Well, darkness is the absence of light, and the stupidity in that instance was the absence of me.The Social Network · 2010 — Chapter 15 of 23 · 3'49" · B2
The Winklevosses Meet President Summers, Explained: make that call
The Winklevoss twins bring their complaint to Harvard's president, quoting the student handbook against Mark. Summers is unimpressed: "You might just be letting your imaginations run away with you." When they push back, he reminds them who he is — "I was the US Treasury Secretary" — and sends them to the courts.
What happens
The Winklevoss twins go to President Summers to accuse Mark of stealing their idea, citing the Harvard handbook on honesty. Summers is dismissive, calling it petty larceny and telling them they are letting their imaginations run away with them. After a sharp exchange about who can judge the matter, he tells them to try the courts.
Listen for
run away with youmake that calldevastatedpetty larceny
00:00 / 03:49Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
make that call
Make the decision
Cameron 对 Summers 说 you're in any position to make that call，质疑他没资格对这个案子下判断。
It's your project, so you make the call.
Also in this scene
- run away with you
Let your imagination go too far
- devastated
A deadpan reply that hides contempt
- petty larceny
The theft of property of small value
Everything marked in this scene
37 notes across 79 lines
noun + of: The of phrase turns absence into a noun.
Well, darkness is the absence of light, and the stupidity in that instance was the absence of me.Well, we came up with an idea for a website called Harvard Connection...We've since changed the name to ConnectU. And Mark Zuckerberg stole that idea...And I'm asking what you want me to do about it.under the heading "Standards of Conduct in the Harvard Community,"expect someone to be: Expect plus object plus to be states an institutional standard.
it says the college expects all students to be honest and forthcoming in their dealings with members in this community.Students are required to respect public and private ownership, and instances of theft, misappropriation or...passive voice: The passive puts the rule, not a person, in charge.
Students are required to respect public and private ownership, and instances of theft, misappropriation or...weak form
- Anne? - Yes, sir?...or unauthorized use will result in disciplinary action, including the requirement to withdraw from the college.And you memorized that instead of doing what?Sir, it's against university rules to steal from another student, plain and simple.liaison
Sir, it's against university rules to steal from another student, plain and simple.Have you tried dealing with the other student directly?Mr. Zuckerberg hasn't been responding to any of our e-mails or phone calls for the last two weeks.He doesn't answer when we knock on his door at Kirkland,and the closest I've come to dealing with him face-to-facesuperlative with to + gerund: The superlative frames how near he ever got to a real meeting.
and the closest I've come to dealing with him face-to-faceI saw him and I know he saw me. I went after him and then he disappeared.I'm sorry, President Summers, but what you just said makes no sense to me at all.liaison
I'm sorry, President Summers, but what you just said makes no sense to me at all.I really don't know. This office doesn't handle petty larceny.Let your imagination go too far
You might just be letting your imaginations run away with you.Sir, I honestly don't think you're in any position to make that call.Make the decision
Sir, I honestly don't think you're in any position to make that call.Harvard undergraduates believe that inventing a job is better than finding a job.Harvard undergraduates believe that inventing a job is better than finding a job.- I'm sorry, sir, but that's not the point. - Please, arrive at the point.- I'm sorry, sir, but that's not the point. - Please, arrive at the point.You don't have to be an intellectual property expert to understand the difference between right and wrong.Let me tell you something, Mr. Winklevoss, Mr. Winklevoss, since you're on the subject of right and wrong.You don't get special treatment.conditional clause: The condition sets up a not-so-veiled threat.
If you have a problem with that, Mr. Winklevoss......the courts are always at your disposal. Is there anything else I can do for you?flap
You can take the Harvard Student Handbook and shove it...You can take the Harvard Student Handbook and shove it...The Winklevosses Meet President Summers, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a lesson in how institutions protect themselves. The twins arrive with the rules on their side — a handbook clause on honesty, a stolen idea, a clear wrong — and Summers meets them with boredom. He reframes their case as "petty larceny," suggests they are letting their "imaginations run away," and points out that the code they quote binds students to the university, not to each other. When they insist he has no standing to judge, he ends the argument with rank: "I was the US Treasury Secretary." Finally he hands them off to the legal system, which is a polite way of refusing to help. Being right, the scene shows, is not the same as being heard.
Theme
PowerSummers ends a moral argument with rank, reminding the twins that authority decides what counts as a university issue.
JusticeThe twins have the rules and the facts, but the institution simply refuses to hear the case, showing how justice can be dodged.
Listen for
- Yes, sir — weak form
- plain and simple — liaison
- makes no sense — liaison
- shove it — flap
Well, darkness is the absence of light, and the stupidity in that instance was the absence of me.Summers' smug one-liner: he explains the failure as simply his own absence, mixing fake philosophy with pure vanity.
You don't have to be an intellectual property expert to understand the difference between right and wrong.The twins' core appeal to common sense, which Summers treats as an insult to himself.
Harvard undergraduates believe that inventing a job is better than finding a job.His pat generalization about students, used to dismiss their complaint as an ordinary campus habit.
You might just be letting your imaginations run away with you.A dismissive way of saying their claim is a fantasy, delivered like friendly advice.
Questions about this scene
What do the Winklevoss twins want from President Summers?
They want the university to act against Mark for stealing their idea, and they cite the student handbook on honesty and ownership. Summers refuses to treat it as a university matter.
Why does Summers call it petty larceny?
To belittle the claim. Labeling the idea-theft as minor theft lets him say the office does not handle such things, which pushes the twins away without arguing the merits.
What does Summers mean by imaginations running away?
He is suggesting the twins have invented a grievance and blown its value out of proportion. It is a polite-sounding way of calling their claims fantasy.
Why does Summers mention being Treasury Secretary?
To end the argument with status. When the twins question his judgment, he answers with resume rather than reason, showing that rank is his real authority.
The Social Network · 23 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over Mark
Chapter 1speak in codeErica Dumps Mark at the Bar
Chapter 2take my mind offMark Builds Facemash
Chapter 3an awful lot ofMark Crashes Harvard's Network
Chapter 4make an example out ofZuckerberg Faces the Ad Board
Chapter 5a no-brainerWinklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site
Chapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook Idea
Chapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails
Chapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship Status
Chapter 9give someone the fingerThe Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark
Chapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's Launch
Chapter 11monetizeMark and Eduardo Argue About Money
Chapter 12the minimum amountMark Answers with Minimum Attention
Chapter 13written in inkErica Confronts Mark Over the Internet
Chapter 14the shoe's on the other footSean Parker Wakes Up at Stanford
Watching · Chapter 15make that callThe Winklevosses Meet President Summers
Chapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over Mark
Chapter 17stir the potEduardo's Chicken Deposition Story
Chapter 18once-in-a-generationSean Parker Meets Mark in Palo Alto
Chapter 19at our disposalThe Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark
Chapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over Sean
Chapter 21let bygones be bygonesEduardo Freezes the Company Account
Chapter 22in all honestyEduardo Signs Away His Shares
Chapter 23lawyer upMark Dismantles Eduardo at FacebookChapter 15 of 23 · about 28 min to go