Reply to Oberlin defamation suit and verdict : not a good optic

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Oberlin College includes a world-class conservatory. The idea that Oberlin is all SJW just doesn’t pass the smell tes.  Its conservatory students go on to place in most famous orchestras in the country.  I just can’t imagine every one of them breathing fire.[/quote]

Conservatory students tend to exist in isolation from the rest of the university. [b]I can't speak for Oberlin but that has been my experience elsewhere.[/b]

The defamation suit is both bad news for Oberlin and good news for common sense. The Oberlin dean quoted should lose her position over this. But she likely won't. There's no sense of responsibility nor honor in higher education these days. It's all pandering to special interest groups and babying the SJWs. [/quote]

I think you are just regurgitating on here what you read in right-wing media. It can’t be from your experience. Oberlin is one of few colleges with a conservatory. There aren’t many colleges or universities you could have experienced similar demographics. [/quote]

Granted, my kid wants a music community in college. So, that has informed his looking. But, he’s likely applying to Rochester (Eastman), CWRU (Cleveland Institute) and Oberlin, with excellent conservatories.  Northwestern has a great one. They aren’t rare.

I believe Oberlin has either a 1/3 or 1/4 of its student body at the conservatory. And a decent number of kids who dual enroll. And they share a campus, unlike at Rochester.

I think the Washington Post makes a good point that Oberlin and Lorrain have town and gown issues. The town is much more conservative than the college, and people who have loved there their who love and are conservative resent all the liberal kids— many of them more affluent and on their way to being more educated than the business owners, taking over the small town.   Oberlin has started Community Relations training the students. Which they should.

But flip in on its head. This bakery makes a lot of its income selling baked goods to Oberlin. And Oberlin is financially supporting most of the downtown.  It’s pretty much the only game in town, financially.   I’m not sure how much an $11 million judgment by conservative town members helps the community in the long term. The college would like to source locally. It’s part of their thing. But, if pushed, I’m sure they will find another bakery to use.

[b]Both sides need to take a beat here and consider the role they played in a shoplifting getting so far out of hand. [/b] It seems like the college is implementing programs. As they should.  But, how much should the town stick it to the libs when they dependent on the libs to get bills paid? Maybe the town has a role to play in patching up town and gown relations too. [/quote]
Exactly what role did the bakery place in "the shoplifting getting so far out of hand"???? Oberlin students broke the law and faced the consequences that one faces for breaking the law. Should the bakery just let kids buy alcohol even if they know they're not of age? Should they just stand their if people are stealing stuff from their establishment?

Exactly [/quote]

No. And No. but that isn’t why Oberlin was sued.  They aren’t responsible for college kids being college kids. They also weren’t sued because of the fight outside.  Three kids were arrested for that, charged and plead guilty.

So, re-read the article. Why was Oberlin sued?  Because the kids protested the arrests and the college got dragged into it.  The protests. Not the shoplifting.  That’s where the town and gown relations broke down. And if you think Oberlin or it’s students will ever spend a penny in that shop again, you are wrong. And before, Oberlin placed regular orders for the cafeteria.  No— the bakery doesn’t have to accommodate what they perceive to be SJW overreaction. But they should, if their customers are SJWs.

There seem to be a lot of details left out. But it’s seems hard to believe this stands on appeal.  Calling someone racist isn’t defamation, because it’s an opinion.  And it isn’t tortious interference with business relations. If you have a right not to bake my gay wedding cake, I have a right not to buy my wedding cake from you, because I disagree with your values.

As for both sides— for town gown relations to get this bad, yep, it is highly like.y both sides played a role. [/quote]

Where is the evidence that the town played a role in this? I'm waiting for people to tell me what the town did that was wrong and contributed to the PR disaster for Oberlin.

Or am I only seeing someone trying to help Oberlin save face by deflecting as much of the blame to the town? You know, the town isn't a single entity. A town constitutes of many people and institutions and businesses. What I read from your messages is that if Oberlin kids and administration were protesting, then the town must have done something wrong (when in fact the "town" had not done anything wrong in this particular case). [/quote]

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