You know . . .

[yendi]

Everyone's bitching about Yale admitting a Taliban spokesman as a student.

And they're certainly right, in that it was a stupid thing to do.

But I'm not sure I get why they're so surprised.

Yale does, after all, have a long history of admitting inappropriate, unqualified students.

Comments

[darth-spacey.livejournal.com]

Odd you should use those words. Bush took a higher degree than John Kerry, and got better grades, at the same school during the same time period. If that makes him a simpleton, I'm glad he won. His National Guard proficiency test paints a similar picture in comparison to Kerry's Navy testing.

He occasionally has trouble with difficult words in impromptu situations, sure, but he's no dumbass.

[litch.livejournal.com]

he's no dumbass

the facts on the ground prove otherwise

[dr-nebula.livejournal.com]

I agree, he's no dumbass - but he has a very narrow vision (i.e. - wears blinders) with many things.

That, and having a very two dimensional "black and white" code of ethics.

[murnkay.livejournal.com]

"He occasionally has trouble with difficult words in impromptu situations"

Like when he opens his mouth?

[crystalsage.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of people who have graduated with high degrees from various universities, but I wouldn't trust them with doing anything that required any serious thought.

High grades in college does not equal the ability to be a good leader. And if the way Bush conducts himself in the white house is any clue, I wouldn't be surprised if his "degree" wasn't really earned.

[lubedpumpkin.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[muse0fire.livejournal.com]

No dumbass? And are we seriously comparing his no-show performance in the National Guard to Kerry's actual combat in Vietname?

No dumbass? He puts completely unqualified cronies in exceptional positions of power (Brown, for one.) He makes good buddies with corrupt folk and then pleads ignorance of ever having known them, despite photographic evidence to the contrary. He lies - about pretty much everything - but I guess that doesn't inherently make him a dumbass; it just makes him corrupt.

[yendi]

I'm still not sure where the words "Kerry" or "dumbass" are in my post. As someone who wasn't qualified for Yale either, I'm not likely to equate "unqualified" with "dumbass."

[jerel.livejournal.com]

At least Kerry showed up for his military duty...

[luis-mw.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I needed a laugh

[lubedpumpkin.livejournal.com]

I think it's really interesting that they admitted a Taliban spokesman. Talk about diversity, you know? It's not like the kid is going to strap a bomb to his chest and blow up the school.

[unwilly.livejournal.com]

Yes, the never should have taken John Kerry.

[crystalline.livejournal.com]

And not just famous or wealthy ones either, to be entirely fair. The stupidest thing I ever heard anyone say in a Yale class follows:

This was a Sociology class, we were discussing the government and culture of the antebellum South. It was all pretty standard and dull, until! All of the sudden, out of nowhere, a girl raises her hand and says, confidently:

"Family was very important in the American South, as we can see in novels like Pride and Prejudice and Emma."

The TA was foreign and just nodded, and every other person in the room was too shocked to say anything. There was practically an audible boggle.

I find it sort of amusing that people are at all surprised that Yale has admitted perhaps unworthy students (instead of more qualified students/veterans/domestic minorities/whatever) because of their interesting or famous backgrounds. Yale does it all the time! Celebrities recently admitted to Yale include Claire Danes, Sarah Hughes, and Jordana Brewster. This isn't even counting all of the less-famous students admitted because of familial wealth or a variety of other reasons admissions officers can trump up.

The way I look at it is that at least this Taliban kid is bringing broad experiences to the table, rather that just the potential for fattening Yale's endowment 20 years down the road.

[yendi]

Wait, Claire Danes got into Yale on her talent? Now I'm worried.

And that sociology student just scares me. Not that I haven't met worse at Emory, but still, there are certain levels of ignorance that just shouldn't exist at the college level, period.

[crystalline.livejournal.com]

I ran into Claire Danes once, while she was at Yale. She was theoretically in the class ahead of me (2002), but I think she eventually dropped out, big surprise there!

It's sort of a funny story -- I was working at the main campus library, shelving books in the stacks, and this cracked-out-looking bleached-blond girl in a coat with a big ratty fur collar asked me to help her find a book. The entire interaction was weird; she kept trying to get me to ask her what she'd been doing. "Oh, yeah, well, you know, I had to miss a lot of this semester. My finals are going to be really tough!" "I've been away from campus for a while, is anything going on?" I mostly just nodded or ignored these comments, and went and found her book. I suppose I offended her by not recognizing her!

Only after she walked away did I think to myself, "That was WEIRD... why did that coat look familiar? Someone once pointed someone out to me who was wearing a coat like that... HA HA HA that was Claire Danes!"

[terminusvox.livejournal.com]

Dude, maybe he was like, a legacy, you know?