israel, party. She entered Knesset in 2019 as a member of Netanyahus Likud Party and became a minister without a specific portfolio in the current right-wing coalition. Last year, when she was a member of the parliamentary opposition, the video platform TikTok removed a video of a speech of hers in which she blamed the Israeli Supreme Courts decisions for the rape of a 22-year-old woman in Tel Aviv.

In that speech, she called the Supreme Court the most dangerous dictatorship that there is in this fake democracy that we live in and added, Because of you, there wont be a Jewish state here.

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Politician who called herself 'mother of the politically incorrect ... - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Authorities say a self-described "nationalist" from Connecticutwhose family told policehe's "fascinated" with Hitler and spent time in white supremacist chat rooms is facing charges in Florida, after threatening to kill a sheriff who's spoken out against antisemitism.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood drew widespread attention in February after he challenged a hate group that had been distributing antisemitic literature and appeared at a speedway holding banners at a pedestrian bridge. Chitwood claimed during a news conference that he'd been placed on the group's "hit list."

"You came to the wrong county, I stand with my Jewish friends and I'm honored to be on your hit list, it's an honor to be sought after by a bunch of punk thugs like you," Chitwood said.

After the clip of Chitwood's incensed challenge went viral, authorities said death threats began rolling in, including one from a Connecticut man.

Connecticut resident Cristhian Zapata, 23, and two men from New Jersey and California have each been charged with making a written threat to kill, a felony.

Shelton police arrested Zapata on Wednesday on a warrant and he remains in custody on $100,000 bond ahead of extradition proceedings to Florida,the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities allege Zapata posted a message on 4chan, an anonymous image board site, threatening, "I WILL KILL CHITWOOD, MARK MY WORDS." The post was "flagged by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange for further investigation," the sheriff's office said.

According to the Florida affidavit used to charge Zapata, investigators then contacted 4chan with an emergency request for theIP address of the user who posted the April 7 message.

The website responded with a message containing an IP address and indicated the threatening message had been posted toa section of the site devoted to "politically incorrect" discussions that's mostly a quagmire of racist memes, the warrant stated.

With theIP address, investigators were able to obtain the address of Zapata's home through the internet service provider.

When Ansonia police went to the home on Monday, the landlord informed themZapata had been living with his sister and her fiance, but they had just finished moving out on Sunday.

Police were able to meet with Zapata's sister who told them "when she heard that we were inquiringabout a case involving the internet, she immediately suspected it involved her brother," an Ansonia police detective wrote to authorities in Florida, according to the warrant.

"She said Cristhian is fascinated with Adolph Hitler and those types of dictators," the warrant stated.

Zapata's sister also told investigators she "has seen him on the computer in chat rooms with whitesupremacists, andarguing with people on YouTube," according to the warrant.

The sister came back to the police station withZapata and his laptop.

During an interview,Zapata told police he grew up in Bridgeport and attended but did not graduate from Central High School, according to the affidavit. The affidavit stated Zapata told police "he learned about the events that were taking place down in Florida and the other online threats against Sheriff Chitwood."

"He said he was surprised to discover that people were being arrested for the threats because he believes in the First Amendment. He denied being a part of any hate groups or other organizations," the warrant stated. "He identified himself as being a nationalist and only a Trump supporter."

He also admitted hemade the post on 4chan, the warrant stated.

In a follow-up interview with Florida authorities, the sister "described her brother as a strange person who is harmless and spends all of his off-time online in weird chat rooms talking to unknown people about conspiracy theories and white supremacist ideology," the warrant stated.

In addition toZapata, Chitwood's office said they've also charged New Jersey resident Richard Golden and California resident Tyler Meyer with the same offense.

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CT man charged with threatening to kill Florida sheriff on 'hit list' for ... - Torrington Register Citizen

Even without Neil Patrick Harris the star turn massively juicing up ticket sales for a few weeks Peter Pan Goes Wrong will be a great night out for a family audience. The politically incorrect show is a total blast and one of the very few Broadway attractions where kids are encouraged to clap, boo and talk back to the annoying actors.

