Parkland shooting survivor says Harvard rescinded his admission over racial slurs made 2 years ago

mina said:

Actions and words from your Internet past can have consequences. Spew hateful racist things and they catch up with you. He was old enough at the time to know better .

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I'd hate to be held to account for the stupid things I might have said when I was 16. Shoot, I used to be a Christian.

Well he wanted people to know he said it. He put it online with his name attached and wanted it to be as shocking as possible. Maybe he should have mentioned it at his interview or something and then explained that he had changed. He was aware that it was there in his past especially if racist remarks were a big part of who he was then. It's a little naive to think something online like that wouldn't surface. I've known several young people who have had their social media words and behavior called into question in relation to employment and probably school admission as well.

Sparagmos said:

I have no sympathy for the guy. His classmates said he talked like this regularly. He has said he is embarrassed and sorry, but doesn’t want to accept the consequences of his actions and is acting incredibly entitled.

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The thing I noted when I heard this story on the radio was that he said he was"made aware of" things he said two years ago.

That, to me, took away from his "apology". Saying stuff like that is not something you need to be "made aware of" having said. You know you said it.

Aryeh Jay said:

Was it the police as an institution that “murdered” a black 12 year old with a toy gun or was it an individual who had documented problems and was still hired?

Blaming the whole for the actions of the few? How liberal of Adam Serwer…

funny, spell check wants his name to be Sewer.

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The point of the meme is not the police officer, but the people who defend him.

trunks2k said:

The thing I noted when I heard this story on the radio was that he said he was"made aware of" things he said two years ago.

That, to me, took away from his "apology". Saying stuff like that is not something you need to be "made aware of" having said. You know you said it.

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Either he's dodging responsibility, or his memory is completely shot. Both reasons to deny admittance into a rigorous institution.

Tinker Grey said:

I'd hate to be held to account for the stupid things I might have said when I was 16. Shoot, I used to be a Christian.

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Agreed. I don't expect 16yo kids to fully understand the consequences of their words. In fact, I don't expect them to fully understand much at all.

Then again, that's why I also don't give a hoot when they suggest policy changes.

Ana the Ist said:

Agreed. I don't expect 16yo kids to fully understand the consequences of their words. In fact, I don't expect them to fully understand much at all.

Then again, that's why I also don't give a hoot when they suggest policy changes.

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must be some low bar for 16 year olds these days. when i was 16 i knew very well not to use racial slurs for any reason including shock value.

mina said:

Actions and words from your Internet past can have consequences. Spew hateful racist things and they catch up with you. He was old enough at the time to know better .

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Yep, so his career choices are now McDonald’s or US president.

Tanj said:

If you're the kind of racist who requires a true threat of death to stop being a racist I'm more on the fence about whether you deserve any more chances.

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I agree! Be the better kind of racist, dammit!

Wait...

SummerMadness said:

My favorite response was, "Pretty messed up how a college admissions department made a decision based on someone's high school conduct." <sarcasm>

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This is what I thought when I first read it. Yes, there is a pull to say "He's just a kid", "Give him another chance", etc.

Well, yes...he's just a kid who would be going to Harvard, representing Harvard, fairly high-profile (given the background story of how he got in) while at Harvard, etc. Does Harvard, as an institution, want its name tied to someone who has made comments like that? Probably not.

Let him go to a less-competitive state school or somewhere else. No one is owed a prestigious education in the first place.

dzheremi said:

This is what I thought when I first read it. Yes, there is a pull to say "He's just a kid", "Give him another chance", etc.

Well, yes...he's just a kid who would be going to Harvard, representing Harvard, fairly high-profile (given the background story of how he got in) while at Harvard, etc. Does Harvard, as an institution, want its name tied to someone who has made comments like that? Probably not.

Let him go to a less-competitive state school or somewhere else. No one is owed a prestigious education in the first place.

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And if you're planning on doing your undergrad at Harvard, you'd better be prepping for it when you're 16.

Note that Harvard didn't reject him for being a vocal conservative.

While I can see the side of "he was just a kid!" I don't know if I support that here. It wasn't a one time isolated incident; he was known for it. And while yes, people can seriously change I think it would have been better for him if he led with that in full disclosure when he was courting admission to Harvard instead of "oopsy! All that I was trying to hide came to light, so sorry!". This is Harvard, not an application for Wal-mart.

Also, everyone knows about this because he came out with it and announced it on his Twitter. What was his goal? Just to commiserate or to shame Harvard into trying to get his spot back or to truly talk about his change into a better person or what?

In 2017 Harvard rescinded admission of several students who were involved in a FB group to swap racist memes.

SummerMadness said:

You make it sound like he was 16 over 20 years ago. His comments are the age that toddlers are still described in months. If you’re 18 and being held to account for your behavior at 16, that’s simple comeuppance.

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I was 16 years old 20 years ago (in a few more months, it will be over 20 years ago...ugh), and if I said the kinds of things this kid said, my friends, family, and acquaintances would've been lining up to beat the tar out of me, or at the very least kick me out of their social circles unless I made some kind of public apology after the first time to make sure I understood there shouldn't have been a first time, and won't be a second.

This kid is a racist. At 16 you don't really understand the consequences of your actions. That's why 16 year olds are rarely tried as adults for committing crimes. They may very well know they are doing something wrong, but they don't understand the far reaching implications of such actions.

Teens are really dumb when it comes to stuff like this. Heck 18 isn't some sort of magic number where they suddenly understand everything. It really isn't until they hit about 21 that it begins to start to sink in. And that's just a start.

I'm not saying Harvard should have accepted him. Harvard has a right to set standards for itself. They have a right to not allow someone in that doesn't meet their standards. I am consistent with this. Just like I believe Christian Universities have a right to exclude homosexuals.

Private universities have a right to exclude people for whatever reason that doesn't meet standards they set.

His life hasn't been ruined, he just doesn't get to go to his first choice school. I do feel that is appropriate. Actions have consequences. Every choice you make can open one door and close another.

He will still get a college education and no one will remember he was this kid in 4 years if he doesn't make a fool of himself again. That is also appropriate.

What the 2nd Chance crowd doesn't seem to get is his 2nd Chance will be admission at another university. Your 2nd Chance is never supposed to be to still get your wish come true after you blatantly choose to do wrong. This wasn't an accident or one time occurrence.

What did Kashuv actually say two years ago? Can anyone answer that question?

SummerMadness said:

He's embarrassed and sorry because he got caught.

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And you know his heart and mind how?

trunks2k said:

The thing I noted when I heard this story on the radio was that he said he was"made aware of" things he said two years ago.

That, to me, took away from his "apology". Saying stuff like that is not something you need to be "made aware of" having said. You know you said it.

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Good point.