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Cambridge Uni Students Burn Money in Front of Homeless Person

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Bit late to the party but it always interests me how stories like this focus on vilifying the individual with no mention of the underlying problem. Yes, he did an absolutely **** thing but instead of giving him national press and humiliating him for the fun of it why not highlight the growing problem of homelessness? Why not do pieces on charities such as shelter and the salvation army and encourage people to donate? The cynic in me says because it wouldn't get the same amount of clicks, shares and like.

My friend made some excellent points on this too.
Cambridge is a pretty affluent place as well, it would be very easy to burn through the money by spending it on things people don't really need; a round of drinks, half a jack Wills Scarf, a giant Mollie Coookie... advertising, branding, especially clothing creates value from wanting to parade around with or using something that other people don't have.
We all burn money in front of someone in that sense
Reply 241
Avatar for a^n
a^n
5
Overheard at a table of "rugger bugger" types yesterday in Churchill College, after they had toasted "Sir Winston":

"What do we think of Ronald Coyne?"

"SOUND!"

There's a problem at Cambridge with more than just one guy.
Original post by a^n
Overheard at a table of "rugger bugger" types yesterday in Churchill College, after they had toasted "Sir Winston":

"What do we think of Ronald Coyne?"

"SOUND!"

There's a problem at Cambridge with more than just one guy.

Are people really like that there?
Reply 243
Avatar for a^n
a^n
5
Original post by A Slice of Pi
Are people really like that there?

Some are, yes. Most at Churchill aren't. Please don't think I am tarring all Churchill students with the same brush.

A lot of the "usual" braying Tory types who so enjoy toasting Winston Churchill were present for the pro-Ronald Coyne toast. As far as I could tell, they all took part in the shouting of "Sound!" and not a single one of them demurred.
Original post by A Slice of Pi
Are people really like that there?


There's "people like that" everywhere - including other universities.

That doesn't mean all, or anything like a significant minority, are like that.
Original post by Reality Check
Why? Why doesn't attending a top pubic school automatically mean that he should suddenly 'know better'. As if the monied background suddenly makes the idiocy of youth sometimes vanish like the morning mist? Logically speaking, leading a life full of privilege would mean it's less reasonable to expect him to know better, because he's less likely to have been exposed to any sort of privation or disadvantage.


True.

Original post by Reality Check
The guy is a total idiot. I don't think the mother is helping very much, either. She's come up with 'oh, he'd was never that kind of person..so kind...would never do something like that, it's not in his nature" type spiel. Well, lady, in my opinion you don't suddenly decide one day to humiliate those most deprived and vulnerable in society because you thought it'd be a jolly jape - it's something deep in your character which results in *****y behaviour like this. The mother clearly doesn't know the son very well.


There's peer group pressure that makes people do dumb things just to fit in. The top unis can be a pressure cooker of conformity. If you didn't go to grammar /selective schl, or come from a rich family you don't fit in. And if you find a crew to hang out with, you're unlikely to say no to the stupid stuff everyone wants you to do.

Peer group pressure, and hazing exerts a powerful influence. The top French unis have it -- its called le buzutage. Its easy to blame the victim of this, instead of going after the perpetrators.

Original post by Reality Check
However, it's a shame this is another weapon in the class war that is Town v. Gown, Uni v. non-Uni, South v. North, Poor v. Rich et... The Daily Mail is going to dine out on it, but the story could have been custom written for them. It's a gift. He'll be hounded down (his family and friends) publicly flogged and humiliated and then hung out to dry. That's how we do things, and I don't think in this case it's entirely unwarranted. I just hope that it doesn't result in even more ferociously bright potential Cambridge students from disadvantaged backgrounds being further put off from applying because, it seems, it really "isn't for them".


It will put off disadvantaged students from going to Cambridge because they either conform and get kicked out doing the very things the rich do (and get away with), or refuse and spend 3 years of uni alone and ostracised by the rich kids.

I don't agree what the dude's done, but I feel sorry for him.

I think it's easy to sit in judgement and demand the worst punishment on him like a baying mob, while the rich kids who set this up get away with it.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by a^n
Some are, yes. Most at Churchill aren't. Please don't think I am tarring all Churchill students with the same brush.

A lot of the "usual" braying Tory types who so enjoy toasting Winston Churchill were present for the pro-Ronald Coyne toast. As far as I could tell, they all took part in the shouting of "Sound!" and not a single one of them demurred.


They sound very political, so I can't help but wonder what subjects they're studying.
Original post by ThePricklyOne
It will put off disadvantaged students from going to Cambridge because they either conform and get kicked out doing the very things the rich do (and get away with), or refuse and spend 3 years of uni alone and ostracised by the rich kids.


This bit is rubbish.

Edit to add: the majority of Cambridge students are not "rich kids", and neither are they ostracised.

Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ForestCat
Bit late to the party but it always interests me how stories like this focus on vilifying the individual with no mention of the underlying problem. Yes, he did an absolutely **** thing but instead of giving him national press and humiliating him for the fun of it why not highlight the growing problem of homelessness? Why not do pieces on charities such as shelter and the salvation army and encourage people to donate? The cynic in me says because it wouldn't get the same amount of clicks, shares and like.


I think its because deep down, people who enjoy the suffering of others especially if a person messes up in such a way that allows them to unleash their vilification without reserve.

