The tournament has begun. Which school’s fictitious alumni will come out on top? You decide.
Simply answer the following question:
Which person, if real, has the potential to offer the greatest contribution(s) to society?
Cast your vote three ways:
- Submit your answer in the comments of this post
- Respond via the Cornell or MIT Facebook pages
- Tweet using the hashtag #MITCU
Need some inspiration? Learn more about Ling Woo and Lex Luthor.
Representatives from the Cornell and MIT Alumni Associations will be looking for posts that are clever, witty, absurd, and downright ridiculous. The more entertaining we find your comment to be, the more likely it will tip the scale in favor of your alma mater. Voting ends each Friday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Check out the match-ups (click on image to enlarge). Brackets are updated every Monday.
What’s at stake?
The winning school will take ownership of the soon-to-be-constructed Social Media Cup trophy. More importantly, the losing school will be forced to produce a video that pays homage to both the tournament winner and his or her alma mater and promote the video on their own Facebook page.
{ 87 comments… read them below or add one }
lex luthor obviously! How is this even a question?
Take nothing for granted in the Fictional Alumni Face-Off! Most creative response will tip the scales…
Even though I went to High School with Lucy Liu, got to give this one to Luthor. Irritating dragon lady, or the dude that kicked superman’s butt on multiple occasions? C’mon – total no-brainer.
Ling Woo is wittier, more feminine and not quite as evil as Lex.
(Why didn’t they put up Claudia, the kid from Doonesbury? Didn’t her fictional character go to MIT after they cheated in the voting?)
Hmm, two villains…except not. Woo, often described as a villain, is nothing more than a mean person. Lex Luthor winds hand down. First, he was voted the 8th greatest villain by Wizard on its “100 Greatest Villains of All Time” list. Second, while his main enemy was superman, he’s crossed paths with many superheroes, and he still lives to tell the tale. Unlike Woo, who’s annoyances, are limited in scope to a law firm, Lex Luthor poses a credible threat to the entire world, thus having a much greater impact.
Lex Luther has been PotUS. He’s saved the world (unwilling) a number of times. His impact to society is clearly greater than Ling Woo.
If there is one thing I have learned in my 50 years, it is never to vote against a man whose main goal is to murder his arch-enemy and enslave his home planet, as a mere stepping stone to his long-term goal of dominating the entire flipping universe. Plus, Lex has a far sexier hairstyle than Ling Woo, hands down. MIT rocks, and so does Lex Luthor. Go, Beavers!
go Ling Woo sinister yet compelling
Ling Woo who?
I vote for Lex Luthor.
LING WOO!
She’s kinda my hero…
I thought Ling went to Michigan?
Evil genius that she is, she has credentials from most major universities.
Lex Luthor brings nothing to the table except some dumb rocks. That’s hardly a contribution. (it must be miserable to come from a school and identify yourself as a Beaver. No wonder the guy turned into a villain with little more creativity than to carry around a green pebble.)
Ling Woo and smart, witty, and has a great butt. Advantage, Woo.
Lex Luthor, of course! He has so much more power and many more resources at his disposal. And no one is saying whether the contribution to society is positive or negative. I think Lex would have the greater potential to change society.
Ling Woo was half of first same-sex kiss I ever witnessed. It was an experience that I found inspiring.
Anyone who can kick ass in heels deserves to win! By default, she works twice as hard as Lex!
And Ling Woo gives great hair!
Lex Luthor!
Lex. The only person who can beat him is Superman, and I am pretty sure he didn’t go to Cornell!
Although Christopher Reeve did…
Lex has a much larger potential impact in that his personal concern is a global topic: the ability of humans to control their own destiny and the progress of human civilization.
He acts on a national and international level, is a master of getting people with conflicting interests to work together, and is not just a technological innovator, but someone who is able to get those innovations into practical use, under the most demanding of conditions (that is, while having them being interfered with the most powerful solar powered destructive phenomena yet discovered).
I’m sure Ling Woo is very impressive, but I think Lex Luthor wins on being a classic supervillain that we love to hate. Wikipedia (for what that’s worth) reports that he’s been around since 1940 – an enduring torment to the superheroes!
This will be a wipe: MIT is a culturally embedded institution, while Cornell unfortunately is regional (my distant high school used the Cornell football fight song with locally-adapted words to it; no-one had ever heard of Cornell and never worried about it) (which is as much a comment on local culture as on Cornell). After all, MIT has the hero cable-tv repairman/alien killer from “Independence Day” (who spent 8 years at MIT to become a tv repairman).
lex
Lex Luthor, obvi
Lex Luther because we all know that a little bit of adversity pushes us to be better. No Lex – wimpier Superman.
Also my husband is from Cornell and everyone knows that the wife and MITer is always right.
Woo!
Lex Luthor!!!!
This one’s not even fair. Lex Luthor is a criminal genius without superpowers who has stood up to an all-powerful non-human. Lex gets my vote.
Why the beaver? Because it is nature’s engineer…
Why lex? Because I dont see a woo constructed legion of doom (kresge) on Cornell’s campus.
