A third year law student decided it was appropriate to send an obscene, ranting letter to the entire student body of Yale Law School announcing that he hated “like 90%” of them, and also, in his words (after announcing that he is going to be a writer):
“…fuck you guys, you judgmental, uninformed pricks, patting yourselves on the back on top of your goddamn moral high horses. I realize I am killing my future political career. GOOD. If you’ve read The Republic, you know exactly what my opinion of politicians are. I realize I am burning bridges. EXCELLENT. If I succeed in my passions, I want to make damn sure it is without the help of any of you phony-ass shitdicks. I’ve ALREADY gotten compliments about how inspirational I am, and I haven’t even fucking started yet. That’s the biggest compliment I’ve ever received in my life. It’ll probably take you guys 10-20 years to get that even once, so good luck and keep up the good work!”
His name was included on his post, just to make certain that it keeps him from finding gainful employment with any potential supervisor who doesn’t have a death wish.
A few observations:
- He’s a bigot. Law students and lawyers are no worse than any other kinds of people, in other occupations. He hasn’t met all of them, and I’d be shocked if his prejudice was triggered by the conduct of more than a handful.
- Apparently, based on the scamblogger posts I’ve been reading and this tantrum, some young people are under the mistaken impression indiscriminate vulgarity and incivility is inherently funny, persuasive, and entertaining. Wrong. It is the mark of an undisciplined mind and toxic disrespect for readers.
- He’s unfair. He calls every reader names, knowing that even by his calculations, only 10% deserve them.
- A lot of people desperately wanted that spot at Yale Law School that he has chosen to waste with this self-immolation.
- This is hubris, the dangerous state of mind that fertilizes the ground for all manner of ethical misconduct. A person who writes a letter like this, intentionally voiding norms of decorum and civility for no other reason than to vent his spleen, is by definition untrustworthy. Such a letter has signature significance—no trustworthy individual authors such a word-bomb even once.
- For someone who advises everyone “to just relax a little bit, learn to laugh, stop getting so offended over everything, and stop being so judgmental and hypocritical and hurting other people’s feelings in the process,” the author is shows remarkably little evidence of being capable of doing these things himself.
- He’s not as good a writer as he thinks he is.
- I think there is a good possibility that the letter was s symptom of an impending breakdown, or one in progress. Or that he will conclude it is convenient to claim that was the case at some point in the future, when he finds himself living in a cardboard box or working as a side-show geek.
- At least he didn’t shoot anyone.
- In his defense, it is Yale.
You can read the whole diatribe here.
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Pointer and Source: Above the Law
Ethics Alarms 
I cant believe I’m saying this but:
Typical Yalie. Destroys their career before it even begins.
While a Harvard.. , what the hell is the nick name for someone who goes to Harvard? is there even one? , What ever lets call them…. Damnyankess. So a Damnyankee instead would find a way to make it a very profitable career. See National Lampoon.
Never pondered on it much, but it’s true–Yale grads are called Eli’s, Bulldogs, Yalies…Harvard grads don’t have any polite nicknames.
I dont know why I give you such a hard time about going to Harvard, well except its fun, as my Great Uncle was class of 04.
“legacies” isn’t polite?
Cute. Except 1) “legacies” refers to admittees, not graduates; 2) the term applies to Yale as well as Harvard, and dozens of other schools, and 3) there are no true legacies. Even back when I was admitted, it was not uncommon for a kid whose brothers, uncles, father and great grandfather were all alums to get rejected. Less common if the family gave millions to Old Ivy, of course.
I think “legacies” can apply to graduates as well, and I’ve seen “Yalies” and “Elis” applied to current students.
The other part of it? Well, that was half the joke (the other half was that it wasn’t a negative). I’d say that legacy status floats someone’s name to the top of a pile. Harvard gets many more applicants that meet it’s entry criteria that it has open spots. If we’re two students with identical grades and activities in identical classes at the same school, but you’re a legacy and I’m not, you’re in… and I’m not.
And that’s exactly how I got in, too. My dad was a grad, GI Bill. Without the top of the pile scenario, it would have been a close call, I think.
To be fair to the guy, he is in the second half of 3L. It’s not like he can just give up his spot to someone else who desperately wanted it.
