Oh, boy, raclut. You have yet to fall in love, then.
Btw, my daughter had St. Paul’s on a short list of schools to apply to, and then in a skype interview the interviewer (a school official, assistant head of something) answered that the school is heavily religious and that chapel attendance is more than just weekly meeting or announcement time. She took it off the list.
The horrific murder of the young girl (allegedly) by the 2 Virginia Tech freshmen has me wondering about the mental states of the suspects. Obviously more information will be forthcoming in that case – but I am back to pondering Owen Labrie.
Anyone want to offer their own guess about his issues? Does Narcissistic Personality Disorder seem to fit (as suggested by a fellow CC armchair psychologist)? What I keep coming back to is how ridiculous it is that in the trial, and in the Newsweek article, he seems completely convinced that no sexual contact took place and he will be able to totally clear his name. Is he lying outright or is he delusional?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder
In my opinion, these two cases do not compare at all. The level of crime in the VT case is much greater in my view.
I don’t think they are comparable either, @soozievt .
My question was about the psychological issue that Labrie has. Is he just an entitled jerk or is there some sort of pathology?
Clearly the Va Tech suspects are in a different category entirely.
The substance of the emails/facebook messages he sent (the prose, etc.) and other things like the wearing of the prep school clothing, etc. make me think its more than being an entitled jerk. Much of the behavior seems strange/delusional to me.
Just catching up. I hadn’t read the Newsweek article before today. A few observations about this “exclusive”:
The author, Vermont photographer and writer Corey Hendrickson, seems to display an unusual amount of empathy towards Labrie in sharing his story. Why? Did he maybe relate a little too much to Labrie’s background? (Here’s the author’s bio: http://www.coreyhendrickson.com/about)
And perhaps some of the important details were removed by an editor, but (and feel free to call me petty) it REALLY bugs me that he uses the term “full scholarship” (which implies virtue) to refer to Labrie’s financial aid award. A full ride and a full scholarship are NOT the same thing. I realize people use the terms interchangeably, but journalists should be more judicious in their word choices.
(As the beneficiary of need-based FA from exclusive schools, I would NEVER refer to these awards as “scholarships.” Nobody respectable brags about receiving FA. Why would Labrie brag about his “scholarships” if not to paint himself sympathetically? And the author plays right into his hand.)
Also, again with the whole trope about him planning to be a “divinity student” at Harvard. What major is that, Comparative Study of Religions? Why not just refer to it as planning to study “religion”? Could it be because “divinity” just comes across as more pious?
The story borders on a puff piece, especially with all those photos of Labrie taken by the author. (Who wears a hat from the university that has rescinded your admission???)
Re his mental status, I think Labrie is, at the minimum, delusional (as evidenced by the Harvard ball cap). I worry that he’s got a more serious disorder like NPD. I don’t see evidence of any remorse whatsoever, aside from his Grand Life Plans having been disrupted.
Also: Here is a link to what I think may be the Town & Country article @GnocchiB was referring to in #1347:
http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/news/a4225/is-boarding-school-a-good-thing/
His wearing the Harvard baseball cap for the photographs he knew were going to be published in this article about him struck me as either being defiant or seeking sympathy. 1. Defiant because it’s as if to say to Harvard, you can rescind my offer but not the fact that I was accepted. He still owns his acceptance. 2. Seeking sympathy because it’s a reminder of how much he has already paid for his mistake in having anything to do the girl (and clearly that would be from his prospective).
I wonder if he was counseled to wear the hat as a form of PR or if he just stupidly decided to do it himself. I know that like those above it’s one of the first things I noticed and thought about, and it made a bad impression. It just seemed weird.
^^ That’s how the the Newsweek story portrays him too, @RenaissanceMom, with regard to St. Paul’s:
I think we can extrapolate from that that he’d do the same with regard to Harvard.
Thanks @LucieTheLakie. I read the article awhile ago, when it was published, and I guess that’s what stuck with me. Makes sense.
And sorry for the typo in my former post…meant to write perspective, not prospective. On CC too much and have got prospective college students on the brain.
Yeah. The SPS sweatshirt, the Harvard cap, and poor Milton Academy has to be dragged into this whole tawdry thing with Labrie wearing their cap in a photo as well. Bizarre all around.
I do think there is some NPD at work here. What always amazes me, having bumped into people with it in my lifetime, is how many folks are drawn to this personality. Heck, we’re seeing it at a national level right now. Some people can see through the bull crap of narcissists but some can’t. Labrie has been good at playing some of these people - some SPS faculty and admins, the Newsweek article writer - but he had his detractors, too, on campus.
The whole “divinity school” thing, the “scholarship student”, the “raised by a single mother”, the building of the “chapel” (he can build a building and call it whatever he wants - these things have all bothered me from the get go.
I think the judge had his number. He’s a very good liar. I don’t get the impression that he has an iota of sympathy for the girl.
Yup, the judge definitely had his number as did the police detectives who weren’t impressed by his college essay he sent them or his talk upon meeting them of his accolades, etc. (both further evidence of delusion/narcissism).
I feel less weirded-out about the st.paul gear bc he actually went to the school and did, in fact, graduate from there. But I agree with LucieTheLakie…what’s strange about wearing the Harvard baseball cap is that his admission was rescinded. Who in their right mind would want to wear something that reminds them of such terrible news? And beyond that, he knew it was his own fault that he was rescinded, even if in his own mind he believes that the sex was consensual. He was with an underage girl, period…full-stop as far as Harvard is concerned. So in wearing that stupid hat, at a minimum, he should be reminded of his own callousness and stupidity. But as you all are saying: it’s probably related to his delusion and/or narcissism that he seems to have no consciousness of how this may come off to others.
For some people, their greatest accomplishment may wind up being that they were accepted to Harvard.
I wonder if there is any chance that he is wearing the Harvard cap out of spite. So that people are reminded that he a was accepted. Sort of bad PR for Harvard.
Update. He’s been violating the terms of his release and, according to what he told a journalist, visiting his girlfriend at Harvard.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new-hampshire/2016/03/14/owen-labrie-accused-violating-curfew-condition-release-could-face-detention/o67G3Y4wHiB6YrS5vbKyRP/story.html
Wow, @jonri. Thanks for posting. Interesting turn of events.
Isn’t one of the other conditions that he have no contact with St. Paul’s alumni? (I recall that one coming into play after he sent the letter soliciting funds for his defense, before the trial).
Was he ever banned from the Harvard campus?
Further evidence of his sense of entitlement and of rules not pertaining to him.
I had read the Vice article when it came out and had thought it strange that he ventured that far from home given his curfews.
How’d you like to be the parents of the girlfriend?!
Here’s another article that came out earlier this month if you haven’t seen it: http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/03/st-pauls-owen-labrie-rape-trial
My worst nightmare. Those texts…
^^^^ Agree. Of all the interesting people the girlfriend is presumably meeting at Harvard and she has to date Labrie, whose charm is way past its expiration date?
This latest turn of events reminds me a little of the kid in the affluenza case - he killed several people driving drunk, got a slap on the wrist and now is doing time for drinking during his probation. A video of him playing beer pong surfaced and he and his mom fled to Mexico.
I wonder if Labrie would have been discovered breaking curfew if he hadn’t chatted with the Vice reporter on the train - sounds like he saw an opening to try to charm a young woman and it went horribly wrong (for him).