Wait, what? Space Moose? Are you a University of Alberta student, circa the 90s?
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Harvard boots 10 admitted high schoolers due to their god-awful memes
- Thread starter MMarston
- Start date
Wait, what? Space Moose? Are you a University of Alberta student, circa the 90s?
They were accepted for a reason, and a lot of teenagers are idiots. Stupid memes aren't the end of the world.
Do you know what Harvard material is?
I believe Harvard's job is to educate... lol
Double Donut
Member
Congratulations on being above it all back in your day, but it still doesn't change the fact that an absolute metric ass-ton of high schoolers do find humor in being as edgy as possible.
It's already normalized. Memes are everywhere. You say reddit isn't a picture of society, but it's a very mainstream site along the likes of facebook and twitter. It's not some spooky back alley forbidden site like 4chan. Reddit is huge among teenagers and young adults, so, despite how badly you don't want it to be, it can be somewhat used to see what is "normal" for teenagers nowadays.
Chie Satonaka
Member
Every time.
I'm not really sure WHY I thought people wouldn't be in here giving these shits the pass, but here I am, surprised for some reason.
Maybe it's because I just woke up.
I wasn't a terrible person in high school, and neither were the people I went to school with. And no, this type of humor is not the goddamn norm.
Always an excuse, always a justification.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Could you imagine the sheer disappointment of their parents when they found out their children just got booted from fucking Harvard
Biggest L for the rest of your life.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Are you implying Harvard is the only place they can get a "proper" education? Or that students admitted into Harvard didn't get in anywhere else worthwhile?
Uh huh, because given a different political climate this would be totally fine, right?
I can imagine just how embarrassing that conversation would be when their parents ask them why, and what they explicitly said
Let's throw them in prison for the rest of their lives. That'll teach these shits!
I don't agree with their humor, but I also don't think it's such a big deal that requires admission to be rescinded. Harvard was doing it for obvious PR reasons due to the current political climate.
Why would I imply that? We're talking about Harvard here. I'm sure they could have gone to any other Ivy.
Atomic Playboy
Member
An absolute metric ass-ton of high schoolers also don't get into Harvard. I know all about being "edgy" as a teenager, but I also knew enough to know what lines not to cross and how to keep that shit private by not blasting it over the Internet. It's just common sense. And now these kids are getting a very good lesson in its application in a real-world scenario. Don't say stupid shit that could come back to bite you just for the sake of being "edgy."
cpp_is_king
Member
That's exactly what Harvard gave them.
RedAssedApe
Banned
Welcome to adulthood. A nice reminder that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Apparently some people don't feel that learning not to say dumb shit or accept responsibility for terrible actions is part of a "proper" education
Yeah but not how to be a decent human being, they should be mad their parents failed them
Blood Diamonds
Banned
tfw when you get kicked out of Harvard feelsbadman Kappa
I'm sorry if the truth doesn't validate people's shitty behavior but here's a novel idea. How about backing up this "metric ass-ton" of high schoolers claim with actual numbers? I'm pretty sure every high schooler or student in even the US doesn't hang out on Reddit or 4chan every day posting vile shit so maybe it's the bubble you are surrounding yourself with that is clouding your assertions?
Escape Goat
Member
I hate myself for knowing what "tfw" meant.
You can't extrapolate how they are as a person based on posting stupid memes. Nor can you also say that their parents failed them when they got accepted to Harvard.
Too much hyperbole in this thread.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Time for daddy to donate a library.
Chie Satonaka
Member
Nobody said that but you, buddy! Going to a ivy league school is a privilege, not a right. It doesn't matter what the reason they did it was. They can do it, they did do it, and it's awesome that a bunch of turds get to learn that there are consequences to their actions. It's a lesson a lot of people don't learn growing up.
Show me where memes of dead mexican kids are the rule of the day.
Crying Jordan face is one thing, the shit they were doing is another
Show me where memes of dead mexican kids are the rule of the day.
cpp_is_king
Member
Millions of wrongs don't make a right. A right makes a right though, which is why Harvard dished out 10 of them.
HomerSimpson-Man
Member
A lot of people apply for these schools so I guess it opens up more spots.
This is a tough lesson learned experience for these teenagers. Your freedom of speech doesn't mean there can't be consequences from others it just means you can't be arrested for it.
This is a tough lesson learned experience for these teenagers. Your freedom of speech doesn't mean there can't be consequences from others it just means you can't be arrested for it.
