Incredible. The most hyped up example of campus PC, endlessly dissected and obsessed over by a tut-tutting media, was based on omissions, sleight-of-hand, and outright lies.
Sorry, let me summarize.
1) A student in an Oberlin journalism course mentions to prof that the cafeteria Banh Mi looks/tastes nothing like authentic Banh Mi, to the frustration of some international students. Prof encourages student to write about it for school paper.
1) A student in an Oberlin journalism course mentions to prof that the cafeteria Banh Mi looks/tastes nothing like authentic Banh Mi, to the frustration of some international students. Prof encourages student to write about it for school paper.
2) Student does, being sure to gather a mix of supportive/dismissive quotes from international students. General consensus is that food services does a poor job with "foreign" food, but it promises to do better. Prof is pleased with student effort/gumption.
3) National media gets wind of story, starting with NYPost. Post strips out all of the dismissive and moderate student quotes and inserts comment about Lena Dunham (who has nothing to do with the story). Fails to interview any students or do any real original reporting.
4) Nor do NYTimes, WaPo, Atlantic, or any other national/international media that cover the story. All emphasize the absurdity of the student complaints which gradually morph into supposed calls for violence, cultural genocide, etc.
5) Oberlin becomes international laughing stock and emblem of all that is wrong with Kids These Days. Prof is left wondering what the hell happened and why the student newspaper holds itself to a higher standard of journalism than the New York Times or Atlantic.
Fin.
Fin.
