<p>I'm posting this on the Yale board. It could be on many others just as well, but this is as good as any.</p>
<p>I am writing this for those who are affirming Yale, but I'd be happy to hear from those who work hard affirming other insitutions with such passion, whether it is another Ivy Leave or another place. We all know the list of those who are most passionate. They may be criticized as trolls but they seem to really believe in what they are doing. They are crucial to keeping CC thriving.</p>
<p>I am curious: what motivates you defenders of Yale (or wherever)? Why do you feel Yale (etc.) needs help against rivals? What do you feel is at stake for you personally or for the institution you defend?</p>
<p>I find the boosterism on CC something I don't fully fathom. As someone who has mixed experiences at some of these insitutions it's hard for me to find much personal love for them (though I have respect).</p>
<p>I think that trolls breed other trolls. Once you have the likes of Byerly, f.scottie, ske293 etc etc, going around other boards, each forms its own troll to fight back. It's all about escalation.</p>
<p>I didn't mean to put PosterX out on a limb. But I am not a very expert editor, so I wasn't able to change the title of the thread. I actually began it with a question for PosterX and then decided it was valid for lots of others.</p>
<p>I was thinking of PosterX in part because he strikes me as someone who would be less defensive being asked this question than some of the others.</p>
<p>Sanguine, I agree with you that the various school champions inspire each other (though it sometimes looks more like a battle). But why think of them as trolls? I am curious what makes them willing to take so much time to do the work they are doing. </p>
<p>So I invite you and others to respond and let's see what people have to say.</p>
<p>I'm responsible for a few dozen posts but I wouldn't call that "working so hard". I don't spend more than a hour a week at most and I probably would've wasted that time anyway. I'm also gone from the site for months when I'm busy with other stuff.</p>
<p>First and foremost, it does give some satisfaction to rebut outrageous misinformation disseminated on this board. For example, look at the thread "Why do so many freaking people apply here", which claims that Yale Law School has a 90% yield while Harvard Law School has a 60% yield. Patently false. The true numbers are 77% and 69%. I think it's worth bringing that kind of information to the attention of other people. </p>
<p>I've provided statistics to rebut the claims that Harvard is not as good in science as some other schools (actually, it has the strongest scientific research program in the world by most objective criteria), that Harvard lags behind Yale in producing political leaders (actually, it has produced more leaders in all 3 branches of the government than any other school, more Senators, more Supreme Court judges, and more Presidents), and so on and so on. I think that the information I've provided is accurate and potentially useful to people, even if I am not completely free of a bias. </p>
<p>So in that sense, I don't appreciate mr_sanguine calling me a "troll".</p>
<p>"As someone who has mixed experiences at some of these insitutions it's hard for me to find much personal love for them (though I have respect)."</p>
<p>I think in general it's quite easy to develop feeling of attachment to the clear winner. Why do you think that the Yankees have more devoted fans than the Orioles, for example?</p>
<p>Among colleges, the clear first-place winner is Harvard hands down. So it's easy to explain the affection some people feel for Harvard.</p>
<p>Of course, there are also people who instinctively root for the underdog.</p>