Remind me of the book 1984 where the rigidly controlled masses are occasionally encouraged to let rip at a chosen target during 'Hate Week' by the totalitarian regime.
Original post by a^n
Overheard at a table of "rugger bugger" types yesterday in Churchill College, after they had toasted "Sir Winston":

"What do we think of Ronald Coyne?"

"SOUND!"

There's a problem at Cambridge with more than just one guy.


I think you could anecdotally replaced 'Cambridge' here with Oxford, Bristol, Durham, Exeter, Nottingham.
Original post by ThePricklyOne
I think its because deep down, people who enjoy the suffering of others especially if a person messes up in such a way that allows them to unleash their vilification without reserve.

Remind me of the book 1984 where the rigidly controlled masses are occasionally encouraged to let rip at a chosen target during 'Hate Week' by the totalitarian regime.


You just described TSR and social media in general.
Original post by 999tigger
You just described TSR and social media in general.


That's right. That's why I have reservations about joining in with the baying mob to condemn that student.

TSR allows nasty people to hide behind their anonymity to regularly troll, bully and threaten other people. Unfortunately, some of the mods are part of the problem by either participating the trolling or failing to take action against trolls. Possibly because controversy keeps people posting and this keeps the forum popular?
Original post by a^n
Overheard at a table of "rugger bugger" types yesterday in Churchill College, after they had toasted "Sir Winston":

"What do we think of Ronald Coyne?"

"SOUND!"

There's a problem at Cambridge with more than just one guy.


As compelling an analysis of Cambridge's social make-up as this very scientific survey of people who happened to be within your earshot yesterday provides, it sounds pretty likely to me that they weren't serious.

Original post by A Slice of Pi
Are people really like that there?


No.
Original post by ThePricklyOne
That's right. That's why I have reservations about joining in with the baying mob to condemn that student.

TSR allows nasty people to hide behind their anonymity to regularly troll, bully and threaten other people. Unfortunately, some of the mods are part of the problem by either participating the trolling or failing to take action against trolls. Possibly because controversy keeps people posting and this keeps the forum popular?


Perhaps they are constantly removing offensive threads and you dont see the speed at which they reappear.

Its pretty easy to condemn the student. His actions speak for themselves.
Original post by 999tigger
Perhaps they are constantly removing offensive threads and you dont see the speed at which they reappear.

Its pretty easy to condemn the student. His actions speak for themselves.


Some offensive threads don't get removed for a long time. Like the numerous far right and women hating threads, for example..

This is my response to so on post 258:

" There's peer group pressure that makes people do dumb things just to fit in. The top unis can be a pressure cooker of conformity. If you didn't go to grammar /selective schl, or come from a rich family you don't fit in. And if you find a crew to hang out with, you're unlikely to say no to the stupid stuff everyone wants you to do.

Peer group pressure, and hazing exerts a powerful influence. The top French unis have it -- its called le buzutage. Its easy to blame the victim of this, instead of going after the perpetrators.


It will put off disadvantaged students from going to Cambridge because they either conform and get kicked out doing the very things the rich do (and get away with), or refuse and spend 3 years of uni alone and ostracised by the rich kids.

I don't agree what the dude's done, but I feel sorry for him.

I think it's easy to sit in judgement and demand the worst punishment on him like a baying mob, while the rich kids who set this up get away with it."
Original post by Mathemagicien
No offense to the mods, I'm sure this isn't their fault but the fault of having a huge workload, but whenever I report something, it takes between 4-12 hours usually for it to be processed by the mods. And whenever one of my threads is put "under review", again it takes hours and sometimes days.


Original post by ThePricklyOne
Some offensive threads don't get removed for a long time. Like the numerous far right and women hating threads, for example..


If you see something offensive please report it.

But please keep discussion of moderation to the TSR Feedback or AskTheCT thread.

Thanks :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by jneill
That's a different issue to the libel case.

It isn't. She is claiming that had she not been libelled she would have been able to make loads of money because of the publicity she'd get as FLOTUS.
Original post by TimmonaPortella
As compelling an analysis of Cambridge's social make-up as this very scientific survey of people who happened to be within your earshot yesterday provides, it sounds pretty likely to me that they weren't serious.



No.

Well make up your mind - are they non-existent or non-serious? They can't be both, What they are is disgusting types who should not hold places at a public university.
Original post by TimmonaPortella
As compelling an analysis of Cambridge's social make-up as this very scientific survey of people who happened to be within your earshot yesterday provides, it sounds pretty likely to me that they weren't serious.

The poster was simply sharing one of their experiences - there's nothing wrong with that, and that's why these threads exist! Clearly, it is not intended as a "very scientific survey of people" at Cambridge, and certainly did not make a generalisation of people there. Although, inevitably there will be a minority of people out there thinking the actions of the student were "sound", at Cambridge and elsewhere...
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ThePricklyOne
It will put off disadvantaged students from going to Cambridge because they either conform and get kicked out doing the very things the rich do (and get away with), or refuse and spend 3 years of uni alone and ostracised by the rich kids.


This is just completely untrue though. Are you at Oxbridge? The majority of students are state-educated. Of the privately educated, the majority are normal, nice people.

In my college you'd get called out for being a conservative supporter. If there was any pressure, it was pressure to not reveal you were a rich tory.

I'm also confused by why you're making excuses for this guy - is there evidence this was part of a 'hazing' or that he was pressured into it?

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