President Lovell’s son withdraws from MU after posting racist, sexist remarks

[pbiflyer]

President Lovell’s son withdraws from university after posting racist, sexist remarks on social media

https://marquettewire.org/4034766/news/president-lovells-son-withdraws-from-university-after-posting-racist-sexist-remarks-on-social-media/

Matt Lovell, son of Marquette University President Michael Lovell, has withdrawn from Marquette University after he posted multiple racist and sexist posts to different meme accounts on Instagram.

The posts, which include derogatory statements about women and Black people, were originally published in 2017 and 2018, when Matt was a first-year at Marquette. Some posts have been deleted, while others are still public on one account.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

So sad for so many reasons...

[D'Lo Brown]

"A meme is an image or video with a large piece of text over the imagery that seeks to be humorous. It is often posted to the internet and commonly spread by users."

LOL. Welcome to the era of social media for some, I suppose. The most controversial & the most shock-inducing always draws the most interactions & is therefore pushed ahead of rational content... Which itself is an inducement to be more controversial.

Doubt the kid is a racist (I'm glad to be corrected as I haven't seen the totality of the content). Insensitive. Probably still a student if he weren't the President's kid.

[MU82]

Wow. That's quite a story.

As a parent, this in particular was heartbreaking:

In an interview with the Marquette Wire, Amy Lovell, Matt’s mother and President Lovell’s wife, said that during his first year at Marquette, Matt struggled with finding acceptance among peers and battled depression. His grades suffered and his mood worsened, which led to his withdrawal from Marquette that year, she said. Because of that, Matt found his way online, where he was drawn to and ultimately found acceptance on “toxic and destructive sites.”

“I’m horrified and disgusted that this is where he found acceptance during his darkest time,” Amy said. “But when people are in dark times, they aren’t operating from the lens of who they really are.”

I wonder how often that kind of thing happens at colleges (and high schools and younger) all around the country. Very sad.

I'm on record a zillion times as being big on second chances (and sometimes even third chances). I wish it had worked out so he could have stayed at Marquette, and I hope he finds peace and happiness at another school.

[Hards Alumni]

"A meme is an image or video with a large piece of text over the imagery that seeks to be humorous. It is often posted to the internet and commonly spread by users."

LOL. Welcome to the era of social media for some, I suppose. The most controversial & the most shock-inducing always draws the most interactions & is therefore pushed ahead of rational content... Which itself is an inducement to be more controversial.

Doubt the kid is a racist (I'm glad to be corrected as I haven't seen the totality of the content). Insensitive. Probably still a student if he weren't the President's kid.

Doesn't posting racist and sexist memes make you a racist and a sexist?

[D'Lo Brown]

Doesn't posting racist and sexist memes make you a racist and a sexist?

It's pretty clear from the article that the kid was in a quite dark place & perhaps desperate for attention. I'm sure there were all kinds of bizarre & controversial memes being posted just for shock value.

The internet is filled to the brim with anonymous accounts of angry & lonely people just hopping on to take a swing at the hornet's nest & then sit back to observe the results. If you aren't aware of it, well, that's for the best anyway.

Not excusing the behavior.

[Warriors4ever]

The interview with his mother makes me very sad.
I too believe in second chances and hope he can grow from this experience. As I Hope most teens do.

[cheebs09]

I can’t imagine going to college where your dad is the President is easy. Hopefully a fresh start is what he needs.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I can’t imagine going to college where your dad is the President is easy. Hopefully a fresh start is what he needs.

I have worked for ten college presidents.  Only one of them had a child attend the school when the President was in office, and she transferred in as a junior when the family moved 2,000 miles to take the job.

[Hards Alumni]

It's pretty clear from the article that the kid was in a quite dark place & perhaps desperate for attention. I'm sure there were all kinds of bizarre & controversial memes being posted just for shock value.

The internet is filled to the brim with anonymous accounts of angry & lonely people just hopping on to take a swing at the hornet's nest & then sit back to observe the results. If you aren't aware of it, well, that's for the best anyway.

Not excusing the behavior.

I'm very aware of those places.  I'm not excusing the behavior either, because it is abhorrent... which is why it shouldn't be brushed aside so easily.

Posting something for shock value doesn't diminish the content itself.  Nor does it absolve the poster of being labeled as a racist or sexist.  He is both of those things, ipso facto.

Our society tries to give people a pass on things like this... ESPECIALLY if the person is white.  It's wrong and it's insulting.

[StillAWarrior]

I can’t imagine going to college where your dad is the President is easy. Hopefully a fresh start is what he needs.

