Twitter Users Still Don’t Know Difference Between Penn State And UPenn
Every Penn Stater has experienced that uncomfortable pang of self-consciousness when someone mistakes Dear Old State for UPenn, the mighty Ivy League institution to the southeast founded by Benjamin Franklin and lauded for bringing rubella and hepatitis B vaccines into the world.
It’s not that we’re ashamed of our school. It’s more about the visible disappointment when someone realizes we aren’t THAT smart — no matter what the kids in Schreyer try to tell you (read: me). In a matter of ten seconds, the conversation goes from asking what our research interests are to whether we do Greek life.
Awkward exchanges like this happen all too often, thanks to the rest of the world’s lack of familiarity with institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania. That confusion appears to be as alive and well as ever after plenty of clueless Twitters users tried to answer a simple question from radio show host Ebro Darden.
Now, as obvious as the answer seems, let’s cut Darden some slack. At least he didn’t call it the University of Penn State (I’m @ing you, Jonathan Sutherland).
Darden’s tweet triggered a textbook display of modern Internet: people climbing to a pulpit to look smart and share incorrect information. A few users in Darden’s mentions mansplained that the difference came down to prestige and funding — as opposed to ya know, how long the name is.
One user even defended her claim when challenged by another.
And it wouldn’t be a Twitter conversation about Penn State without someone making a Sandusky joke.
Luckily, though, a few noble users were able to make the much-needed clarification.
Penn State is the shortened name for The Pennsylvania State University. Jesus Christ these other responses are atrocious
— weatherman kermz(@4ourth_Harmonik) May 1, 2019
(@4ourth_Harmonik) No difference. The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League school, Penn State isn’t.
— JulilusDeWittHannah (@jdhannaharts) May 1, 2019
In spite of all of this, all Darden needed was a pretty simple explanation, which represents another shared experience among Penn Staters everywhere — although as someone who had “The Pennsylvania State University ’20” in his Instagram bio for about two years, the long name does have quite an ~aesthetic~.
Your resume vs your social media bio
— Tay
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