Talk:Arthur Ernest Morgan

Morgan-Lilienthal controversy

The article as currently written omits any reference to the titantic conflict between Morgan and David E. Lilienthal that led to Morgan's departure from the TVA. A key source on the struggle is Thomas K.McCraw's Morgan vs. Lilienthal: The Feud within the TVA (Loyola University Press, 1970). -- Cuppysfriend (talk) 23:44, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Untitled

I'm no expert on the subject, but it seems to me that the link "Arthur E. Morgan, Human Engineer and College President" appears to be written by his mother. Or perhaps his dog. (Rumoured titles left on the cutting room floor include "Arthur E. Morgan, Jesus Christ and superstar" and "Arthur E. Morgan, check out the size of his Magic Johnson.") Either way it seems a tad, how shall I say, reverential, rather than informational. Everyone who disagrees with Morgan is apparently wrong, those poor fools. And if you didn't know before, you'll learn in this article that Morgan, in fact, thwarted the corrupt FDR. Because FDR is corrupt. Or maybe you didn't know that either. Perhaps it's more informative than I thought. If it's to be included as a link, include it under a disclaimer such as "OMG they love him, here's a completely one-sided view of Arthur Morgan's life and acheivements. Sliced bread for everyone." Or maybe, "Mamma, you say everything (sic) the devil."

Not to say he's a bad dude, but David Lilienthal isn't the Anti-Christ either. As tongue-in-cheek as my criticism is, I didn't submit it without reason. Check out the article, you'll see what I mean. Holla.

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Response by new author------- [remember to sign your posts!]

Well, that piece is rather favorable toward Morgan... it wasn't his mother, but a minister, delivering a sermon about Morgan just after he had died. It's not common to use eulogies to attack or criticize people. I'm new to Wikipedia so I don't know what policy is about bias of sources; one solution would be to post a countervailing link, wouldn't it? Perhaps from a bio of Lilienthal? People seemed to have radical or polarized reactions to Morgan all through his life, either idolizing him or attacking him; but I don't read so much bias in Harrington's piece as you do. It doesn't say FDR was corrupt, it just mentions corruption, of which there's certainly plenty in any government. Anyway, at least it's background. I didn't post the link, btw. Megercliff (talk) 04:19, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

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Multiple problems with recently added Racism and Eugenics section

This section, which was added by a single contributor, has several unsupported and unverifiable claims and is not written from a neutral point of view. It also gives undo weight and space to the topics covered.

Examples: "From an early age, Morgan believed in the innate inferiority of certain races." "In addition to his belief in white supremacy..." "It is worth mentioning that Adolf Hitler cited the American eugenics movement as an inspiration for what became known as the Holocaust." "...claiming that there was nothing else he could do but to honor the attitudes of a racist, majority white America."

It also misrepresents one of the main sources it cites (Grant, Nancy. TVA and Black Americans, Temple University Press 1990, p. 38) in it's characterization of Morgan's racial views as well as the influence those views had on TVA policy. Grant writes that Morgan's racial views were "similar to those of southern conservatives" in that he felt it wasn't "the government's responsibility to provide better opportunities for blacks" but also compares them to views held by prominent black civil rights leaders such as Booker T. Washington and his "self-improvement stance" in that Morgan believed a "grassroots" movement from within the black community was a better approach.

In the same chapter, Grant explicitly does not endorse the position that Morgan's personal views played a major role in the TVA's policies regarding race in particular, emphasizing "TVA planners did not develop their racial policies in a vacuum" and were influenced by "outside political and economic pressures". She describes Morgan's particularly precarious position in considering racial issues while simultaneously "battling in the federal courts for the right of TVA to exist, as well as fighting to retain his own job," detailing many different "special interests" in the local community, within the TVA, and within the federal government who objected to his progressive ideals.

After correcting for these mischaracterizations, what is left is something more like, "Morgan's racial views during his time at the TVA have been described as having some similarities to those held by both southern conservatives and black civil rights leaders such as Booker T. Washington, although these views are not thought to have had significant influence on TVA policies regarding race."

The section gives undo weight to one particular time in Morgan's life and relies heavily on a few mischaracterized sources to push a particular narrative that when corrected for neutrality, no longer support the inclusion of such a section at all.