This is truly, profoundly sad. It’s sad that this message board exists; sad that these “best and brightest” of America’s law schools (even writing this cracks me up) choose to spend their time harassing their peers instead of actually contributing something useful to humanity; sad that the site’s founders encourage racist and misogynistic posts to up their traffic and increase ad revenue (yes, you heard me – and don’t give me some BS diatribe about free speech and first amendment rights that’s been yanked straight out of a 1L Con Law lecture); sad that no one I know is surprised to hear that malicious gossip (that usually involves dumping on women and/or minorities) is a normal part of the law school experience; sad that so many women (myself included) can cite instances where parts of their anatomy were dissected, scrutinized and ripped to shreds on the Internet; sad that time and energy that could be put into useful pursuits are spent on writing, publishing, reading (and yes, writing about) this crap.

It’s easy to say “Oh, it’s just a bunch of a-holes – don’t take it seriously.” But seeing yourself verbally butchered on the web is the kind of experience that can’t be laughed off, no matter who you are (though I’ve found it gets easier with practice). So what do you do when you become the target of anonymous cyber-bile? The first instinct: Pain, coupled with a strong and immediate desire to know who the author is (typically accompanied by thoughts of “When I find out who wrote this, I’m gonna kill that slimy little fucker”). I’ve been reading this stuff for years now, but I still have that gut reaction every time. The thing is, it gets you nowhere. Nowhere good, anyway. Someone has set the bait, started a conversation, and you’ve followed it right along to the gaping beartrap. The only thing to do, no matter how agonizingly tempting it is to nurse your wounds and plot revenge, is to step out of the conversation entirely. Take a breath, and go on with your life. There’s one thing you can be absolutely sure of: anyone who would write and post something like “X Law Student has fake tits and herpes” on a message board will never, ever lead anything resembling a happy and fulfilling life (short of a Bodhi tree miracle or its equivalent). Take solace in that. Then take the necessary measures to protect your professional reputation and dignity, and move on (though, as the Post article notes, that’s getting harder as employers start reading this garbage during hiring decisions).

But I will throw this thought out there to current law students, just for the hell of it: The wastes of carbon matter who write these messages are your future peers. You will spend days, nights, weekends, holidays, over 2,000 hours a year with them for the rest of your professional life. They will make up your summer class, your officemates and future litigation or corporate team members. Sure, the paychecks will swell and the bonuses flow in your fancy new job – but it’s worth asking, is it honestly worth it?