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A friend is a big Harvard alum. He says that most of his classmates are very unhappy with the direction of the university. So in his circle the alumni may be ch

A friend is a big Harvard alum. He says that most of his classmates are very unhappy with the direction of the university. So in his circle the alumni may be cheering this on. Maybe not the extremism but the general idea of telling Harvard that it needs to get back to truth-seeking.

j_maffe 1y ago
[flagged]
- lurk2 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - j_maffe 1y ago
    [flagged]
  - lurk2 1y ago
    Those of you who took the time to flag this completely innocuous comment should take a moment to review the site guidelines as you are abusing the mechanism. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - tomhow 1y ago
      You and others in this thread are using HN for political or ideological battle, which is against the guidelines. It's inevitable in a thread of this nature that people are going to do this, but if you want to herald the guidelines, which we appreciate, we need you to also make a sincere effort to observe them.
      - lurk2 1y ago
        > You and others in this thread are using HN for political or ideological battle You look to be an admin so you can do whatever you want, but I would point out that the only post I made that expressed an opinion is still up [0]. I don’t really have a strong opinion about the issue. I find that I only ever get flagged on HN when I ask clarifying questions on threads like these, presumably because people simply don’t like to be questioned about the claims they are making. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44068235 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44068235
        tomhow 1y ago
        Yes I'm a moderator here. These politics-based threads are the most difficult for us to manage, because, whilst mainstream politics stories are generally considered to be off topic here, if a story contains "significant new information" and the weight of community sentiment supports having a thread about it, we'll yield - which means turning off the flags and flamewar penalties and spending much of the day moderating it. But then too many people treat the presence of a political topic on the front page as an open door to post whatever they want, without any regard for the guidelines at all. Then we have to spend time adjudicating between different people making accusations against other community members about breaking the guidelines, when, really, the entire thread is against the guidelines, so the whole matter is kind of moot. > I only ever get flagged on HN when I ask clarifying questions on threads like these We can't know exactly why people flag things, but it may be because it comes across as stirring up controversy with plausible deniability. It looks like you're trying to bait another user into making a comment that is controversial and could be attacked (or considered to be breaking the guidelines), whilst being seen as being a neutral participant yourself. Of course we can't know your true intention, all we can know is the consequences of this kind of conduct when we see it. So, given that you seem to care about the guidelines, which we appreciate, we ask you to demonstrate a sincere intent to observe them yourself and also to avoid baiting others into breaking them.
delichon 1y ago
Bill Ackman may be the most visible. Billionaire hedge fund manager. He's a Jew who is horrified by the school's tolerance for pro Hamas protests. He was a big Democrat supporter before that, including for Obama, Booker, and Cuomo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ackman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ackman
- jml78 1y ago
  It is just crazy to me…..fuck Hamas but Israel committing genocide should be condemn by our govt, not openly supported.
- skeeter2020 1y ago
  it seems what all of these powerful, big thinkers are actually mad about is a school's tolerance for <anything>, the very thing that graduates of prestigious institutions don't need to like but should understand.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- matthewdgreen 1y ago
  Bill Ackman made his bed with Trump and will now have to deal with the fact that his fate is tied to whatever random whims Trump has over the next 1,340 days. I suppose there is a possibility that on January 21, 2029 this country won't be viciously angry about the past four years, and everyone associated with it. But I wouldn't want to bet on that.
JCattheATM 1y ago
It boggles my mind that anyone with, apparently and allegedly, such a high tier education, would be against the actions Harvard has been taking this year. They are literally just fighting for basic academic freedoms.
- zdragnar 1y ago
  Allowing students to (allegedly) be harassed on the basis of their race is what is under contention, not the broader notion of academic freedom.
  - JCattheATM 1y ago
    That's the excuse being used, sure.
    - GoatInGrey 1y ago