One lucky pint-size theatergoer from the Bronx sitting near me last Sunday afternoon even got the chance to do a magic trick with NPH: he was so demonstrably thrilled, the smiles on his parents face illuminated half his row.

(L-R) Henry Shields (Chris), Ellie Morris (Lucy), Henry Lewis (Robert), Charlie Russell (Sandra), Jonathan Sayer (Dennis), Neil Patrick Harris (Francis), and Matthew Cavendish (Max). (Jeremy Daniel)

But this isnt a kids show, per se. Its a good date night choice, too, given its capacity to talk to both sides of the great political divide, to make you forget the troubles of the week and to actually enjoy the rapidly vanishing art of physical comedy: pratfalls, head slaps, collapsing props, the whole kit and caboodle of silly pleasures.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong is far better than the last Broadway show, The Play That Goes Wrong, from the British troupe that calls themselves the Mischief Theatre company. This writing (and performing crew) made up of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields has hit upon a great gimmick: set up a show-within-a-show situation where a theatrical endeavor by a fictional college amateur dramatic society is doing a production in all seriousness, only for everything to go wrong.

That means doors stick, actors get stuck in scenery, sound cues go awry, embarrassing stuff is heard over headsets and, in totem, audiences get to watch the gentle art of perseverance through trying circumstances, a staple of farce since Roman times.

Front: (L-R) Harry Kershaw (Francis), Chris Leask (Trevor), Henry Shields (Chris), Nancy Zamit (Annie), and Greg Tannahill (Jonathan) Back: (L-R) Charlie Russell (Sandra) and Henry Lewis (Robert). (Jeremy Daniel)

But whereas the overly long The Play That Goes Wrong was based on just a generic kind of play, Peter Pan Goes Wrong has real source material, helpfully in the public domain, that the audience already knows. That preawareness gives the show more comedic structure than was the case last time around. The troupe gets to spoof all those bad prior productions of Peter Pan, as previously experienced, if only in grade school, by almost everyone in the building. And it becomes possible to lampoon stuff associated with British pantos, many of which had vaudeville roots.

But theres something else at play: Peter Pan Goes Wrong also is big enough visually to actually feel like a Broadway show with the attendant ticket prices, which was not true last time. You get a star making a cameo (Harris, presumably soon to be followed by suitable storytelling replacements), a revolving stage (that goes wrong), musical numbers (Cathy Rigby need not worry), even black-light puppets (the hooded puppeteers crash into one another with painful results). Admirably, the show has retained a palpable handmade artifice, but its also a genuine physical spectacle, as designed by Simon Scullion and with not a digital enhancement in sight.

Kids love to be told they are not safe, not least because so much of the sentimental, moralistic pap thrown their way insists otherwise. When someone is not talking down to them but screaming at them in a rage, they can almost faint from their sheer delight of getting to have a fresh conversation. This embrace of the danger of life is the secret sauce of Harry Potter, in all of its brand extensions, and the Mischief crew clearly has learned that the more their faces go red in annoyance at the catcalls of their younger fans, the more they are enjoyed. And, of course, this happily also applies to adults.

(L-R) Nancy Zamit (Annie), Matthew Cavendish (Max), Jonathan Sayer (Dennis), Charlie Russell (Sandra), Bianca Horn (Gill), and Ellie Morris (Lucy). (Jeremy Daniel)

The center hook of the show, which uses much the same cast as did The Play That Goes Wrong, is Henry Shields, playing the shows director and leading actor. Anyone familiar with the classic sitcom Fawlty Towers cant miss the homage to John Cleeses Basil Fawlty, but whatever Shields might lack in originality, he makes up for in the sheer force of his fake pomposity.

In essence, he treats his audience much like the obsequious Fawlty treated the guests in his hotel: important people not to be told the truth in any circumstances, whatever disasters are happening behind the scenes. Its a classic farcical setup, and it works deliciously here.