If they get denied access to schools that disagree with that viewpoint, yeah. Cuase then they go to schools where they will probably find more people reaffirm the viewpoint. I wasn't complaining it was life ending for them (not sure where you got that). In fact as I said part of me wants to be glad they got consequences. I just think though alternatively this was a good chance to maybe break them of the bubble they may be in and expose them to ideas way different than theirs including tolerance and why what they did was horrible. People who stay in bubbles become things like Trump supporters. I'm caring more about not creating more "trump supporters" than I'm worried about them as individuals. Besides, maybe break the of their bubble you might find a good person underneath (I know, it's not popular to think people can change or that a racist can't be a good person who is completely ignorant but rid him her of that ignorance and they could become better people).
Sunster
Member
should have rescinded admission of everyone that posted and gave a warning to everyone in the group.
viewpoint?
viewpoint?
Sho_Nuff82
Member
If you got into Harvard, you're probably going to end up at another liberal NE or West Coast prestigious university as your backup. Harvard is doing the right thing keeping their ID's private, so it's up to the students to not fuck up their next opportunity.
Messofanego
Banned
I knew you were trolling from your very first post in this thread, but other took the bait. Well done wrangling at least a couple to take you seriously.
Messofanego
Banned
I love when people like Tigress in this example infantilise racism and bigotry as viewpoints, and because a university wasn't tolerant to their hateful memes, that's how we got Trump! 🙃
Viewpoint as in their racist/intolerant views on stuff.
UnemployedVillain
Member
So that's simply a differing viewpoint??
We shouldn't soften shit like that by calling it "Viewpoints:, "Opinions", etc
These guys shared similar stuff on social media, and folks died because of it
How am trolling? Trolling because I'm not echoing everyone else? People seem to really want these students to fail.
I can do my own hyperbole as well.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Exactly. Some people in here are acting like their entire lives are being ruined by anonymously having their acceptances rescinded from a single school.
Here's the deal with Ivy Leagues, from someone who has attended them, and who has friends who have worked in admissions in one of them. There are a LOT more qualified students who apply than those who get into a school. Oftentimes, it comes down to some small detail or way of distinguishing one student from the other, but in lots of cases it might as well be luck. This isn't because schools want to reject students, they simply want to maintain certain class sizes. Because of this any small thing can help or hurt.
There are probably 10 students, equally as qualified as these ones, who don't regularly make fucked up jokes who were rejected for reasons outside their control, so sorry if I feel little to no remorse that these ones got rejected when it was entirely their own fault.
So if you don't go to Harvard you're a failure?
When did I say that? Just keep the scope to Harvard.
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
'It's just a meme, bro'
-serial killer
-serial killer
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
18 year olds post "I like raping children and Hitler did nothing wrong."
Harvard kicks them out.
"Wow, so much for the tolerant left."
>_>
Harvard kicks them out.
"Wow, so much for the tolerant left."
>_>
Ugh... I'm trying to point out exposing people to different "viewpoints" gives them more a chance not to become something like a Trump supporter. Trump supporters tend to be in their little bubbles (I sadly have a friend who is like that and since she moved back near her family she's gottne worse. She used to be reasonable and now she is even a climate change denier though it's tempered by, "Well we have no proof we have any effect". And uses all sorts of christian blogs and such to prove her points). She actually was more open to seeing the bad side of Republicans when she lived up where I am and was more surrounded by liberal friends. Now she's back near her family and old friends who are definitely all christian far right people *sigh*.
Honestly, it's not like there isn't actually some truth to the fact that polarization pushes people further away. I know, it's easier to just hate on them (I do it too sometimes, it's hard when talking to many is like banging your head against the wall) but it's not going to be that effective. And the more die hards you just have to write them off ( I'm not saying everyone can be changed, but same thing goes that not everyone can't be changed either).
But as college kids, they aren't die hards yet (people are still forming ideas around that time). And expose them to different ideas they may learn to grasp a better view on everything. Kids, even high school to college age are more likely to be open to new views or at least consider them. Sure, some may not change, but some may. And then you get less people who do things like support the Republicans and how they are now (cause I fully think the republican party is evil, Trump is just a symptom).
it's not like people are born with this hatred inside and are unchangeable, something caused them to be that way. Same as why it's stupid to just saying being Muslim is the reason some one is a terrorist and not looking at the situation that caused them to get into such die hard beliefs.
Put it this way. My dad has been a die hard republican all his life and totally goes with all their talking points. I mean listened to Rush Limbaugh long before fox news was popular. And he's the type to never admit he's wrong (he will come up with reasons why he was still right even if you can prove him wrong). He's also pretty old. My cousin's boyfriend talked with him from his POV and got my dad to actually admit we should do something about air quality and one other thing he got him to concede. He did so by not attacking him, questioning him from my dad's viewpoint so to keep my dad from feeling like he was being attacked (I couldn't do that partly cause my dad knows I totally disagree with him). He never gave my dad even a hint that he disagreed with him (something I could not do... and I can tell you I'm very ineffective arguing with my dad). Granted, I don't think he came close to convincing him to be against republicans, but even getting him to admit that much was pretty damned good. And it's stuff like that that if my dad kept getting exposed to that maybe would push him more and more towards seeing the republicans for what they are.