      Harvard really tarnished it's reputation when the president, under oath, said that calls for the genocide of Jews would comply with their code of conduct "depending on the context". The president did end up resigning a year ago, though they have a lot of work to do to come back from that. While what the Trump admin is doing is wrong, Harvard has given them ample cover for their actions. It would be intellectually lazy to assert, even implicitly, that Harvard has no responsibility over the current state of affairs.
      - JCattheATM 1y ago
        They don't, because the Trump admins actions are completely unwarranted, and completely overkill, and in no way can be defended or supported. That Harvard still has work to do is basically an entirely irrelevant point.
      - matthewdgreen 1y ago
        As a person of Jewish descent I am sickened by the way this administration is twisting the definition of antisemitism to mean things that have nothing to do with antisemitism. Antisemitism is real: devaluing it into bullshit is going to lead to the deaths of millions.
homefree 1y ago
Yeah this is also my read, people are horrified by the university behavior and generally supportive of the administration on this stuff. The 'elite' schools are becoming a counter signal it'll be embarrassing to have attended.
- ringeryless 1y ago
  and that last phrase is worthy of chairman mao. anti elitism rapidly turns into anti competence. in which circles would one be embarrassed to have attended Harvard? the notion of foisting your narrow-minded vision of reality on 300 million people is sickening. that is the totalitarianism our forebears fought 2 world wars and a cold war over. your thinking is worthy of stalin ot mao. shame be upon such a sorry excuse for thought
  - homefree 1y ago
    The circle embarrassed by ignorant students screaming for intifada. Mao is a good example because it was similarly ignorant students that drove the cultural revolution and ended up killing millions. There's a line from these Harvard students to the two Jews a "Free Palestine" communist executed this week. You're right that communism is a threat - you're wrong about where the threat lies.
dontdoxurself2 1y ago
The fund-raising email the President of Harvard sent us after the gov pulled federal funding begins: "Dear Alumni and Friends, In recent weeks, thousands of you have sent encouraging messages, asked thoughtful questions, provided candid feedback, and made generous new gifts to the University. Many of you also shared deeply moving stories of how Harvard changed and shaped your lives. Your outpouring of appreciation and support reinforces the importance of our institution and what it represents. Thank you for your commitment to the University and its ideals." It goes in at length, and as the international recipient of a full-ride scholarship you can bet I was happy join in and double my annual gift. Just as trump was able to raise money from his various trials, so to Harvard draws sympathy from this: and while trumps's supporters are many, Harvard's supporters are rich, so it comes out in a wash and is effectively just melodrama to wind us all up with. The Harvard network is wide and varied so while I am sure there are some like your "big Harvard alum" who are cheering attacks on a major source of their own and their country's prestige, but in my circle of conservative alumni friends I have heard exactly the opposite reaction: even those who were still card-carrying Republicans were already apoplectic about the tariff debacle's impact on their net worth so all this petty virtue-signaling against the alma-mater that launched them on their successful careers hasn't done anything to heal the growing rift...
- bilbo0s 1y ago
  Not a single alum I've talked to is happy about what Trump is doing. That said, it's not only the Harvard issue that is giving everyone pause, it's the direction of the Administration in general. In fact, for a lot of them, Harvard is the least of the problems the US will be facing the next 20 years due to this Administration. Europe is moving. China is moving. And neither are moving in the direction we thought they were moving prior to Trump coming into office. My general feel on conservative Harvard/MIT alums is "Buyer's Remorse". A fair sentiment likely shared by most of the nation at this point. I keep hoping that maybe it gets better? At some point, someone, somewhere has to realize the economy, at minimum, has to be brought back in hand. When that happens, maybe we see more movement on these other issues. If it doesn't happen, we'll see movement on new political leadership over the next few election cycles.
  - 1y ago
mrbigbob 1y ago
if there are harvard alum are cheering this on they are morons without a doubt. Trump couldnt care less about truth seeking in the slightest he just wants complete and full control with his delusional backwards thought process. you can want change on something but that doesnt mean that when another individual/goverment comes along theyre going to change something for the better. people were unhappy with bidens handling of israel so they voted for trump and where did that get them?

