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How the Right Turned Nonsense Into a “Crisis”

2025-12-02 News & Politics
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The Bulwark
The Bulwark
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Oklahoma Psych Essay Escalation Sparks Culture War Discourse

Learn how a singular, poorly written undergraduate reaction paper triggered intervention from a state governor and national right-wing media apparatus. Analyze the absurdity of disproportionate responses in modern culture conflicts.

Short Summary

  • A University of Oklahoma undergraduate received a zero on a 650-word psychology essay, leading her to involve Turning Point USA.
  • Speakers critique both the poor quality of the student essay and the overly harsh grading (a zero), noting the assignment was brief and reflective.
  • The controversy escalated when the Oklahoma Governor publicly intervened regarding the grade, highlighting how minor academic disputes become nationalized culture war events.

This discussion breaks down the structure of these predictable "woke professor bias" cases and the strategic misuse of internal university grievance procedures.

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Description

JVL and Will Sommer give their take on the latest culture-war absurdity: a 650-word psych class reaction paper at the University of Oklahoma that somehow escalated all the way to the governor’s office and right-wing media ecosystem. Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join

Top Comments (10)

@CJNooberson 2025-12-02

Psychology professor here. Just wanted to say that science is a method not a discipline. Also, psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior.

409 30 replies
@skylartalkspolitics 2025-12-02

JVL, you are crazy here lol. I majored in history and even there I couldn't just say "because the Bible says so." I'd be failed and I'd deserve it

199 10 replies
@stevej365 2025-12-02

Psychology is a science, albeit a social science, and grad students do much of the grading at many universities.

199 7 replies
@mdavid2822 2025-12-02

She's basically upset a graduate assistant didn't give her an assignment participation trophy.

142 2 replies
@Hales1994 2025-12-02

Undergrad first year classes in state schools are often taught by grad students, especially intro courses. If you don’t follow the assignment, you don’t pass. I think it was a ploy to get the “Trans Professor” in trouble and fired.

109 4 replies
@zinnia3190 2025-12-02

Her mother, Kristi Fulnecky is an attorney and podcaster. She defended J6 rioters. All you need to know how far that apple fell from the tree.

99 3 replies
@Eileen.Nunya.Bizz1 2025-12-02

JVL is wrong. Students must react to the article within the guidelines that the rubric lays out. They can't just react anyway they want.

92 2 replies
@f.kieranfinney457 2025-12-02

Zero because she chose not to address the point of the article but instead she wrote a religious screed. If a 50% is a fail, as it should be, what’s the difference? Failure is failure.

87 3 replies
@SmilingIbis 2025-12-02

Caving in to this level of stupidity is how we end up being run by ignoramuses.

74 1 replies
@AbbyNorml-r3i 2025-12-02

Oklahoma 50th in education!!

73

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