[CornFed]

Several points:
1.  This discussion thread has strongly reinforced my enthusiasm for The CardBoard.  Over the course of the exchange I have gained significant additional perspectives that have helped me to understand and reflect on my own personal reactions to The Rant.  Some have caused chagrin, some have stirred my original emotions, some help me expand my familiarity w/ RS and provided better context and others have helped me see the humor/pathos more clearly.
2.  I spent the day in a retail environment in the SF Bay Area.  Around 150 people interacted with me and I was wearing a Stanford sweatshirt.  If anyone on the Board thinks that The Rant did not affect/damage people's impressions of Stanford, I would say my experience today suggests they are wrong.  That is not to say that in other geographic areas and different demographic mixes, one might not get a completely opposite impression.  Nearly all of the interaction that I had today was good-natured, but I suspect that my relationship with these people may have tempered their message, since they know how much I love Stanford.  That notwithstanding, I think it ill-advised to shrug this off as being "much ado about nothing".  Indeed, the episode will recede to the point where only those with remarkable memories will recall any details.  But how many of these "impressions" are OK?  Are we really indifferent if the tone of The Rant becomes a significant element of the image that comes to mind when people in "Flyover" country think of Stanford?  Maybe so.

3.  While my reaction to The Rant has evolved over the course of the day, I am not embarrassed by my original post.  Nonetheless, I am unnerved by the fact that quotes from this discussion thread were used on SFGate.com.  It hadn't even occurred to me that that might be the case, which was naive, I understand.

[CornFed]

Several points:
1.  This discussion thread has strongly reinforced my enthusiasm for The CardBoard.  Over the course of the exchange I have gained significant additional perspectives that have helped me to understand and reflect on my own personal reactions to The Rant.  Some have caused chagrin, some have stirred my original emotions, some help me expand my familiarity w/ RS and provided better context and others have helped me see the humor/pathos more clearly.
2.  I spent the day in a retail environment in the SF Bay Area.  Around 150 people interacted with me and I was wearing a Stanford sweatshirt.  If anyone on the Board thinks that The Rant did not affect/damage people's impressions of Stanford, I would say my experience today suggests they are wrong.  That is not to say that in other geographic areas and different demographic mixes, one might not get a completely opposite impression.  Nearly all of the interaction that I had today was good-natured, but I suspect that my relationship with these people may have tempered their message, since they know how much I love Stanford.  That notwithstanding, I think it ill-advised to shrug this off as being "much ado about nothing".  Indeed, the episode will recede to the point where only those with remarkable memories will recall any details.  But how many of these "impressions" are OK?  Are we really indifferent if the tone of The Rant becomes a significant element of the image that comes to mind when people in "Flyover" country think of Stanford?  Maybe so.

3.  While my reaction to The Rant has evolved over the course of the day, I am not embarrassed by my original post.  Nonetheless, I am unnerved by the fact that quotes from this discussion thread were used on SFGate.com.  It hadn't even occurred to me that that might be the case, which was naive, I understand.