Icculus wrote:eyfl wrote:
Most likely the socio-ecomonic group that person is from (and that person himself) is not aware of the LS situation in the nation. Doesn't mean that person deserves what's coming.. If I were to post such status on my fb I'd probably get similar comments, although fewer likes (don't have many friends,
)
When I was getting ready to apply to law school it took me about 5 seconds of googling to find this website and get the info I needed to make a proper decision. That kid has facebook, so he has an internet connection, so he has google. Therefore, if he can't be bothered to do the slightest amount of research he deserves what is coming. If he has deluded himself into thinking he is a special snowflake, he deserves it. It has nothing to do with socio-economic groupings but rather the common sense idea that if you are about to commit three years and tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars you should do some research.
I think there is genuinely still a disconnect between the law school and legal economy reality and what kids and their parents have been told and viewed about law for decades. It's getting better, but as someone who was one of the uninformed until just last year, I can relate to that situation and ignorance.
Prior to mainstream reputable news sources, such as the NYTs (Segal in 2011), doing pieces on the law school transparency problem, many people probably dismissed the online critiques from personal blogs and forums as just most likely the voice of the disgruntled few who did not do so well in law school. It can be difficult to know who to trust when dealing with anonymous online posts. And when those claims stand so radically far apart from what one has been told and perceived all their life, then it may be natural to just think of them as outlandish claims.
Even in my TestMasters course there were some students who I thought were genuinely and grossly uninformed about the law school and legal economy reality. Yet, one would probably expect that a group of TM students would be more likely to be a self-selecting bunch of high-achieving, knowledgeable, and well-informed students. It's not necessarily the case, unfortunately.
I think a compassionate and patient stance ought to be adopted towards people like OP's friend. It may seem like an open secret to many on TLS or in the know about the law school and lawyer crisis, but to those who are on the outside it can be a jolting reality that they need time to hear more and learn about, before finally being able to accept (and it may even take a good deal of time to even think of as plausible).
My plea would be to do what you can to help this friend, while being patient and understanding. Even if the person does not come to accept your point in the end, at least you will have the peace of mind to know that you did what was right and that you tried your best. I know it took me several months before really getting a true picture of what the whole law school and legal economy crisis was all about (anyone can search my past posts from start to end of when I first registered and became a member of TLS last year). It can be a process.
But I can tell people from the bottom of my heart that I am truly thankful for every comment and every bit of time people took to help inform me of the truth. So be brave and do not give up! And never let cynicism rob you of the good-natured spirit and impulse to do what is right and caring! Even in 2013, much work still needs to be done.
