<p>From my perspective as a recent alum and as a current member of the Oberlin community, I would say that it’s a gross overstatement to say that “hateful, ignorant incidents like this happen all the time on this campus.” Honestly, I can’t think of a similar incident. In fact, Oberlin is the most hyper-aware and tolerance-focused place I have ever been, which is well-illustrated by the furor that an isolated incident of graffiti can cause. </p>
<p>While I appreciate Obiegirl’s anger over unacceptable behavior, and I sympathize with her desire to disabuse prospective students of the idea that Oberlin is a perfect utopia of tolerance and harmony, as someone who spends a lot of time talking to prospective students about the differences between Oberlin and other schools, and as someone who possibly has a bit more perspective on how things might be like in other places, I don’t find it helpful or even remotely accurate to paint a picture of Oberlin as a hotbed of intolerance and apathy, because I believe that nothing could be further from the truth.</p>