Why Is Larry Summers Still Employed?

Why does Larry Summers still have a job? Why does Larry Summers keep getting hired? What should Larry Summers say or do to prove to the world that he is unfit for work?

Unfortunately, these are not simple questions. Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury, former President of Harvard University, former head of the National Economic Council, is once again embroiled in controversy. Of course, Summers, “embraced in controversy,” won't tell you much. Summers seems to be locked in an eternal battle between his mouth and his dick to see which one can lead to the most dangerous crime. This time, the two forces have come together in a series of newly released emails between Summers and his longtime friend, confidant and sexual abuse “wingman” Jeffrey Epstein.

Summers' friendship with Epstein was already known. But emails released by the House Oversight Committee show the depth of their correspondence and relationship. Although most journalists (including me) stuck on an email in which Summers downplayed sexual assault, then wrote to Epstein in all caps: “DO NOT REPEAT THIS INSTITION,” fierce reporters Harvard Raspberry dug into all the messages between the two men. Their report reveals how Summers wanted to pressure a woman believed to be Chinese macroeconomist Kaya Jin to establish a “relationship”. Jean was a 2004 Harvard graduate (that is, she graduated while Summers was still president of the university) and received her PhD in 2009.

By 2018, Summers referred to her as a “sidekick” in emails to Epstein, and the men gave her the nickname “danger.” obvious link to the “yellow peril” because these people are the worst our society has to offer). The men discussed at length Summers' best options for using his influence and position to force her to have sex with him. crimson reports: “Summers further described what he considered his 'best chance': that the woman finds him 'invaluable and interesting' and concludes 'she can't have it without romance/sex.' Summers and Epstein were still emailing about the woman… right up until the day Epstein was arrested.

Anyone with an ounce of moral decency would have guessed that Summers had already been fired. For example, you can't just email the world's most notorious sex offender about how you're going to use your professional position to get a woman to have sex with you and then maintain that professional position, right?

Well, the astute reader knows that Summers was not fired. After crimsonSummers report apologized for his relationship with Epstein and said he was withdrawing from his public engagements in an “attempt to restore trust” but not leaving his actual teaching job at Harvard University. Summers teaches five classes this semester, including two large undergraduate courses. It appears that will happen anyway, despite calls from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard professor, for Harvard to get rid of it.

It is unlikely that Summers will resign voluntarily. After all, he seems to think that having an impressive job of power over youth is the only way he'll ever get laid. He also doesn't really regret what he said. Just look at what he's apologizing for: “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they caused. I take full responsibility for my poor decision to continue to engage with Mr. Epstein.” He apologizes for associating with a known sex offender rather than taking advice from a known sex offender on how best to fuck his charge.

Of all Summers' positions – professor, Bloomberg columnist, board member of OpenAI—teaching young students this is a job he will never be allowed to do again. This has been true since at least 2005, when he suggested that Women are genetically worse at math and science than men.

Imagine you are a woman in Summers' economics class. You have a question that wasn't covered in your lecture to 500 people, and you know that the boys in your class are coming to see the famous professor. Are you coming? You know, this man thinks that you are genetically dumber than your male peers. Now you suspect that he will only help you if he thinks he can use that help to get into your pants. Do you really want to ask Larry Summers your question? Or are you just going to ask ChatGPT, based on Larry Summers' failed economic theories, to tell you why ChatGPT needs government bailouts?

Harvard does a disservice to every woman on campus when it hires guys like Larry Summers and sends them out to lecture. And yes, as I write this sentence, I feel like every woman who has ever attended Harvard University is looking at me like my name is Christopher Columbus, because “guys like Larry Summers” are legion. The hypothesis I just put forward is only hypothetical for me and the other guys. This is the reality of most women, in most universities, now, then, here and everywhere. Women constantly have to answer the question, “How do I communicate with a male professor who probably thinks I’m dumber than his male students and will probably try to condition his help on “romantic relationships/sex”?”

Larry Summers still has a job because Larry Summers is extremely common. He's not out of the ordinary – he's the damn norm. He's the man on every C-suite, every hiring committee, every post office. He is a man with power and believes he has the right transform this power into sex. This is such a standard way for men to behave that even other men who act differently treat guys who act like they are normal and legit.

To put it in simple terms so Larry Summers can understand it genetically: Summers is a tax that society places on women. He is their additional cost of doing business. And most men are willing to let them pay for it. After all, most men know that the tax means they too can benefit as long as they retain some professional power.

Why does Larry Summers still have a job? Because other men think he didn't do anything wrong. Because other men do the same thing he does, just without perpetuating it in emails to a known sex offender. Because other men think that power gives them the right to pursue and persecute. And because until a few days ago, Larry Summers was just one of those “other men” who made decisions about the hiring and platform of people like Larry Summers.

Update: After this article was published, Summers resigned from the OpenAI board and Harvard announced it was launching an investigation into his ties to Epstein.