People can actually change though it may take a lot of exposure to other viewpoints and being able to be open to them. And I also understand that is a hard thing to do cause I fully admit, I can't do it. I'm very frustrated with my friend and parents and sometimes I want to call up my dad and stepmom and yell at them for voting and supporting trump.
I'm sorry it's not as easy as those people are just evil (and no, I don't think it all can be said that it's liberals fault for being smug either and it's their fault for trump. I definitely don't think it's liberals fault for trump but thanks for putting words in my mouth). In the end, those people still are responsible for how they act and treat other people. But, if you want to try to change them, you can't do it by attacking them! And honestly, young people you do have more a chance of changing.
Double Donut
Member
Of course I can't provide any hard data, since I doubt "High schoolers, do you enjoy racist jokes?" would be a study that made it to the real world, I'm just speaking on what I've seen.
Obviously not every high schooler in America is on social media... but a lot are, I don't think anyone should doubt that. Every kid's got a smartphone nowadays, doesn't seem far fetched that a vast majority of teens are on the web.
My high school and the surrounding high schools were filled with people who told edgy jokes that would get people howling. And judging by just how widespread these jokes are on teen-oriented websites (reddit, imgur, twitter, facebook, etc) it doesn't sound like too "out there" a claim for me to say that yes, dark humor is popular nowadays among teenagers.
AtomskEater
Member
Thank you. I appreciate dark humor or weird jokes but the punchline has to be something more than shitting on a race or ethnicity or applauding pedophiles. Even though I used 4chan throughout high school I didn't participate in such jokes.
I can't feel too bad for these kids. They're getting old enough that they should know better.
I'm not trying to soften anything. I was just trying to use a word to get a point across. View point whatever you want to call it, I don't care. It was just a simple way to say change how they view things.
Why does society have to teach these people that racist jokes about dead kid is not a good thing? They didn't trip and stumble into Harvard, so they should know better
itwasTuesday
He wasn't alone.
They didn't meme for this to happen.
Chie Satonaka
Member
So anecdotally, then? Other people have also shared anecdotal experience that doesn't match yours. On top of that, part of the reason that this stuff is so widespread on the Internet, especially on reddit is because there's a lack of consequences.
I know GAF skews a bit older, but we do have teens here too, and people aren't doing that goofy shit here because it's not allowed and saying it will get you a nice vacation. There's a consequence to that kind of behavior here.
Harvard has no shortage of applicants and they are free to be selective. Their admissions offers being rescinded is not such a huge deal at all. It seems to me that the "current political climate" is causing people to cry about the rejection of these man children with some quality faux outrage.
Sigh, fine, let's just kill them then. Forget trying to make them better people or trying to understand why they became that way. They must have been born that way. They are horrible people and were born horrible people. /s.
Why is this different than the republicans who want to ban muslims and say they are evil?
And no, I'm not arguing we should allow them to get their way. I'm just saying that maybe if they get exposed to different viewpoints they may become better people and learn why they were so ignorant. You can't become not ignorant if you never get a chance to learn differently. Ever think that maybe they were raised around people who all view the same thing and just take what they believe for granted is true? And maybe just maybe if they get a chance to see people who think differently they might realize that maybe everything they took for granted is wrong? It's not like they are old people who are more set in their ways. College is still a time where people are experimenting and discovering who they are. And hell, even adults have been shown to change sometimes.
Now, if you want to argue that maybe getting consequences and people condemning them and having society look at them badly might work too, I'm open to that arguement (cause I do think it's also good that they are shown that people don't condone those views). Or that maybe they still will go to another school and get exposed to those ideas like some people have replied to me. I'm not married to the idea that it is definitely a bad thing they weren't admitted. I just wonder if maybe pushing people away and keeping them in their bubble (as in not letting them have a chance to be surrounded by people who think differently) might be counterproductive. But stop acting like I am condoning these people. I just originallly was thinking maybe it's counterproductive (and some people ahve pointed out that they may still get chances to see other views and become better people).
The shock behavior of the present is always going to seem worse, because it is targeted at whatever topics are particularly sensitive. In fact, the more that people react to these stories, the more it encourages people that the shock value is having the intended effect.
It is hard to understand this from a modern perspective, because it seems almost comical, but the whole Satanistic thing was about as taboo as you could get back then. Nowadays we look back and think "well no one was actually committing blood rituals or anything, it was all just a bunch of empty posturing." But if you had been a typical adult back then, you probably have been just as offended by that as you are by this.
EatinOlives
Member
They're an institute of higher education, not social skills potty training.