contentions: Dr. Faust, My Cleaning Lady, and Me

re: Ruth R. Wisse: "This morning my cleaning lady E., expecting an affirmative response, asked me whether I was pleased by the appointment of a woman to the presidency of Harvard University (where I am a professor). A year ago her English was not good enough for such a question. College-educated in São Paolo, with what I believe was a major in government, she tells me a female president will be able to smooth over the troubles of the previous administration. Evidently, she perceives the ascendancy of Drew Gilpin Faust as a boost for her own chances of advancement in America. Apparently, Brazilian women gained fully equal legal rights only in 1988...[snip]...My Portuguese is not up to E.’s English, so I cannot explain to her the difference between a woman and a Women’s Libber..."...