Like Tawana Brawley's hoax, some recent fake hate crimes seem intended to cover personal embarrassment. Such was the case with a black student at Hastings College in Nebraska, who said he had been forced into a car by whites and dropped far out of town. He was cited for filing a false police report. But more of the college hoaxes seem to reflect an acted-out commitment to a cause, not just personal difficulties. The blurring of the line between fact and fiction is far advanced in our university culture.
Hoaxes are just one symptom of the truth problem.