What Goes Around . . .
I have recently been hit over the head by the amount of gossip at Boalt. I was just at a social event at which the Face Book came out and anyone not in the room was on the chopping block -- if you are a 1L and you weren't there, trust me when I tell you that your name came up and it wasn't pleasant. (I officially "no comment"ed in reponse to requests for dirt on my mod-mates.) And then today one of my mod-mates cornered me to dish on another mod-mate and actually let me in on the secret that other people in the mod think that I might actually be friends with a certain someone.
The substance of the gossip is not the trite"who hooked up with whom." Instead, people are amused to discuss why this person raises his/her hand so often in class, why this person pronounces his/her name that way (are we supposed to change the pronunciation of our names to fit in??!), or why this person is compelled to ask others to be quiet during class. Are people so self-involved that they can't appreciate differences in personalities of their classmates? Does anyone have to earn the right to receive tolerance and respect?
To illustrate how ridiculous this is, let me give an example. At the above-mentioned gossip-fest, it was asked why a certain 1L always felt compelled to comment on the rape cases in their criminal law class. Unknown to everyone else, that person was raped for the first time before the age of 5, was abused by a number of step-parents, was forcibly raped as a teen, and was a victim of domestic abuse as an adult. I think that person has earned the right to comment on rape cases. And other people's failure to fathom the complexity of other people's lives makes them ask stupid questions like "why does that person raise his/her hand in class?"
I beg everyone to consider that they don't know crap about other people's lives and have just a little more respect for personality differences that might have resulted. Ask yourself, "might there be a set of facts that I don't know about that might explain (if not justify) that person's behavior?" If you think I'm being childish about all the meanies out there, then let me comfort you: it is highly likely that someone somewhere is probably trashing you right now.
The substance of the gossip is not the trite"who hooked up with whom." Instead, people are amused to discuss why this person raises his/her hand so often in class, why this person pronounces his/her name that way (are we supposed to change the pronunciation of our names to fit in??!), or why this person is compelled to ask others to be quiet during class. Are people so self-involved that they can't appreciate differences in personalities of their classmates? Does anyone have to earn the right to receive tolerance and respect?
To illustrate how ridiculous this is, let me give an example. At the above-mentioned gossip-fest, it was asked why a certain 1L always felt compelled to comment on the rape cases in their criminal law class. Unknown to everyone else, that person was raped for the first time before the age of 5, was abused by a number of step-parents, was forcibly raped as a teen, and was a victim of domestic abuse as an adult. I think that person has earned the right to comment on rape cases. And other people's failure to fathom the complexity of other people's lives makes them ask stupid questions like "why does that person raise his/her hand in class?"
I beg everyone to consider that they don't know crap about other people's lives and have just a little more respect for personality differences that might have resulted. Ask yourself, "might there be a set of facts that I don't know about that might explain (if not justify) that person's behavior?" If you think I'm being childish about all the meanies out there, then let me comfort you: it is highly likely that someone somewhere is probably trashing you right now.
Labels: Law School
posted by Anonymous at 11:09 AM
7 Comments:
Whoa. Some party.
And to think all I did was cook some fish and drink some wine. I could have been playa hatin'!
--
And as for the level of gossip - seriously. It's not good, but it could be worse. We could be in a residential setting, like a dorm, as well.
Didn't you just post on this blog a few days ago a rumor that a specific person in your mod amjurred a class?
Hey, the "who hooked up with whom" gossip is not "trite"! It's salacious, saucy, salty, slightly scandalous and salient to the sex-starved law student. It's titillating, tantalizing, not unlike the way that our beloved (ahem, not like that.) torts professor would coyly refer to (nudge nudge, wink wink) "loss of consortium", to the giggles of our seventh-grade maturity level class.
Kisses and condoms,
"The Immoral Majority"
By the way, We heard a rumor that a certain blogger who will remain nameless and faceless might be getting out of this game. We hope not.
Clearly, rumors and talk about someone's grades and awards at Boalt are not solely going to take on a positive and congratulatory nature. Especially during 2L OCIP, there'll be plenty of "hating" and petty jealousy attached to it. In a way it's better to have someone make fun of your facebook photo than to speculate into your grades, study habits, and so on.
Wait, wait, I think I know this one...
Is it SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEX? (Accompanying awkward hand and body gestures while saying the word included).
I heard a rumor that we'd all be better off with a little suspension of disbelief - assume that it's all in good fun. I know that a certain frustrated blogger has had some bad stuff to say about fellow Boalties even if what shows up in the blog is mostly sunshine & amjurs - and I would be the first to defend said blogger, if it came to that. We all talk a little too much now and then, most of us do it 'cause it thrills like a drug, most of us feel a little guilty about it later, most of us get pissed off when it turns personal, and most of us are willing to chalk it up to stress and get past it. Assume the best. Feel the love. I'm a believer. Oh yeah.
Hmmmmm...... now *which* anonymous would that be? There are quite a few of us around these days.
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