Where’s the alumni giving woo, where’s the giving?
Ling Woo wounds with witty words. One wonders what Woo would do with Lex Luthor’s lethal legacy? Would Woo wow? We won’t learn what Woo would do. Woo went away, while Lex Luthor’s living longer.
Likewise, what wry wisdom would Lex Luther wreak with Ling Woo’s wrenching wit? Would we love Lex less were Luther’s words washed with wicked wit?
Well, listen learned ones, we loudly lament, Lex Luthor’s won.
wow
“Which…..has the potential to offer the greatest contributions…?”
Clearly Lex. He has created untold inventions and re-invented himself many times over. Just needs a little guidance to re-direct all that effort towards the good.
Woo? OK, she has a nice butt, and excels at projecting sexuality and anger simultaneously. Big deal. Plenty more of that on the red carpet in Hollywood on any given night……
Is this a joke?
Lex Luthor’s wikipedia page has 10454 words to Ling Woo’s 2196.
Enough said.
Lex hands down, while willing to sacrifice millions of innocents to create new beachfront for real estate development, and no doubt improving negative climate change impacts by increasing solar reflectance with the ensuing nuclear dust clouds, he still had a kind heart to employ henchman Otis and provide a home for Miss Teschmacher, obviously a lady of limited resources. Ecologist, humanitarian, winning!
Luthor…duh!
From my undergrad years I remember when Lex worked in the basement of Bldg 20 during Christmas Vacation. His folks didn’t want him home, so he was caring for a grad student’s High Voltage Labs experiment over the holidays… that’s how he lost his hair.
Lex Luthor clearly
Like for serious? Lex Luthor, no contest.
Lex Luthor’s greatest enemy is Superman and has defeated him on multiple occasions.
Ling Woo…makes fun of…handicap people.
Conclusion: I think America is about sick and tired of Superman’s crap. When your pad is the fortress of solitude with $0 rent, you can give up the reporter position to someone who actually worked hard to earn it. Damn illegal aliens keep taking our jobs and its time we elect someone like Lex to clean up our streets!
Regarding Woo as a contender: Let’s ask Michael J. Fox how he feels…
I would like to see the 7 following for the remaining MIT spots
Bullwinkle J. Moose
Will Hunting
Tony Stark
Dilbert
David Levinson (Independence Day)
Rockhound (Armageddon)
Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba!!)
I would say Howard Wolowitz but I cannot say anything great about him other than astronauts can crap in space more easily.
Sorry Woo – Lex all the way, baby!
This is a contest of style over substance; Woo’s got the hot looks, but, really, what else? She’s an empty suit, suitable for leading large multi-nationals for several years, before bailing on a golden parachute right after it’s come out that she was funnelling funds to her 3rd cousin’s typewriter-repair firm back in Shanghai. Oh, and was sexually harrassing the mailboys.
Lex, on the other hand, is the classic underappreciated geek who really *can* change the world. Sure, that gleaming dome is sexy (I mean, MIT has thing for gleaming domes, after all), and he’s the CEO of a huge multi-national, but remember, he’s been head of it for 40+ YEARS now (no take-it-and-run parachute for him!), and really does care. I mean, you *have* to care to put in all those hours plotting and schemeing world domination – it’s damned hard work, and you can’t just get by on a nice butt or a snarky comment!
Potting world domination really does make the world better – look at Bill Gates. Without him and his evil empire (ahh, I mean, Microsoft), where would Linux be?
So, it’s Lex by a Landslide!
Lex Luthor. I’m not even going to bother explaining this obvious win.
Lex Luthor is what all MIT students would like to be, if they had the personality.
LL definitely.
Actually, there are a few of us who would like to be Richard Feynman, if only we had the personality.
Lex hands down. With strictly his brain power he maintains the cosmic balance of good and evil against the man of steel. Arch-nemesis of Superman… for an evil character I can’t think of a more prestigious position… Not to mention that he is hope to evil, balding nerds everywhere of what we to can aspire to achieve. I obviously thought about this way too much.
Armed only with the power of science, Lex Luthor is our only defense against those pesky aliens from the planet Krypton. If you can battle an indestructible alien who boasts the combined powers of other lesser superheroes with your brain, then you must take the vote here. Lex Luthor wins this round.
Lex Luthor, clearly, has more potential to offer the greatest contribution to society:
1) Lux Luthor has an estimated net worth of $10 billion (source: Forbes). 10B could buy a lot of mosquito nets, baby.
2) Building an evil empire has prepared Mr. Luthor better to build an empire for good than writing legal briefs has prepared Ms. Woo to do anything pragmatic.
3) If Woo did happen to do an about-face and DECIDED to help society, she would merely join the hundreds of thousands of other JD’s nursing hidden dreams of using her degree to become one of the world’s 15 human rights lawyers.
The question only supposes that the fictional person is real, not their entire fictional setting. In a world without Superman, Lex Luthor’s genius would be devoted to noble causes, and he would be a great benefactor to humanity. This is not just theory; it is borne out by his treatment of the planet Lexor.
Cornell has alumni connections and outreach all over the globe. Lex has some kiss-ups. Woo all the way.
