When Princetonians stop being polite and start getting real

Alright, guys, I have something to confess. There's no sense beating around the bush, so I'll just be straight-up about it: I read the Prince sometimes.Wait, okay, hold on, don't look at me that way. Come on, it's really not a bad publication. It's actually quite informative and presents some interesting points of view....Maybe I should qualify that. I usually read the Prince online, and typically only the comments. Because, Jesus, have you seen those things? They're kind of like what I imagine would happen if you shoved 20 of those "that guy from precept" into a room and asked them to argue about abortion. And you gave them lots of Adderall beforehand. And they all had funny names like "mr hat" or "t-bone" or pretended to be "Shirley Tilghman."I mean, don't you guys remember this comment thread after the Prince reported Princeton had admitted 9.79% of applicants last year? Classic. Just absolutely brilliant reading, I'm serious. Leave it to Princeton students to be absolutely enraged over - what else - exclusivity.But hey, don't believe me? Gonna keep on glossing over the comments? Fine, let's look at a few cases.Take for example this story from yesterday's paper, called "From the West Wing to the Wilson School." It's concerning former Bush Chief of Staff Josh Bolten '76's return to Princeton to teach an undergraduate seminar about public policy and the Office of Management and Budget.(For the sake of clarity, Bolten was a deputy chief of staff at the White House after 9/11 and was appointed by President Bush in 2003 to be director of the OMB.)Of course, Princeton students had lots to say about the issue. One insightful commenter responded to Bolten saying he carries the Constitution in his pocket:

Posted by t-bone

Josh Bolten surely has a wealth of insight to provide to future GOP staffers as to the best way to turn our economy into a train wreck. I'm also curious if he updated his pocket constitution by lining through the 4th Ammendment to reflect the Bush administration's illegal spying on US citizen's without a warrant. When is Rumsfeld coming back to Old Nassau to teach a course on the Geneva Conventions? What an embarrassment.

Mr. T-Bone, here, opts for the sarcastic route in order to say, "Hey, Bolten, thanks a lot for the economic crisis, buddy!" He also uses the comment to sound off on Bush's wire-tapping, which isn't quite related to the subject at hand, but is still appreciated, thank you.Yet leave it to a Princeton student to be forceful and direct in his comment. A bright Princeton junior does Mr. T-Bone one better:

Posted by prince '10

go back now u freak. you did this to the economy, idiot.

We can see here so clearly the four years of a Princeton liberal arts education just absolutely crystallized in one firm, declarative statement. Go back, u freak, idiot. Well said, sir.And, after a while, you start noticing a couple types of commenters cropping up. Take, for example, the recent news article announcing the new coed housing option for 2010.First up, we have the ornery alum who's always angry about the darned tootin' Commies changin' Princeton!:

Posted by concerned alum

Please, no. PC has gotten out of control. Fight back, Princeton!!!

Uh oh! Someone's, well, concerned. Please, don't change things from how they were two/forty years ago!And then, of course, there's always the really funny guy who types out a long comment with lots of Princeton stereotypes and exclamation points that, of course, show he's being really!!! sarcastic!!!:

Posted by Princeton Pride

This is PC gone way out of control!!! It's time to bring back the good ol' days of Woodrow Wilson's Princeton, back when white men were in charge of Nassau Hall and the White House!!! There was no need to worry then about girls distracting our boys on campus and them darn minorities and sexual perverts gettin' too uppity!!! Thank God for the good people of groups like the Anscombe Society, exclusive eating clubs, and certain politics professors who keep morals alive and relevant in Princeton!!!

...Only to have it completely misunderstood by some really touchy idiot two posts later -

Posted by @Princeton Pride

fuck off you racist/sexist

You tell 'em, @Princeton Pride! Your ability to capture and process irony in the English language is second only to your dirty mouth.Of course, not everyone's totally interested. Indeed, in this case, user "jas" was offering a bit more than just opinion:

Two gay guys can already room together if they want. This is about guys and girls being able to room together.bisexual,gay,lesbian meet http://www.FindBilover.com

So in case anyone out there's looking to room with a total stranger/bi lover next year in coed housing, please, by all means, jas is looking out for you.Then, one of my personal favorites, the "poster posing as a person who is mentioned in the article responding to other commenter's reactions." It's funnier sometimes because, you think, maybe that's the real person? Which is not the case in a recent article about Cornel West:

Posted by C. West

Yo Princeton Haters, I'm really happy for you. I'mma let you finish. But Cornel West is one of the best rappers/professors of all time. One of the best of all time!

Well-played nonetheless (the Kanye thing still kills me!).I guess, to conclude, and to take a comment slightly out of context, we have the realistic, self-aware, and surprised current student:

Posted by P'11

Wow, these reactions are ridiculous.

I know, right?