j_maffe 1y ago

[flagged]

lurk2 1y ago
[flagged]
- j_maffe 1y ago
  [flagged]
- lurk2 1y ago
  Those of you who took the time to flag this completely innocuous comment should take a moment to review the site guidelines as you are abusing the mechanism. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - tomhow 1y ago
    You and others in this thread are using HN for political or ideological battle, which is against the guidelines. It's inevitable in a thread of this nature that people are going to do this, but if you want to herald the guidelines, which we appreciate, we need you to also make a sincere effort to observe them.
    - lurk2 1y ago
      > You and others in this thread are using HN for political or ideological battle You look to be an admin so you can do whatever you want, but I would point out that the only post I made that expressed an opinion is still up [0]. I don’t really have a strong opinion about the issue. I find that I only ever get flagged on HN when I ask clarifying questions on threads like these, presumably because people simply don’t like to be questioned about the claims they are making. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44068235 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44068235
      - tomhow 1y ago
        Yes I'm a moderator here. These politics-based threads are the most difficult for us to manage, because, whilst mainstream politics stories are generally considered to be off topic here, if a story contains "significant new information" and the weight of community sentiment supports having a thread about it, we'll yield - which means turning off the flags and flamewar penalties and spending much of the day moderating it. But then too many people treat the presence of a political topic on the front page as an open door to post whatever they want, without any regard for the guidelines at all. Then we have to spend time adjudicating between different people making accusations against other community members about breaking the guidelines, when, really, the entire thread is against the guidelines, so the whole matter is kind of moot. > I only ever get flagged on HN when I ask clarifying questions on threads like these We can't know exactly why people flag things, but it may be because it comes across as stirring up controversy with plausible deniability. It looks like you're trying to bait another user into making a comment that is controversial and could be attacked (or considered to be breaking the guidelines), whilst being seen as being a neutral participant yourself. Of course we can't know your true intention, all we can know is the consequences of this kind of conduct when we see it. So, given that you seem to care about the guidelines, which we appreciate, we ask you to demonstrate a sincere intent to observe them yourself and also to avoid baiting others into breaking them.

delichon 1y ago

Bill Ackman may be the most visible. Billionaire hedge fund manager. He's a Jew who is horrified by the school's tolerance for pro Hamas protests. He was a big Democrat supporter before that, including for Obama, Booker, and Cuomo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ackman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ackman

jml78 1y ago
It is just crazy to me…..fuck Hamas but Israel committing genocide should be condemn by our govt, not openly supported.
skeeter2020 1y ago
it seems what all of these powerful, big thinkers are actually mad about is a school's tolerance for <anything>, the very thing that graduates of prestigious institutions don't need to like but should understand.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
matthewdgreen 1y ago
Bill Ackman made his bed with Trump and will now have to deal with the fact that his fate is tied to whatever random whims Trump has over the next 1,340 days. I suppose there is a possibility that on January 21, 2029 this country won't be viciously angry about the past four years, and everyone associated with it. But I wouldn't want to bet on that.

JCattheATM 1y ago

It boggles my mind that anyone with, apparently and allegedly, such a high tier education, would be against the actions Harvard has been taking this year. They are literally just fighting for basic academic freedoms.

