This Story About Reed College Kid Banned for Challenging Rape Stats Just Got Really Weird

[geek tragedy]

http://www.mediaite.com/online/this-story-about-reed-college-kid-banned-for-challenging-rape-stats-just-got-really-weird/

While several other publications ran with True’s allegations, Reason magazine’s Robby Soave paused for a second: He’d known Savery “for being an ardent defender of free speech, which makes his apparent decision to remove True from class all the more baffling.” And if the libertarian Reason is saying that, there is definitely something up here.

So Soave got in contact with Savery, who told him that True had been banned solely due to “a series of disruptive behaviors,” and Soave’s suspicions grew when he followed up with the student:

I also reached True via email, and asked him whether he had been rowdy or disruptive in class. He responded by making a bizarre request. This was his email back to me:

“Before I interview with you, you must agree to make “nigger” be the first word in your article.”

I declined this ultimatum, and he declined to answer my questions. Needless to say, I’ve grown a lot more skeptical of True’s side of the story. If I find out anything more that backs up either person’s assertions about what happened, I’ll update this story.

Well then. He sounds just lovely.

Two words explain all the people who thought this kid was a free speech martyr: Confirmation Bias.

And those who guessed "belligerent, sexist MRA jackhole" get a gold star.

http://www.reedquest.org/freshman-excluded-from-conference-petition-sparks-controversy/

The culminating point of discomfort was instigated by comment that True describes in his petition. True writes: “… I questioned the largely purported 1-in-5 rape statistic. I stated that I did not believe that the rape culture exists.” Savery corroborates this statement, saying, “[True said that] in general, society was paying too much attention to rape and that rape statistics were overblown. He claimed that we needed to spend more time being sympathetic to men who were falsely accused of rape.”

...

Maude-Griffin says that True’s behavior started out only “a little bit patronizing” and then escalated from there over the course of the semester.

“As soon as we started discussing Aristotle he said how did not believe that people who were drunk could not be held responsible for their actions, and similarly (in his line of logic), that racists could not be blamed for their actions because they had ‘never been taught otherwise,’” Maude-Griffin recalls.

The week after True’s Theocritus comment about social class and artistic capability, Maude-Griffin says that True “began the class abruptly and loudly in an angry tone, reading the Honor Principle stating how no student should face a hostile environment, and demanding an apology of only female members of the class despite the equally strong reaction by the male ones.”

But surely he must have been understanding and sympathetic to the rape survivors in his class, right?

In protest to the perceived injustices against him, True has also refused to attend his other classes, has resigned from his position on Honor Council, and has left his role in the spring faculty theater production, The Bald Soprano.

In a statement about his own character, True says, “I believe that I am an emotionally capable, intellectually gifted, cutting wit, hell of a person. I believe I have experienced more trauma and suffering and pain in my life than many of these, well frankly, middle class white girls at Reed could ever know in their lives.”

[mercuryblues]

1. well look at that

misogyny and racist. Whodda thunk it?

[geek tragedy]

2. The student is black. So, he's misogynist but also . . . off.

In protest to the perceived injustices against him, True has also refused to attend his other classes, has resigned from his position on Honor Council, and has left his role in the spring faculty theater production, The Bald Soprano.

In a statement about his own character, True says, “I believe that I am an emotionally capable, intellectually gifted, cutting wit, hell of a person. I believe I have experienced more trauma and suffering and pain in my life than many of these, well frankly, middle class white girls at Reed could ever know in their lives.”

Note he got bounced for traumatizing rape survivors. No doubt his words in class communicated that to them quite clearly.

[mercuryblues]

35. Wow.

I did not see that coming. Pitiful him. He has it worse than a rape survivor. I just read the link, it wouldn't load for me last night. Reading his writings there is definitely something off about him. Bow to me or you will be punished type of personality. Hmmm. What happens when people don't treat him as he believes he should? Possible ticking time bomb that no one will ever see coming, isolated incident and it is everything but his narrow focus on how women shun him. Same story, new hand on the trigger.

[smirkymonkey]

36. Scary! The kid is a rapist waiting to happen.

If he hasn't already. He certainly justifies it.

[roguevalley]

23. someone has a problem with women. Probably hates his mother too

what a tiny penis guy. He needs someone to kick his cutting wit ass. Intellectually of course. WWAD?

(What would Aristotle do?)

[JI7]

3. what a piece of shit, but there are many who think that type of asshole behavior makes them

free speech heroes. and i' pretty sure he still has sympathy among certain types on here.

[geek tragedy]

4. As I said, many sympathize with an odious misogynist over everyone else

and automatically believed his version of events was the gospel truth.

Confirmation bias.

[ismnotwasm]

5. Yup

[msanthrope]

6. Have you seen my Assange thread? Oh yeah...nt

[JI7]

13. yes and it went exactly as i expected it would

with certain ones when it comes to their "hero".

[msanthrope]

17. He's just another nihilistic, disaffected wanker. nt

[freshwest]

32. And what does that say about the press who promote him...

[msanthrope]

33. I think press who promote him are despicable, because their job

is not to promote anyone. Advocacy journalism is just a polite term used to describe a relationship that has many, more, colorful descriptors. ....

https://m.

[ismnotwasm]

14. That is a badass OP though

[msanthrope]

15. Why, thank you! nt

[Nuclear Unicorn]

43. I fancy myself a free speech kinda girl but I refrained from commenting on the original story.

My reflexive instincts were to defend True but I wanted to see the story evolve more because, while my belief in the primacy of free speech remains I also recognize some people are just assholes.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. But didn't he call himself a "Freedom Feminist"??

[seabeyond]

9. haha... and what would that be? feminist that behaves as he thinks they should? nt

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. I don't know what it is but it sure sounds nice.

