Kennedy, College Kids, and the Social Construction of Crime
Every week, I tell myself that I will cancel my subscription to The Atlantic, mostly because I never get around to reading the print magazine. But every week, they publish something online that makes me reconsider. This week’s redeeming content was written by Kurt Andersen, who published the article “RFK Jr. Was My Drug Dealer” about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent withdrawal from the presidential race, followed by his endorsement of Donald Trump. For many followers of the third-party candidate, this endorsement was a surprise because so much of the Republican platform is at odds with RFK’s more environmentally conscious and justice-oriented background.
However, the author focuses less on RFK Jr.’s background as an environmental lawyer and more on his extracurricular employment in college. Reflecting on his Harvard days with “Bobby Kennedy,” the author shares an anecdote about allegedly purchasing drugs from RFK Jr. He then uses this anecdote to point out the contradictions between Kennedy’s past and his present endorsement of Trump, primarily because Donald Trump has made several statements in his speeches that drug dealers should be given the death penalty for their crimes. Anderson then concludes this short opinion piece with a question for Kennedy:
“The candidate you’re campaigning for, in whose administration you…
