Why are people so weirdly mean and competitive on this forum in particular ?

[Anonymous]

I think the PP who thinks a lot of it is young men who are trolling is onto something. A million years ago I remember frequenting message boards as I was applying to and getting into law school, and often the comments on here are very similar to the ones I used to read there, and that was the demo. I also met plenty of those guys in person when I was in law school! There is a specific type of young man (and yes, they were universally men) who are hyper-competitive about this stuff and don't really even understand the concept of tact or empathy. For them, making the other person feel inferior is the entire point because it makes them feel superior.

But I also think a lot of parents post on here out of fear. It's different than insecurity. It's not that they don't think their kid is worthwhile, it's that we live in tumultuous times and the old playbook for ensuring your child's future stability and happiness is being rewritten. People are clinging to what they thought they knew about everything before -- what's a "good" school, what are promising numbers, who "deserves" to do well, etc. They are scared for their kids and channeling that fear in an unproductive way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it’s really alarming to me. What do you get from berating a family or young adult and their choices, etc? It’s awful.

Welcome to DC, OP. Honestly, I think it is how people think in this area - other people are seen as "competition". It is rather sick and sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The most truthful answer is that males ages 17-23 have discovered this specific forum on DCUM (by doing internet searches of certain college names. )

They’re the same juvenile, cocky, hubris-filled jerks you see populating College Confidential and Reddit. The language and ad hominem attacks are identical and easy to identify.

It’s all about killing the competition and swinging your little d around to show strength.

Totally agree that this forum has at least one troll that keeps creating worthless ranking threads. They are worthless because any educated person knows where to find rankings and doesn’t need a troll debating the merits. What insights or qualifications does the troll offer that’s better than the experts who created the ranking? If you don’t agree with a particular organization’s ranking methodology, find another or use the ranking organization’s “find the right school for you,” calculator that allows you to select and weight your own criteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

This. But the toddler forum is terribly competitive too!

[Anonymous]

It’s an outlet for their anger and rage? By the way I think Jeff does a pretty good job of keeping it at least somewhat toned down. You can’t take every word seriously here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

No.

I mean look at the craziness of anti-Asian and anti-intellectual sentiment exhibit from liberals for TJ reform.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

Liberals through out history have never been anti-intellectual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

Yes, it is a liberal thing. Witness the need to eliminate intellectual differentiation in high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

No.

I mean look at the craziness of anti-Asian and anti-intellectual sentiment exhibit from liberals for TJ reform.

I don’t know the specifics at TJ but liberals are absolutely not anti-intellectual. Look at colleges, even in the Deep South, and you’ll find liberal enclaves. This is true throughout the history of civilization and in every country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

I thought it was a liberal thing, no?

Yes, it is a liberal thing. Witness the need to eliminate intellectual differentiation in high schools.

You are completely wrong. It’s a well know fact proven through history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s caused by disappointment in their kids and maybe themselves. It causes a lot of scapegoating and ill-will toward those who succeeded in getting into the coveted schools.

There is also an anti-intellectual movement among the right-wing conservatives which causes them to troll here even if they don’t have college-aged kids.

This. But the toddler forum is terribly competitive too!

True. Parents start to see in toddlerhood that their child isn’t a genius and other kids are ahead.

[Anonymous]

Agree, OP. Even when someone starts a post that steers towards the positive there are always mean posts. Check for example the “where have kids already been admitted thread”. People post congratulations messages to admitted kids and someone always to manage to rain on their parade, so to speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The most truthful answer is that males ages 17-23 have discovered this specific forum on DCUM (by doing internet searches of certain college names. )

They’re the same juvenile, cocky, hubris-filled jerks you see populating College Confidential and Reddit. The language and ad hominem attacks are identical and easy to identify.

It’s all about killing the competition and swinging your little d around to show strength.

+1. The immaturity of their responses is evident.

I also agree with the PP about the ranking poster. That level of obsession with ranking (as if 10 vs 20 matters in some particular major, or the really dumb "feeder" mentality) demonstrates a lack of understanding of post-graduate success in the US and unfortunately may mislead both the teens and less-experienced (or possibly immigrant) parents who come here seeking info.