Law School Drama

Disclaimer: If you are reading this post to get the latest scoop on the drama around the law school, you are looking in the wrong place.

This is a really basic question that I guess has always bothered me a little... but I guess I had never thought about it too much: what's the deal with all the fucking drama at the Law School?

High school was one thing... you get people hooking up and inevitably everyone finding out, people having parties and getting busted by parents, throwing eggs at houses and people finding out... I don't know, maybe some of that is junior high but you get the point. But it makes sense in high school. You are young, many times inexperienced, and are just learning the ropes. Often times it is an awkward phase and you have insecurities that are best hidden by immersing yourself in conversation about 'who did what and who got upset and who got in trouble.' I wasn't (or I tell myself I wasn't) a huge part of it... but I get it. I did then, and I do now.

College was the first time I felt like I was around a lot of people that really couldn't give a shit about who did what... and it was great. There were a few exceptions... sometimes I found myself caught up in girl trouble or had a friend mad at me... but 99.9% of the time it was easy living. People start to learn the game. Every time a girl goes home with a guy, it's not 'OMG, guess who she hooked up with!' It's more like, 'I don't care, why are you telling me this?' Guys figure out that girls they go home with probably don't want to date them... and vice versa. It takes a while to get over the 'we made out so we are officially dating' thing... some take longer than others, but by 3rd year, everyone knows the game.

If someone gets in trouble, goes to jail, fails a test, whatever.... it's just not that big of a deal. In undergrad, it seemed like if it didn't concern you, you didn't concern yourself with it. You really didn't have time, because you were too busy enjoying life to immerse yourself in everyone else's bullshit. At some point I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is it. This is what it's like to not have to deal with people being upset with me for no reason, people gossiping constantly, people expecting me to take sides against other people.'

Then I got to law school. I wouldn't go so far as to say it has been a nonstop parade of a bad soap opera, but sometimes I think it bears resemblance.

To start, I will say my original section (2) was overall pretty good the first year. Unless I really missed something, for the most part it was smooth sailing. I enjoyed that. But at some point around the first break shit just hit the fan. People bitching about other people holding outlines, buddying up with professors, name calling... it was brutally reminiscent of high school.

Since then, it has really ratcheted up. I don't really need to repeat all instances of drama I have heard... because everyone knows everybody's business, so you've probably heard it before. If you are even remotely connected around school, you have more than likely heard a negative thing said about 2/3 of the people at school here for one reason or another.

Why have we reverted back to our high school days? I guess by writing this piece I may be the pot calling the kettle black, but EVERYONE thinks that they are above it. If you continually find yourself in the middle of drama, though, it might be time to reevaluate where yourself. I can't remember how many times people have told me 'Oh, I hate drama so much... why am I always caught up in it?' Meanwhile, I'm thinking, 'Why are you telling me this? You live for this. This is actually why God put you on this earth... to stick your nose in other people's business and then act like you are a victim of circumstance.'

The same people gravitate to drama time and again. Everyone knows who these people are, except the people themselves. (In fact, if I am one of these people, and you consider yourself a friend, please tell me.)

On second thought… you have to know. How could you not? There might be some readers who will be offended just because they know they fit the profile. If so… don’t get offended, just next time you feel yourself about to spread a rumor, just shut the fuck up instead. You will be a more peaceful person.

Most of us are in our mid-to-upper-20's. It's embarrassing to write about this because the concept of adults in an academic setting bitching and gossiping about every little thing that goes on is ridiculous. This would be golden material in a high school newspaper… the fact that it is still very relevant at our age is sickening. I wonder if other law schools deal with the same garbage that goes on here. I have friends in other grad schools that get along fine for the most part.... maybe we spend so much time working and studying together that we occupy our little bit of down time discussing what's going on with other people. I guess I can dig that...talking about people can be interesting, and constructive, but only if you can do it without gossiping.

I don't know, maybe I am making this a bigger deal than it is... which I guess would be kind of ironic in a post like this. But I don't think I'm alone when I say that it's starting to get old. Maybe the break will give us all a chance to get a clean slate.