zdragnar 1y ago
Allowing students to (allegedly) be harassed on the basis of their race is what is under contention, not the broader notion of academic freedom.
- JCattheATM 1y ago
  That's the excuse being used, sure.
  - GoatInGrey 1y ago
    Harvard really tarnished it's reputation when the president, under oath, said that calls for the genocide of Jews would comply with their code of conduct "depending on the context". The president did end up resigning a year ago, though they have a lot of work to do to come back from that. While what the Trump admin is doing is wrong, Harvard has given them ample cover for their actions. It would be intellectually lazy to assert, even implicitly, that Harvard has no responsibility over the current state of affairs.
    - JCattheATM 1y ago
      They don't, because the Trump admins actions are completely unwarranted, and completely overkill, and in no way can be defended or supported. That Harvard still has work to do is basically an entirely irrelevant point.
    - matthewdgreen 1y ago
      As a person of Jewish descent I am sickened by the way this administration is twisting the definition of antisemitism to mean things that have nothing to do with antisemitism. Antisemitism is real: devaluing it into bullshit is going to lead to the deaths of millions.

homefree 1y ago

Yeah this is also my read, people are horrified by the university behavior and generally supportive of the administration on this stuff. The 'elite' schools are becoming a counter signal it'll be embarrassing to have attended.

ringeryless 1y ago
and that last phrase is worthy of chairman mao. anti elitism rapidly turns into anti competence. in which circles would one be embarrassed to have attended Harvard? the notion of foisting your narrow-minded vision of reality on 300 million people is sickening. that is the totalitarianism our forebears fought 2 world wars and a cold war over. your thinking is worthy of stalin ot mao. shame be upon such a sorry excuse for thought
- homefree 1y ago
  The circle embarrassed by ignorant students screaming for intifada. Mao is a good example because it was similarly ignorant students that drove the cultural revolution and ended up killing millions. There's a line from these Harvard students to the two Jews a "Free Palestine" communist executed this week. You're right that communism is a threat - you're wrong about where the threat lies.

dontdoxurself2 1y ago

The fund-raising email the President of Harvard sent us after the gov pulled federal funding begins: "Dear Alumni and Friends, In recent weeks, thousands of you have sent encouraging messages, asked thoughtful questions, provided candid feedback, and made generous new gifts to the University. Many of you also shared deeply moving stories of how Harvard changed and shaped your lives. Your outpouring of appreciation and support reinforces the importance of our institution and what it represents. Thank you for your commitment to the University and its ideals." It goes in at length, and as the international recipient of a full-ride scholarship you can bet I was happy join in and double my annual gift. Just as trump was able to raise money from his various trials, so to Harvard draws sympathy from this: and while trumps's supporters are many, Harvard's supporters are rich, so it comes out in a wash and is effectively just melodrama to wind us all up with. The Harvard network is wide and varied so while I am sure there are some like your "big Harvard alum" who are cheering attacks on a major source of their own and their country's prestige, but in my circle of conservative alumni friends I have heard exactly the opposite reaction: even those who were still card-carrying Republicans were already apoplectic about the tariff debacle's impact on their net worth so all this petty virtue-signaling against the alma-mater that launched them on their successful careers hasn't done anything to heal the growing rift...

bilbo0s 1y ago
Not a single alum I've talked to is happy about what Trump is doing. That said, it's not only the Harvard issue that is giving everyone pause, it's the direction of the Administration in general. In fact, for a lot of them, Harvard is the least of the problems the US will be facing the next 20 years due to this Administration. Europe is moving. China is moving. And neither are moving in the direction we thought they were moving prior to Trump coming into office. My general feel on conservative Harvard/MIT alums is "Buyer's Remorse". A fair sentiment likely shared by most of the nation at this point. I keep hoping that maybe it gets better? At some point, someone, somewhere has to realize the economy, at minimum, has to be brought back in hand. When that happens, maybe we see more movement on these other issues. If it doesn't happen, we'll see movement on new political leadership over the next few election cycles.
- 1y ago

mrbigbob 1y ago

if there are harvard alum are cheering this on they are morons without a doubt. Trump couldnt care less about truth seeking in the slightest he just wants complete and full control with his delusional backwards thought process. you can want change on something but that doesnt mean that when another individual/goverment comes along theyre going to change something for the better. people were unhappy with bidens handling of israel so they voted for trump and where did that get them?