Bulwark Takes OK Governor Jumps Into a Fight Over a Homework Assignment
Dec 2, 2025
A university essay on psychology ignites a culture-war firestorm, escalating all the way to the governor's office. The hosts unravel the controversy surrounding a student’s reaction paper and the zero grade it received, debating the fairness of academic standards. They examine how right-wing media and activist groups amplified the situation, showcasing the absurdity of turning small campus incidents into national issues. The discussion highlights the bizarre ways education and politics intertwine in today's society.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Tiny Assignment, Huge Outrage
- The OU controversy centers on a 650-word psych reaction paper that critics say failed basic assignment criteria.
- JVL and Will treat the essay as a poor book-report that still met several rubric points and didn't obviously merit a zero.
Arbitrary Grading Rules
- The grading rubric penalized short length and lacked proportionality, including a 10-point deduction for being 1–30 words short.
- JVL calls that rule “arbitrary as fuck” and questions whether a zero fits this context.
Debate Over ‘Scientific’ Standards
- TAs defended deductions as enforcement of scientific standards and reliance on evidence in a psychology class.
- Will and JVL dispute calling introductory psych a scientific class in the hard-science sense and note grading subjectivity.