IDK, I knew not to use the N word when I was 16. Getting into college consists entirely of what you did when you were in high school. Back when I was in high school, this sort of constant digital exposure didn’t really exist. But every kid applying to college is getting judged on everything they did in high school. We can argue the way Harvard admits or denies students on various qualities and their fairness all day. But since this kid is a somewhat public figure and he was acting like a grade A piece of shit, this is what you get. It’s not like it happened that long ago. It may feel like forever to him, but the way the country is right now, they are seeking resignations today from blackface in the 1980’s.
I would pay good money to see the reaction from some of you guys if you got fired for making the wrong joke. I find it hilarious so many people here take stances like yours, or take it even further. By your own standards most of you shouldn't have jobs. And just so I got you clear Xray, calling groups of people sister fucking yokels in your 30s ok, but dropping an Nbomb when you're 16 is "you get what you get".
I didn't get into Harvard despite clearly being smarter than this little shit, so going by the standards of the conservative grievance machine, I've already had my life ruined.
Dude, hes trying to get into Harvard. Thats a big deal. Its not like he's running for Governor of Virginia or anything.
I mean, you’re allowed say “sister fucking yokel”. The other one can only be comfortably said by using various alternatives such as you did above. The fact that Roy Moore is making a comeback only solidifies my contempt for the sister-fucking yokel demographic.
I didn't say it was quite the same, but you're using a stupid stereotype in a bigoted way, and unlike this kid it's not just for shock value, and you're not 16.
Since when is “for shock value” a defense? Well, if that was his goal, then it was premeditated, and mission accomplished. Shocked them so much they don’t him at Harvard. What an overachiever.
If you need people to pay for that time they were a 16 year old edge lord, where does it stop? Why shouldn't Xray be fired? Why not anyone who has said offensive shit ever? This reminds me of what happened to me a bunch of internet activists recently. They demanded all these social media sites take action against offensive content. Well, they did, but all these people didn't consider that most of what they do is whine about offensive shit, and that algorithms don't care what your intent was, or whether you're for or against something. So they all had videos taken down or demonetized on sites like youtube and started crying about it. "Wait, what? This going to affect me!? I don't like it anymore! Make it stop!" Too late dumbass, this is what you demanded. I have no doubt most people would act the same way if this started fucking up their careers. "I'm being held accountable for something I said outside work years ago? Not fair!" It amazes me how many people need something to come back and bite them before they realize they're endorsing a really shitty idea. This already happened to you, over something even more ridiculous, so I guess you're not being a hypocrite at least. Most people are though when they have to deal with the consequences of their terrible ideas.
I once got fired from a job for something someone else wrote on my Facebook wall. This was years ago(like 8? I think). It wasn’t even racist or sexist or anything. It was just something that someone I worked with didn’t like and directed the owner of the company towards. Was what happened to me fair? No. I didn’t even write it. But because my profile showed where I worked at the time, they felt it could negatively represent the company. I don’t have Facebook anymore, thankfully. This was before outrage culture was front and center. Even after all that, I still say fuck this kid. Even in the stupidity of my youth, I somehow knew not to say certain things.
The thing is, they didn’t owe me fuck all. I was employed at their whim, and they chose to use that as the reason to fire me. And that’s as simple as it gets. If you are relying on someone else to do something for you, like admit you into their school, then don’t fucking do anything to jeopardize that. Period. I don’t care what it is, or when it happened... if they consider it to be enough to say “nope”, then so be it. They have tons of other applicants to chose from who didn’t go for the shock factor. I don’t care if they said, “well, you wore a dress at halloween so therefore we’re not considering your application”. That’s their call. Does it suck for the kid? Yep. He got a hell of a life lesson for free. You’ll also notice I never got pissed at them for firing me. Because it’s their call. They didn’t fire me for race, age, gender, or any other legally protected status... they fired me for my actions that could negatively impact their company. Fair enough.
I give the whole situation a big meh. Harvard is within their rights to deny him for it. Internet Lynch mobs following him for the rest of his life? Too far. The double standard when leftist leaders are outed but given a pass (see Northam defended and calls for a second chance for a learning moment to grow). I really don’t see any way out of this toxic divide we are in. Kind of sad.
I'm not arguing about their right to do it, I'm asking if this is really what we want to do as a society now. I really don't like the idea of having companies demand I be on my best behavior outside of work. It's not their fucking business to tell me what to do on my time. Where does it stop? I'm not saying I should get away with anything, but it should stop somewhere, right? It's gotten to the point where it's no longer a question of if you're guilty, it's only a question of if you got caught. And Nett, it's not like he had gotten into Harvard when he wrote that. That aside, I feel like if we're at a point where we need to stay upset at people for something offensive they said at 16 we are just utterly fucked as a society. What a bunch of angry, bitter, self righteous twats we've become.
No argument there. Black mirror had a good episode about this and how our social medial scores affect pretty much everything in our lives.
I don’t know he posted this like 2 years ago in a work group for school. While internet outrage brought it to light I don’t think their actions are that egregious. Given Harvard’s near fanatical push for diversity as a mission statement this would never passed the smell test for them. I think it’s naive to think there should be no consequences for it. 16 or no. Should he be given a second chance and not have it follow him for the rest of his life? Yes. The disturbing part to me is the wanton disregard for empathy like Aetius laid out. He’s on a different team fuck him! Same thing happened to the Covington kids. The reaction of “well they might not be as guilty as the first reporting made out but fuck em they’re definitely guilty of being entitled FUCKING WHITE MALES.” Edit: we don’t need Black Mirror or the Orville we already have China.
Why is this kid more deserving of my empathy than a sixteen year old girl in Alabama who will be forced to carry a child to term? Or a black teenager who won't ever get to go to college because he got busted with a small amount of weed? What makes this kid so special that his "childhood indiscretions" should be treated with kid gloves that no one else gets? Oh, because he's a conservative media darling because his take on guns was a convenient counter for all of his classmates calling for gun reform. That's it. His whole argument on why he should get to go to Harvard is based on him learning and changing, but I promise he hasn't learned or changed a god damn thing. He, like so many others, is sorry he got caught, and nothing more.