I know. Presumably, such overwhelming hatred didn’t arrive over night, however. If you hate law school, get out of law school, stop making your folks pay for law school, let someone take your slot who doesn’t think everyone there is a “shitdick”…etc.
Only a spoiled rotten brat would go to law school then bitch about being there. I hope the little shit ends up asking people if they want fries with their meal.
That is kind of harsh. Law students like to complain about their life just as much as everybody else.
I understand there is an opening at Appleby’s….
And I was under the impression that these schools tested the applicants for intelligence…. I must have received bad information.
A common misconception about Yale.
Leaving law school is much easier said than done.
I agree that the “shitdicks” comment was uncalled for. His classmates sound well-meaning, if overly politically correct.
Actually, HE sounds like exactly the kind of humorless, hypersensitive, judgmental uber-jerk he’s railing against.
Yeah, he does. Oddly enough, he’s trying to be funny.
Did you read the whole letter? “Shitdicks” was a high point.
There was a high point?
I don’t read this as him hating law school. I read this as him seeing that most (90% – his words) are fake individuals who are so stuck on themselves that it truly becomes apparent and mind-boggling how they end up functioning in life. I truly see his rant as taking him further, as odd as that sounds.
To be the one who stands out from the norm at a major school such as Yale can ultimately make him looked at first. While he will be regarded as having a short fuse, it took him some time to have that fuse lit.
As odd as this will sound, I think he will actually do pretty well for himself in law. I see him being strong and successful because he wanted to be and not because of reliance upon others. It would be interesting to see his future success/fail.
You’ve got to be kidding. I doubt he’d be admitted to any bar after this. I doubt anyone would hire him. He’s unstable, unfair, uncivil, egotistical, and as I already said in this thread, appears to exactly the kind of person he’s accusing others of being. If he stands out from the norm at Yale, it’s because he’s the biggest, most deluded jerk around.
I’d say he shouldn’t be admitted to any bar, but I don’t see this actually holding him back.
It would. It would be raised in the context of good character, and I’ve seen far less ding an applicant. He might slip by, but not before taking a load of crap.
Raised but passed is what I assume… at least from some of the actions of other lawyers who haven’t been disbarred and have been admitted to the bar. I mean, look at Rakofsky.
But even he didn’t do anything like this BEFORE he was admitted.
https://ethicsalarms.com/2011/08/01/ethics-dunce-the-california-state-bar/
https://ethicsalarms.com/2011/09/25/can-a-lying-journalist-be-a-trustworthy-lawyer/
You’re a treasure trove of questionable lawyers being admitted to (and denied entry to) the bar.
I had to laugh at your next-to-last point, Jack. Kinda like “It’s not the worst thing,” no? (I get the irony, and know that you are not being hypocritical, but it’s still funny.)
I think that was the point. It’s a damning with faint praise, like “at least he doesn’t post as much as TGT” or “at least he has some hair”
Hey, don’t knock “indiscriminate vulgarity.” Many people have found their way to my blog when searching for certain profane phrases.
Yes, but that’s discriminate vulgarity.
“discriminate vulgarity”
I think I’m going to have to use that on my Testimonials page.
You’re welcome.
Hey, do we know the letter writing wasn’t being discriminating in his use of vulgarity.?His judgment is clearly so crappy that it’d be hard to tell.
Good point.
That cursing-happy Yale dropout guy needs to be identified on the do-not-allow list (and that list updated worldwide, TODAY) for purchasing any gun. If only that would solve the problem of keeping any and all guns out of his hands, unless/until enough character witnesses came forward to herald his healing. It would be ironic, if a Yale grad lawyer were to be the guy’s life-long personal life-coach/mentor/bailer-outer. The guy is too much like I was when I was his age. I pity him. Oh well, he’d probably pity me, if he knew me now…all I could say is, “Do as I say, not as I did.” (He’d blow me off.)
I did something like this once when I was in high school, though maybe not with the same strength of emotion.
From the fallout I’d learned to be a much, much better person. Might we hope for the same for him?
I’ve written this letter numerous times. The key is to not send it! Just use it to get it all out of your system.
Haven’t we all.