“You break it, you bought it.” That’s a sign displayed in some stores that feature fragile merchandise.
“You reap what you sow,” meanwhile, is an old proverb that means “you eventually have to face up to the consequences of your actions.”
You take your blue-collar beer brand and do an advertising tie-in with a flamboyant transgender star, and your sales fall through the floor. That’s not a saying -- that’s what happened to Bud Light.
Harvard University is finding out the hard way that actions (and inactions) have consequences as early admissions applications plummeted 17 percent this autumn in the wake of the antisemitism controversy roiling the Ivy League campus.
Harvard's Early Admissions applications for the incoming class of 2028 just fell 17% - from 9,553 last year down to 7,921.
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) December 16, 2023
Their acceptance rate increased from 7.56% to 8.74%. pic.twitter.com/8x0GD4p23M
To be fair, the numbers aren’t huge -- 7,921 high school seniors sought early admission this year, compared to 9,553 in 2022 -- but it’s important to note that the application deadline was November 1. That was after Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks on Israel, but before university president Claudine Gay made a fool of herself in front of Congress by refusing to forcefully condemn the virulent antisemitism running free on her campus.
Not only that, she since somehow survived a plagiarism scandal that would have resulted in most university heads being shown the door. But not Harvard – they seem to be intent on destroying their august legacy as quickly as they can. Like the New York Times, they seem to no longer care about their reputation and would rather pray to the woke gods than provide a sober, intellectually stimulating education.
Harvard has been home to numerous examples of antisemitism and support for the Hamas terror attacks since October 7. The day after the assaults, which killed at least 1,200 Israelis, Palestinian affinity groups released a statement blaming Israel for the carnage.
Outraged donors expressed their anger with their pocketbooks:
Israeli Billionaire Quits Harvard Board Over Student Statement That Blamed Israel for Hamas Attacks
Meanwhile pro-Israel students have been harassed:
Harvard Student Surrounded by Pro-Palestinian Mob in Latest Campus Madness
Retired college counselor Bob Sweeney said the antisemitism at Harvard may have contributed to the decline in applications at the school. “That’s possibly one of several reasons, about the concern of safety on the campus.”
Despite the fact that they've been so thoroughly exposed, Harvard isn't necessarily going to pay a huge price. Plenty of students will still apply, and despite the departure of some major donors, they've still got an estimated $53 billion endowment. This isn't going to kill Harvard, but it may have some consequences and force them to rethink some things.
As we saw with Bud Light, actions can have consequences, and people do vote with their wallets and their feet. I know of several parents who used to dream that their kids would get into Ivy League schools but are now leery of the idea of spending $80,000-90,000 a year just to get their offspring brainwashed.
A 17 percent drop in early admissions applications is nothing to sneeze at and may indicate that people are waking up to the fact that many universities have turned into progressive cults rather than educational institutions.
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