Add in Henry Lewis as a classic sidekick playing the nursery dog, among others; Nancy Zamit as a less-than-graceful Tinker Bell; Chris Leask as the backstage malcontent, and Jonathan Sayer as a hapless cast member who needs to have his lines fed to him through radio-frequency headphones and, well, you have all the comic types.

But these shows also need skilled normative characters to root the audience, though, and, aptly enough, that Connie Booth-like role is played by Bianca Horn, who essays both Wendy and, of course, the actress playing Wendy.

Farce is rarely taken seriously on Broadway, of course, but this one deserves to be. Its very much in One Man, Two Guvnors, a madcap couple of hours that bespeaks of old-school pleasures and fun for all.

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BROADWAY REVIEW: 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' is a total blast; plus it ... - New York Daily News

The uproar over Harvard Universitys acceptance of a $300 million donation, with naming rights attached, by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin was, alas, predictable (Harvard donors support for DeSantis angers students, Page A1, April 13). Griffin also supported right-wing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with a donation. (Interestingly, as Globe reporter Hilary Burns reports, Griffin contributed as well to President Bidens inaugural committee and to the Obama Foundation.) This contretemps is part and parcel of a national phenomenon in which alumni, students, faculty members, and ordinary citizens have howled when colleges have accepted donations, with naming rights, from hard-right conservatives or those who donated to ultraconservative or otherwise so-called politically incorrect candidates or causes. Nor is the problem limited to academia.

There are two problems with this movement. First, this intolerance of the views of others ill becomes those connected to higher education. Universities are supposed to be dedicated to the search for truth (Harvards motto, after all, is Veritas). It is contrary to this mission for one faction to announce that it has discovered the only truth and that dissent will not be tolerated. Second, history teaches that politics and culture are cyclical. What is politically incorrect today might be the reigning ethos tomorrow. As the philosopher George Santayana warned: Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.

Harvey Silverglate

Cambridge

The writer is a civil liberties and criminal defense lawyer and author.

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Harvard donor Ken Griffin's backing of DeSantis stirs predictable ... - The Boston Globe

'The Diplomat'We have a frontrunner for series of the year. Keri Russell plays Kate Wyler, a political wonk whose new post as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom has her walking us back from the brink of war while trying to deal with an impending divorce and rumors that she might be the next vice president. Russell hasn't been this exasperated since she had to pick a boyfriend on "Felicity." Creator Debora Cahn used to write for "The West Wing" and it shows. This is another sharply written drama with smart people saying smart things. Netflix

'Dead Ringers'Jeremy Irons was twice as scary in the 1988 film version "Dead Ringers" as he was as Claus von Blow in "Reversal of Fortune." Now it's Rachel Weisz's turn to give us the creeps. The Oscar winner ("The Constant Gardener") stars in this modern-day update, playing twin gynecologists whose idea of good bedside manners is seducing patients. Weisz does a nice job of giving each sister a unique personality, neither of which is very appealing. Their charmless ways are not helped by cinematography that suggests that they work in a world without sunshine or light bulbs. Pregnant women would be better off seeing Dr. Frankenstein. Amazon Prime

'Secrets of the Elephants'When he's not making blockbuster movies, James Cameron serves as National Geographic's Explorer at Large. I'm not sure what that means, but it doesn't really matter, as long as the relationship results in a docuseries as fascinating as this one. Oscar winner Natalie Portman narrates this four-parter, full of surprising trivia and gorgeous footage. 8 p.m. Friday, National Geographic

'Somebody, Somewhere'HBO specializes in edgy sitcoms about conflicted assassins and vulgar veeps. But every once in a while, it signs off on an intimate comedy like "Somebody." This second season tackles plenty of major life issues, like divorce and parental care. But the series works best when it revels in the lead character's little victories over her insecurities, belting out a version of Laura Branigan's "Gloria" or taking time out for a good cry. Star Bridget Everett won't win any awards, but she'll win your heart. 9:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO

