5 ms·

Yes, there is much more to the story. This is going to be one sided, but this is a faq from the plantiffs with plenty of examples of what the dean was doing; fa

• markdog12 4y ago
  Some more interesting context from your link: When the author anonymously interviewed students, he gathered the following responses: • “I totally have [taken things from a store downtown without paying for it]. I think I’ve stolen from Gibson’s twice. I took a packet of those noodles that come in boxes… It wasn’t expensive and I felt like it. I just preferred not paying for it, but I could have.” • A female student admitted that she has stolen many things from Gibson’s Bakery and Ben Franklin’s. “I took a wine bottle. I had a large winter jacket and I put the bottle in the lining and I walked right out.” And, “I took pens from Ben Franklin because individually the pens cost $4 and I thought it was a racket.” • “Probably [I have stolen from downtown] but let me think about it…yeah, no, I do that all the time.” The same student then talked about how they stole a one-hundred-dollar ($100) bottle of wine from Gibson’s Bakery. • “I have stolen from Gibson’s, Kim’s, IGA. I took some dumb stuff. From Gibson’s I took some steak knives for an avocado that I also stole. I was really drunk and that was really bad.” • “I think I’ve taken candy and just small shit from Ben Franklin’s and the Oberlin Market.” • “[I have taken] a few pens from Ben Franklin over the years… they’re hard to resist.” • One said she’s never paid for Chapstick while at Oberlin for four years. • The author: “I myself have stolen from the very people I’ve interviewed for this story. I could have paid for the items easily, but I chose to steal them instead.” This student and/or institutional attitude was supported by the statistics provided from the Oberlin Police Department of thefts at Gibson’s Bakery from January 1, 2011 to November 14, 2016. These statistics show that of the 40 adults arrested for theft during that time period, 33 of those adults (82.5%) were Oberlin College students.
  • rayiner 4y ago
    They should do like Saudi Arabia and cut off their hands.
    • remarkEon 4y ago
      I'm going to be charitable, because I recognize the username since you usually comment with more verbose and thought-out text, and assume you meant to say "They should be thankful that Gibson's doesn't do like Saudi Arabia and cut off their hands".
      • tptacek 4y ago
        I would have thought the same thing, a year ago. It's a low-effort provocation either way, though. The thread has nothing whatsoever to do with Saudi Arabia.
        • rayiner 4y ago
          When someone points out a problem with healthcare in America, others always chime in with “we should have socialized healthcare like Sweden.” This is in the same thing, except the premise is that maybe Saudi Arabia and other Sharia law countries are on to something. The affluent, privileged Oberlin students profiled in the article don’t even feel shame about stealing from local small businesses. That suggests not only something about them, but the moral context they inhabit. And these are our next generation of leaders! What if we have made a mistake and ratcheting down punishments for theft had the effect of weakening social taboos against it? What if the students aren’t the product of something that can be called progress? What if the Saudis are on to something?
          • tptacek 4y ago
            When people make stupid comments in the other ideological direction, I flag them too. This stuff is beneath you --- or, it used to be.