| Topic Name: |
Does "Ripley" Accurately Portray Princetonians? |
| Message Name: |
an observation |
| Date Posted: |
01/22/2000 |
| In Reply To: |
Sorry to get too "pop culture" on you guys -- but do you think "The Talented Mr. Ripley" accurately depicts Princetonians? Are they the preppy, smart, but not-genius-smart types seen in the movie? Or is this a completely false stereotype? If it does exist, how does it co-exist with the push towards meritocracy that good schools are embracing? Is there a rift at Princeton between the preppy, but non-ambitious and the ambitious grinds? |
| Message: |
I haven't watched "The Talented Mr. Ripley", but I will share what I have observed about the general Princeton population.
The stereotype that Princetonians are largely preppy smart kids is to an extent true, but it has definitely been blown out of proportion (as have been many stereotypes and rumors).
The problem is, the image that Princeton presents to the world, the one you mention in your post, is self-perpetuating because students who seek that kind of environment will naturally be inclined to attend, while those who find this stereotype disagreeable, whether they discover for themselves if it's true or not, aren't too excited about coming here.
Princeton's undergraduate population is definitely more homogeneous than other comparable schools. That's the bottom line. But I don't feel that this takes away from the diversity of experience you can have here. Also, I do see a rift between the ambitious and non-ambitious, but I'm sure that is a phenomenon that can be observed at ANY school. And as for geniuses, there are plenty here. Believe me, I've been humbled beyond words since coming here.
I'm sure you will find plenty of Mr. Ripley's here, but I'm sure you will find plenty of Mr. Ripley's anywhere. It's just that Princeton has been tagged with that stereotype, just as any other school might be tagged with a certain stereotype. I've met plenty of preppy, smart but not-genius people from other schools. So take these stereotypes with a grain of salt because in the end they are just stereotypes.
|
|
