‘Rhodes Scholar’ claimed she grew up poor and abused — then her story started to unravel

New York Post ^ | January 11, 2022 | Jerry Oppenheimer and Isabel Vincent

[Rummyfan]

The email reportedly alleged that Fierceton grew up in St. Louis, Mo., with her mother, an educated radiologist; that her family was upper-middle class; and that she had attended a fancy private high school and enjoyed such high-end hobbies as horseback riding.

What a fraud. But the system encourages such frauds and thus it gets them.

[Rummyfan]

Yes. Since when are scholarships for academic excellence doled out based on sob stories?

The applicants have to show the obstacles they have overcome. To study sociology at Penn?!

[Rummyfan]

Yes and Kristofferson came from the little old Pomona College in California.

[Rummyfan]

“Where I’ve landed is that I have a right to write about my experiences as I experienced them. Period.”

In other words, she's a novelist.

It reminds me of the case of Rigoberta Menchu, Guatemalan writer who was awarded the Nobel for her writings off her struggles growing up in a time of rebellion in Guatemala, and of the hardships she and her family endured. It was later revealed she made it all up and actually came from a very privileged and pampered upbringing.

[Rummyfan]

A story about Kristofferson. He was a qualified helo pilot and after his discharge he was flying commercially. He had written Sunday Morning Coming Down and landed in Johnny Cash's back yard to deliver the song to Cash to see if he would record it.

[Rummyfan]

Rhodes scholar: hand selected DS in training...

DS?

[Rummyfan]

Morrison’s father was an admiral.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

Besides Cecil Rhodes was hardly a saint.

It surprises me that Rhodes hasn't been canceled yet, and all statues removed and buildings with his name changed.

It might be because too many leftists used that prestige to climb up the ladder.

[aumrl]

I always thought Rita Coolidge had it goin on.

[edwinland]

Yup. Again, it fits the zeitgeist. A long time ago people were admired for their achievements. And then you had a lot of people exaggerating or faking achievements (like fake Purple Hearts or even completely faked service) because that was a cheap way of being admired.

Then Horatio Alger came along and people were more admired for their achievements depending on how much adversity they overcame to achieve them. Then you had plenty of politicians for example who exaggerated how poor they were and how much they overcame. Like this girl.

Now adversity or better yet victimhood is admirable in itself and achievements are suspect because they come from privilege. So no surprise we have a generation of people exaggerating their victimhood to win admiration.