'Chimp Empire'This may be a docuseries, but it wants to be the latest installment of "Planet of the Apes." Mahershala Ali narrates this tale about Jackson, an alpha chimp trying to hold onto power, doing whatever it takes to stave off challengers. You won't learn a lot about the primates or their Uganda home, but you may go bananas for the wild adventure. Netflix

'Dear Mama'Tupac Shakur's life was turbulent enough to fill a five-part documentary all on its own, but director Allen Hughes dedicates almost as much screen time to Afeni Shakur, the influential Black Panther who shared her son's addiction to justice and drama. Hughes, who was once assaulted by the rapper after he fired him from "Menace II Society," opts to do most of the interviews in under-lit settings (Hey, is that Mike Tyson?), a sharp contrast to footage of Shakur as a charismatic teenager excited about his bright future. 9 p.m. Friday, FX

'Corsets & Clown Suits'Before collecting Emmys for her role as "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's" agent Susie Myerson, Alex Borstein was a standout on "Mad TV," a sketch show that took pride in being more politically incorrect than "Saturday Night Live." This special showcases that naughty side of Borstein as she performs dirty ditties and chats about her private parts while her parents squirm in the audience. Amazon Prime

'Iconic America'Billionaire David Rubenstein is an unlikely tour guide he comes across like he'd rather be teaching an economics course but he leads some insightful visits to places like Boston's Fenway Park and the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. At the very least, the series provides new ideas for your next road trip. 9 p.m. Wednesday, TPT, Ch. 2

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TV shows to watch this week: 'West Wing' fans should rally around ... - Star Tribune

The legacy of NBC's Friends has outlasted those of many sitcoms that graced television screens way before and after it. Decades after the emotional finale of the show for which 52.5 million viewers tuned in, the show and its characters continue to rule pop culture, thanks to the show's fandom that refuses to let the show's spark die down. Apart from the memes and pop culture references that the sitcom has fostered for years, the cultural impact of Friends has definitely been significant. From Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) haircut to Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) pickup line, a lot of Friends has seeped into the cultural makeup of the world, reaching international audiences everywhere. But despite continuing to find some sort of relevance even today (as evidenced by 2021's Friends: The Reunion), Friends has become a demanding show to sit through, given how much of it fails to stand the test of time.

Despite being one the highest-watched sitcoms of all time, Friends has not aged well in terms of its highly problematic and politically incorrect remarks and repetitive tropes, making the viewers highly dependable on the likeability of its cast to arrest the audience's attention. From depending on fat-shaming Monica's younger self to Joey's overtly masculine characterization, a lot of Friends fail to impress despite having broken some ground for its time, especially with Monica and Chandler's decision to resort to surrogacy. Moreover, a lot of the show's "funniest" tropes might just attract ridicule today. With Ross's struggle coming to terms with his wife's lesbianism to the Chandler being gay jokes, the show is largely dented by its regressive undercurrents that overpowered some of the show's progressive stances. Friends becomes a difficult watch today as it feels like it's stuck in the time it's made as a result of the ideas that prevail in the show's world.

RELATED: 10 Underrated 'Friends' Episodes That Deserve a Lot More Love

If one starts counting, there are a lot of things from the show that went on to become iconic. Apart from the obvious fame that came the way of the ensemble cast, which included Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, a lot of the elements from the successful sitcom reached the pinnacle of modern-day virality. From the orange sofa at Central Perk to Joey's iconic "How you doin'?", there's a lot to remember the show by. Thankfully, the same cannot be said about the more problematic aspects of the show. As all things go, sometimes the bad things don't stick.

The characters were hard-wired with inherently problematic stances on gender and sexuality. Often times these stereotypical portrayal would later inspire more erroneous depictions in future sitcoms. For instance, Matt LeBlanc's portrayal of Joey as a dumb but handsome and charming male figure who never misses a chance to sexualize any woman that he comes across shouts all kinds of red flags on a rewatch. Contrarily, Chandler's toned-down masculine portrayal qualifies him to be the butt of homophobic jokes in the world of Friends. Let's not even touch the fact that Ross - who is apparently the most educated of the lot - has the hardest time digesting his ex-wife's sexuality.

