Advice for ickle firsties...

... I don't really have any. Like Heidi (who is a great read, BTW), I think I'm too idiosyncratic to really use as a role model. I'm much to involved in my family, gaming, anime, and the blogging scene. Besides, my first year grades were nothing to emulate, believe you me. Granted, I'm doing much better my second year, but that's probably more from hard lessons learned than anything else. (Okay - so maybe I'll talk about hard lessons in a later post or something).

Instead, I'd like to talk about something my wife was telling me the other day. A mutual acquaintance of ours was going to BYU's law school. She was approached by someone there who asked her essentially what business she had going there when it means that a "worthy priesthood holder" wasn't able to get that slot. She's since graduated, and moved on with her life. But I can't help but think that the person who made the comment in the first place is out there too. Needless to say, for someone going to a school where the motto is "The Glory of God is Intelligence", this person was showing a decided lack of glory, grace, or intelligence when he made that comment.

This goes to something that I'd offer as advice not just to firstlings, but to anyone else who might read it. And it's simple. When you sit down in that first class, when you go to lunch in the cafeteria, when you present your first argument, take a good look around you at the people who are there. Chances are, you will be seeing a lot of these people again. And again. And again. And again. And the rumor that I've heard is, lawyers love to gossip.

So, the next time you feel the need to make a joke at someone else's expense, or make a comment that degrades or devalues women, realize that it gets you a reputation. Some day, someone you made an idiot, racist, sexist, bigoted comment to may be in a position to decide if you get hired or not. Guess what decision that person will make. One day those chickens will come home to roost.

Now, I don't think that BYU law students in general have the opinion that women shouldn't be practicing law, or that they shouldn't be going to the law school that they earned the right to attend. But just in case any of them have the (admittedly idiotic) idea that women are somehow weaker or worse than men, or will somehow suck at law haven't met my good friend over at the menagerie, haven't met my good friend over at Mellow Drama, haven't met Yin, and haven't met my good friends in "The Firm". (B & V in particular). And that's not mentioning the fantastic professors I've had over the last two years.

Just something I've had on my mind...