Calls to mind Freedom Fries.

[geek tragedy]

29. "Freedom feminist" is like "right to work" nt

[Warpy]

11. Sarah Palin calls herself a feminist.

The term seems to be claimed by a lot of people who don't know what it means.

[daredtowork]

8. I predict he will have his own Reality TV show by the end of the year.

What a narcissist.

[DeadLetterOffice]

10. He is a college kid...

... and therefore in the right age bracket for a first-time manifestation of psychosis -- bipolar or schizophrenia in particular. And his ramblings seems a bit off. Any chance he's experiencing a mental health issue instead of (or in addition to) being a jackass?

[ismnotwasm]

16. Quite possible and an interesting thought

For his sake I hope not, because it's also possible to grow up out of being an asshole. Mental illness is lifelong

[roguevalley]

24. it reads that way, DeadLetterOffice. I flashed on the unibomber reading this

[Panich52]

12. He was on the Honor Counsel?!!

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. Good info. As I said in the last thread, there was probably a better procedure for barring True

I wouldn't pretend to know the procedure for removing a student from a classroom at Reed. These obviously vary. I strongly doubt that it consists of an email from the faculty member to the student, however. Had this gone through something like a Dean of Students office or other third-party channel, we likely wouldn't be discussing it on a message board.

Thanks, in any case, for the update and the follow up. Yes, it gets very hard to maintain an uber-libertarian MRA position on this story when even Reason Magazine itself is backing away with a wince...

[mercuryblues]

34. the prof

only barred him from the classroom. True is free to complete the work, take the final and meet with him for discussions in his office. He would get full credit. He is just not allowed in the classroom to disrupt and tell the women rape isn't so bad, he has it worse.

[alcibiades_mystery]

41. I'm not disputing the decision to remove him, which seems more and more appropriate

and based on disruptive behavior. Indeed, I think the barring was even less severe than you present: he was barreed only from the discussion section, not (apparently) from the lecture portion of the class.

My eyebrow arches more at the process by which he was "barred" from those sections. If the behavior was disruptive enough to warrant banning for the remainder of the semester, it probably should have gone through a third party body (like a Dean of Students office). In no place that I've worked can faculty remove a student for the remainder of a quarter or semester without reporting out. In this case, such reporting would have saved a mess of trouble.

[geek tragedy]

45. my guess would be that the prof didn't want anything going on his record

mission, not accomplished

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. This makes me reconsider my earlier criticism of the college.

Kid seems seriously unhinged and truly disruptive.

I still don't like the hide I got on that thread, though. It was utterly baseless.

[geek tragedy]

25. Didn't see your hide but thanks for your honesty and open mindedness

Too many people dig in their heels.

Cheers.

[Oneironaut]

21. What the heck? That's very odd.

I would guess that this kid thinks he's funny, and that in 5 years, he'll look back with absolute embarrassment at his behavior. I'm not even sure he's an "MRA." I think he just thinks he's performing a type of performance art, or something like that - like a real-life troll.

[salin]

40. an earlier report indicated that on his FB page one of his favorite pastimes was "annoying Reed

students" - imo he was trolling in class. The request/demand to the interviewer (to start the article with the N word) suggests your suggestion per real-life troll. Hopefully he out grows it.

[Kalidurga]

22. I think referring him to a mental health specialist would have been a good idea...

in addition to banning him from the class.

[leanforward]

26. There is mental issue here

Thanks for all the commentary. What's important is, the Professor moved him out. I'll buy a the Professor a cup of coffee and hold the door for every woman in the class. Freedom of speech comes with responsibility.

[bluestateguy]

27. OK, I'm back on the fence on this

I'm all for the right of a student to rock the boat and sail against the grain by questioning assumptions and challenging his classmates and the professor with tough questions.

But in college you are also supposed to be learning how to express your controversial views like an adult. It sounds like he is refusing to do that.

[pansypoo53219]

28. cruz in his teen years.

asshole indeed.

[Vattel]

30. Not surprised.

[cwydro]

37. His comments made me remember

that Eliot Rodger psycho.

[geek tragedy]

38. yup. I would bet members of the class had the same thought nt

[boston bean]

42. That other thread really brought out the weirdos

I'm sorry, but I don't have another word for it..

It was almost to much to read, all the defense of this MRA, putting women once again on the last rung over a males right to say and be a bigoted piece of shit.

It's one thing to respect free speech, but how often it gets left out, that there is another person on the other end who has free speech and rights as well.

[Nye Bevan]

44. Yeah, I'm thinking I may have jumped the gun on this one.

Sounds like this student went way beyond challenging discredited statistics.

[geek tragedy]

46. that's the danger to basing an opinion solely on the representations of an interested party nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

47. There may have been good reasons to kick the guy out that were not apparent in the original post.

Holding a minority opinion isn't one of them.

[geek tragedy]

48. he was not kicked out for having a minority opinion, and no one was claiming

that disagreement over a single statistic was justification for kicking him out.

What was telling was that a few folks thought this obviously unstable dude's self-serving narrative was completely reliable and carried more weight than everyone else in the classroom with him.

[niyad]

49. bookmarking for later. can only handle so much bs at one time.

[hifiguy]

50. I never thought there was enough information on which to base

any conclusions before this. Clearly, the prof was justified in booting him if he was being a disruptive asshole rather than a mere contrarian.

[giftedgirl77]

51. He needs a psych eval & quickly....

There may be more to this than just simplistic assholeness.

[Monk06]

52. It is a stunt to get attention in order to further future career ambitions in the punditsphere.

[alphafemale]

53. Free speech means you can't be jailed.

Does not mean you can puke words without consequence.