The show hit a homerun with its problematic jokes when it came to the transphobic remarks made towards Chandler's father, Charles Bing (Kathleen Turner). Moreover, the character was referred to as a "he" - an error acknowledged by co-creator Marta Kauffman. Nearly three decades later from the start of the show's run, the jokes that were thrown towards Chandler to mock him as a result of his father being transgender hit the hardest blow on the show's credibility. Finally, a cis woman playing the role of a transgender isn't praiseworthy for the show's attempts at giving representation. To be fair, not everything the show did was negative. The eleventh episode of the second season "The One with the Lesbian Wedding" was one of the first instances of same-sex marriage being portrayed on mainstream television.

On a deep dive, the show reveals myriad problems that become glaring mistakes as per 21st-century creative standards. Friends' lack of diversity is an accepted and acknowledged one, with even David Schwimmer having called it out. Apart from a few characters, including Aisha Tyler's Charlie Wheeler, the show lacked majorly when it came to presenting a diversified set of actors and characters. Tyler became the first Black with a recurring role in Friends in the show's penultimate season.

Pivoting back to the show's handling of gender reveals other cracks as well. Monica's obsession with cleaning and cooking may be just as problematic as her mother's indifferent treatment of her when compared to that received by Ross - the male progeny of the Geller household. It's somewhat obvious why Ross has the hardest time believing that his son will develop a liking for a Barbie doll as opposed to something more "manly" like a G.I. Joe figurine in "The One With the Metaphorical Tunnel." His exchange with Sandy, the male nanny Rachel hires in "The One With The Male Nanny," is an expos of how Ross can easily understand the ways of functioning of dinosaurs but cannot fathom that men can be equally sensitive beings.

From rampant sexism to the belittling of intelligence, the creative crimes that Friends has committed through its ten-year successful and remarkable run are aplenty. Compared to the many peaks that the show has achieved in terms of its cultural impact, Friends has also suffered many nosedives considering the errors that have prevailed in the blueprint of the sitcom. Regardless of whether the interest will dip for first-time watchers who take a risky step into the lives of six friends in thriving New York of the '90s, Friends tends to become a tough watch once the initial magic wears off.

While many among the cast and crew have come forward to humbly accept the errors that were made in the past, it's doubtful whether the acknowledgments will make up for the problematic ideas propagated by the '90s cult sitcom. For many reasons, Friends has been a force to reckon with when it comes to the impact it left on pop culture. For as many reasons or more, it will find itself struggling to retain relevance as soon as the nostalgia starts waning. Maybe, it is time to ask, "Could Friends be any more difficult to watch than it already is?"

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Why Is It So Hard to Watch 'Friends' Now? - Collider

Bernadette Peters.

CORRECT. The actor and Broadway star.

Yay! We were out of our minds on that show. We were sitting around all day bored, so we dipped into the booze and the drugs and by time we performed on live TV, we were a big mess. It was the talk of the country cause we were so wasted! [Laughs] But we still sold records after that because people loved us for being ourselves. It was quite a moment in Go-Gos history!

On the subject of SNL: former original cast member John Belushi once gave you a lecture on the dangers of drugs

He would come to the studio when we were recording [their debut album] Beauty and the Beat. We were out with him in the Mudd Club and said: Ooh, we want some blow!, and we had to get it FedExed from LA. It wasnt even that much a tiny bit and we offered him some. He always had a minder with him, because he had problems controlling himself with food and substances and when we offered it to him, he gave us a lecture: Youre going to be rich and famous one day and people are going to offer you drugs and drugs are really bad.. We just thought, as you do when youre in your early twenties: You have a problem. We dont. Well be fine. Its no big deal. We didnt take anything he said to us on board. And the rest is history! Within weeks after that, John Belushi showed up to our hotel at 1am when we were sleeping, asking to come up. He was on a total bender and wanted to hang out. We thought something was wrong, and it was the beginning of the end.

