The stinking hypocrisy of disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter is wafting across the Oval. It’s almost as bad as the hypocritical stench coming off Trump, MAGA and evangelical Christians, but not quite.
At least Carter came clean, admitting to the “inappropriate relationship” that forced his resignation. Nevertheless, losing Carter was welcome news for many students and alumni who, to put it mildly, have been grossed out by the university’s shift to the (white) right.
Carter deceived many, not just his wife. And did so with a straight face. Just ask the hundreds of graduating students and their families at OSU’s last commencement.
Back in December, just a few days before Christmas, Carter chose himself to deliver OSU’s 441st commencement. Certainly, his “inappropriate relationship” at this time was still ongoing. However, this is what he told the 3,500-plus students seated on the floor in front of him and their families, who occupied every single one of the 19,500 seats in the Schottenstein Center.
“I’m going to give you three what I call ‘behavioral principles,’ some things that I have observed that, if you take these things into your life, I promise you, not only will you be successful, you will change the entire trajectory of your life,” he said sounding proud and triumphant.
“Be a truth speaker, a truth seeker and a truth receiver,” he continued and the entire arena cheered.
Then the former Top Gun pilot almost sounded as if he knew what his fate would soon be.
“You’re going to get a lot of people that will bring you bad news. Bad news that happened, whether it be under your watch, your fault, or even the person that brings it to you, whether it’s their fault. How you handle that at that moment with humility and grace and courage to accept that bad truth will define you. So never shoot the messenger, no matter how bad the message is.”
With Wexner’s name looming over campus, Carter’s demise piles on to OSU’s demoralizing losing streak. The Free Press heard this week from a reliable source that recruiting doctors of late to the Wexner Medical Center has become a far greater challenge. Which certainly could be harbinger of things to come when recruiting students, professors and athletes.
OSU professor John K. Herbert has been keeping the Free Press updated on the university’s effort to promote the “renewal of civic debate,” what he describes as, “promoting a sort of rah-rah jingoistic version of U.S. history where this is the greatest, most infallible country the world has ever seen, and where the playing field is equal for everyone.”
“President Carter’s legacy includes allowing state troopers to point guns at peaceful student protestors,” Herbert said. “Then bragging that OSU was the only Big 10 school not to have overnight pro-Palestine encampments. Throughout all of this, he claimed to be a staunch proponent of free speech.”
What were Carter’s other two ‘behavioral principles’?
Being loyal and being on time.
“How you remain loyal to everybody that you work with and everybody that you come in contact with. This is more than just treating everybody with dignity and respect. This is about treating others as you would want to be treated yourself,” said Carter.
During an OSU commencement, more hypocritical words were arguably never spoken.
Oddly enough, but eye opening, was during this latest public relations disaster for OSU was how, yes, there is tax-payer funding available for local independent media – but only for independent media which tows the Ohio GOP far-right line apparently, which makes for more hypocrisy.
As everyone now knows Carter was having an “inappropriate relationship” with a pro-military podcaster who was given $60,000 from JobsOhio for four episodes. Only one episode was completed…receiving 130 or so views.
The Free Press is nearly an all-volunteer progressive news org where the publishers have paid thousands out of their own pockets to keep it going. A publication in its 55th years and was born from the Kent State tragedy.
Compared to the JobsOhio funded podcast which has now tarnished OSU even more, the Free Press’s received across its social media 1.5 million views during the months of December and January.