My brother is a university president. People (not my brother) have asked my daughter if she's going to go there.  Not gonna happen.

[Jockey]

Doesn't posting racist and sexist memes make you a racist and a sexist?

Well, he did say “The images do not reflect who I am or the values my family lives by”.

Of course they always say that.

Seriously, though, I agree with 82 completely. I am sad that so many young people feel the need to do this and that their lives have led them to it. We need to address why racism is almost always the dark place they seek out.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Being a racist (or not being a racist) is too often seen as a binary choice.  It's more a matter of degree - how much of a racist are you?

[Hards Alumni]

Being a racist (or not being a racist) is too often seen as a binary choice.  It's more a matter of degree - how much of a racist are you?

Typically, anyone brazen enough to post memes on the internet rolls at least a 7 out 10 on the ol' racist-o-meter.

That I just developed now.  Totally scientifically. 

What I wish would happen is what was asked of DeSean Jackson.  Education.  I'm fine with second chances for people who want to earn them.

Edit: a number

[Coleman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-dOO5iHhs

[Coleman]

Being a racist (or not being a racist) is too often seen as a binary choice.  It's more a matter of degree - how much of a racist are you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXnM1uHhsOI

[tower912]

I am more sympathetic to a young person expressing contrition and admitting to being in a bad place when he wrote stupid stuff.    Versus doubling down and playing the victim.      Most of all, I am glad that social media was not around when I was young and dumb. 

[BrewCity83]

The posts, which include derogatory statements about women and Black people, were originally published in 2017 and 2018, when Matt was a first-year at Marquette. Some posts have been deleted, while others are still public on one account.

I'm curious about this term.  Is a "first-year" now the preferred term for what we know as a "Freshman"?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I'm curious about this term.  Is a "first-year" now the preferred term for what we know as a "Freshman"?

Its becoming more popular. High school students have a lot more ability to earn college credit these days which is resulting in students in their first or second semester having enough credits to technically be considered sophomores or even juniors. I know a lot of employees who have started to use "first years" "second years" etc to help clarify what they mean.

[GooooMarquette]

Its becoming more popular. High school students have a lot more ability to earn college credit these days which is resulting in students in their first or second semester having enough credits to technically be considered sophomores or even juniors. I know a lot of employees who have started to use "first years" "second years" etc to help clarify what they mean.

Yep. Both of my daughters had enough AP credits to graduate in three years. One of them chose to do so, while the other decided to take her time. And in both cases, their numerous AP credits allowed them to do two majors and minor.

Back to Matt Lovell, I agree with ‘82. While some things are generally inexcusable, I think it’s worth taking into account the fact that he was 18 years old and struggling with depression bad enough to drop out of school. In a case like that, if he expresses sincere contrition and doesn’t continue his racist or sexist behavior, I think that should be the end of it.

Hell, some full-grown ‘adults’ tweet sexist and racist things every day, never apologize, and never face consequences.

[MU82]

My brother is a university president. People (not my brother) have asked my daughter if she's going to go there.  Not gonna happen.

My mom was a teacher at my high school. Didn’t bother me a bit, and she was a lot more visible on “campus” than a university president is. But yes, everybody handles situations differently.

[vogue65]

Anyone rember SOUTH PACIFIC?

The song, "You have to be taught".

Sorry for bring it up....

[dgies9156]

For many people, period, social media is about as bad a development as you can get. The problem is that you make asinine, ridiculous comments at one or more points in your life that may not reflect who you are. But they're out there and they'll never go away. Many of us have done this to one degree or another and the comments may, in some cases, come back to haunt us.

I hope thew young man gets the second chance Brother MU wished for and I trust his youthful mistakes will not come back to bother him. Heck, African-Americans in Alabama forgave George Wallace in 1982. One can only hope we all follow the same example today.

Morale of the story is something my Mom once said: Once something comes out of your mouth, you can never put it back!

[HouWarrior]

Luckily this young man only withdrew his MU enrollment and he has not been banned from MU Scoop

[HouWarrior]

My brother is a university president. People (not my brother) have asked my daughter if she's going to go there.  Not gonna happen.

Many years ago, shortly after he became MU president, REV. ALBERT J. DIULIO, S.J., visited Houston. A reception of the local MU Club was held in his honor at the home of a couple of MU dentists/brothers.

We all stood around while he sat in a chair (throne-lol) for a Q&A. The first question was ...What attracted you to take this job?...Oddly, he responded..."well of course the free Marquette tuition for his niece and nephew was a great bonus."

This was received by me and others as a rather off putting response. I did not get a good vibe from that guy, at the time...he kind of came off as aloof and arrogant.