When INXS opened up for the Go-Gos in 1983, Michael Hutchence even warned you about substances

Back when that tour was happening, I knew I had serious issues. The one thing Ive always been able to do, even at my lowest points, is Ive had a little voice that I knew what was going on. Even as a little girl, Ive always knew there was me and there was a higher me. But what he said to me, I didnt take on-board either. I just carried on. Everybody was so disgusted with me. As anybody would say who is struggling, when youre ready is when you make your change. Everybody can give you lectures, but until youre ready, it doesnt matter.

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Belinda Carlisle: Touring with Green Day was one big hot mess - NME

Chinese scholars generally believe that they work ina gender equal atmosphere, even though many ofthem have observed gender bias and discrimination, astudy has found.

The paper, which takes arare look into perceptions ofgender biases inChinese academia, also shows amismatch between male and female scholars views.

Male academics believed that there was no gender discrimination in academia, while female academics believed there was no obvious discrimination, write study authors Hugo Horta and LiTang.

Still, the researchers note, manifestations of explicit and subtle discriminatory practices against female academics were found, such as discriminatory recruitment, acceptance of gender roles and essentialism, stereotypes, cross-gender social exclusion and struggles for recognition.

The researchers, whose paper was published in Higher Education Research and Development, conducted interviews with 40 tenure-track academics from various career stages, including 10 full professors and four deans at a leading Chinese research university. They found that despite both subtle and overt gender discrimination most scholars were confident that their workplace was mostly free of bias.

From our findings, it can be argued that gender blindness is prevalent and likely most Chinese academics, female and male, have it to different degrees, albeit nuanced, said Dr Horta, an associate professor of education at the University of Hong Kong.

All academics show a firm belief in merit-based rules for promotion, eg, if one publishes more and in leading journals, or if one is more successful at obtaining funding, then that academic should be promoted or promoted first, he said. The power of individual choice is perceived to be the key factor for the career progression of all academics, including that of female academics.

According to the study, both male and female interviewees often used phrases indicating their belief that the sector was basically equal, such as same requirements, achievements are most valued, asystem not discriminating against women and more equal compared to overt discrimination in industry.

Yet there were differences in male and female academics observations, Dr Horta and his co-author noted.

Men recognised that discrimination against women occurred in the hiring process but believed that outside recruitment it played little part in daily university life due to the merit-based standards of academia. Female academics, however, cited ongoing issues, such as womens desire to have children and their familial commitments being dismissed as personal choices and managers being reluctant to make accommodations for them.

Some interviewees comments showed that biased views still prevail, even if behind closed doors.

To be honest, when chatting with my colleagues, we often mention reluctance to admit female doctoral students because of the possibility of them dropping out to raise children, one male professor admitted.

One female deputy dean told the researchers she was wary of the ruses that she believed her female peers used to win promotions, saying: Intuitively, Ithink that men are better than women in terms of ability.

Dr Horta said he was surprised by the apparent ease with which Chinese academics voiced views that many peers in other countries might deem to be politically incorrect.

While there existed similarities in the career struggles of male and female academics related to extreme competition, unequal allocation of resources, and neoliberal influenced evaluative practices, both groups faced specific pressures, the study found.

Male academics felt that they had to progress quickly up the career ladder or risk being labelled failures; women, meanwhile, faced the double burden of housework and childcare and were often forced by their outside obligations to make decisions that hamper their career progression.

Even as discrimination remains a barrier in academic careers, there has been little tono effort among institutions to tackle it, with many female scholars refraining from pressingthe issue and their male colleagues not considering it a priority, Dr Horta said.

While he believed the system needed to address shortcomings and bolster equal opportunities for men and women alike, Dr Horta warned against pushing Western-style solutions, which focus on the promotion of women, at Chinese universities.

These policies should not jeopardise the perceivably fair meritocratic system that all Chinese academics seem to believe strongly in, he said.

pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com

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Chinese scholars believe in gender equality - Times Higher Education