Links and nonfiction

[rivkat]

Infocide in open content communities: Includes flouncing, but puts it in a larger context.

Bankruptcy court overlooks predatory lending, discharges student loans based on debtor’s autism instead. It’s important to remember that the strategies that benefit an individual client in court can be harmful overall (and maybe even to the client in some ways

Comments

[joker_smoker]

While I understand your frustration with the characterization of the disability in this case I'm not sure there is enough information presented here to characterize this as predatory lending? It's unclear to me who developed the educational plan and if the ppl who developed the plan were also in some way the lenders? Although whoever did keep encouraging her to go to school and rack up ridiculous debt did a truly horrific job of "helping" her. It's also not clear what disclosures were made to her about the loans and if she understood them. And who helped her apply for the loans. Or if the lenders knew any of the circumstances or what information was in the loan applications. There just don't seem to be enough facts here.

[rivkat]

After the first degree, it's hard to imagine any circumstances under which she could repay in her lifetime; lending in the educational sector has been distorted by government guarantees and rules like nondischargeability in bankruptcy. Regardless of disclosures (which almost no one of any capacity understands) the characteristics of these loans on their face raise suspicions. If the lenders didn't know of her circumstances, that very recklessness is an indication of predation: when you find a lender indifferent to credit risk, you've found a market where the lender is relying on something other than repayment to make its money.

[joker_smoker]

I agree in part but it may have been complicated by which loans were when. Aren't some of those lenders gov't non profit? Again hard to know without more facts. While certain of the loans may well have been predatory, others may not have been so arguing predatory lending might not have gotten them all discharged.

[joker_smoker]

Interesting case though!

[joker_smoker]

Although at some point the fact that they didn't t stop giving her loans appears problematic in and of itself. The rehab ppl should be held accountable for the godawful advice though. Sorry to keep adding more comments instead do one coherent one. Stream of thought is a bad habit of mine.