Lex Luthor, without a doubt.
Lex Luthor wins by a large margin. And while we’re here why don’t I just point out that Tony Stark, Gordon Freeman, and Max Cohen are going to win their respective rounds when they inevitably come up.
Lex Luthor MIT!
Though I always enjoyed Woo on AM, I have to go with Lex Luthor.
In today’s market it’s more about your depth of knowledge and your ability to bridge multiple disciplines in order to affect change. Unfortunately Ling Woo’s background and professional experience are far too narrow while Lex Luthor has exibited vast knowledge across the spectrum.
Lex Luthor – no doubt!
Lex Luthor has the knowledge and power to affect the world in many ways. Think of what he and Superman could accomplish if Luthor suddenly had a change of heart! \
I vote for Luthor.
Lex “World Domination” vs. Evil “Hissy Fit” Ling? No contest. Lex Luthor is a charactor so cool that one of our finest actors played the part. Lucy — definitely eye candy and one of Charlie’s Angels but Lucy is in no danger of winning an Academy Award anytime soon. Winner: Lex Luthor.
Lex has been President of the US AND ruler of Australia. How many large countries has Ling taken over?
Absolutely Lex Luthor! Clearly he didn’t put out a wide enough call for sidekicks; I know many much less lame people who woulld jump at the job….
It’s inTUitively obvious: Lex Luthor.
I was commenting on Ms. Woo’s extensive sociological impact when some secret arm of LexCorp hacked my laptop to aid in controlling the multiverse…
Lex Luthot, duh. One of the few competent supervillains.
Absolutely Lex Luthor !
Lex
In terms of lasting cultural impact, I think multiple generations of Americans will know of Lex Luthor, whereas Ling Woo will be forgotten in the annals of bad media in a few years.
I vote for Luthor.
I vote for Lex.
I agree with Jan… Ling WHO?
Lex is Rex.
What’s an Ally McBeal? Sounds like a happy meal for friends and supporters.
I, for one, welcome our new MIT overlords. Lex gets my vote!
I’ve never seen Ally McBeal or read a Superman comic, yet I have heard of Lex Luthor but have never heard of Ling Woo before. Clearly this means that Lex Luthor has had a greater impact on society.
Not to mention that I’ve heard more children state that they want to be a supervillain than those who want to be a mean lawyer. Lawyers don’t have awesome secret lairs.
Sure we do. They’re secret.
Still voting for Lex.
Lex Luthor!
Not only is he a leader in the field of supervillainy, he’s obviously responsible for donating an iconic building to the MIT campus.
Ling may be amusing, but Lex Luthor would totally kick her butt!
Lex Luthor: Not only is he a past president, but he is also a genius; an unusual combination. Relieved of the irritation of dealing with Superman, who knows, what inventions, discoveries and insights he might bestow on humanity. Whereas a real Ling Woo, even as embodied by Lucy Liu, would only enliven prime time television on the court TV channel. Of course she would do wonders for their ratings; probably even better than watching the OJ trial.
Far Above Cayuga’s Waters
Ling Woo may look cool
But “I Love That Dirty Water”
Charles and Beavers rule!
Wait a second, Lex Luthor is a fictional character? I’d swear he lived down the hall from me on Jack Florey. Anyway, this round has to go to MIT and Lex Luthor. If this is the best Cornell can do in their lead-off position, I am worried that this will not be much of a competition when MIT brings out its heavy hitters such as Tony Stark. Even Timothy McGee from NCIS would wipe the floor with Ling Woo, even though according to the show, he was only a straight B student (they obviously did not know MIT uses a five point scale for their GPA).
Lex Luthor, definitely.
How is this even a contest? Lex, of course.
In our society hair = power. Think of the millions of dollars spent and made in the hair restoration/wig business and you’ll realize that hair is the ultimate symbol of authority. So, when examining our two contestants, one must weight their follicle ferocity and in doing so, Ling Woo’s gorgeous locks stand tall above the reflecting baldness sported by Luthor.
He may have been President, but he didn’t have the foresight to ALSO be a client.
Lex of course. All he is trying to do is save humanity from meddling aliens that attempt to stifle human accomplishment under the guise of “saving” people. He’s a genius like Bill Gates, designs machines like Steve Jobs and tries to save the world in his own way like Bono. Not to mention he has his own skyscraper in downtown Metroplis shaped like an “L”. That beats a Lawyer any day.
That is a cunning Ling. Us Beavers think this round goes to Luthor!
Lex Luthor = Gene Hackman = Jimmy Doyle = Little Bill Daggett = Coach Norman Dale = Harry Zimm = Royal Tenenbaum
Ling Woo = Lucy Liu = Princess Pei Pei = Alex Munday = Grace Chin = Viper
It’s Lex Luthor in a walkover.
There is no Ling Woo action figure.
I rest my case. Lex for the win!
Lex Luthor: [to Otis] Do you know why the number two hundred is so vitally descriptive to both you and me? It’s your weight and my I.Q.
Lex Luthor: We all have our little faults. Mine’s in California.
clearly Lex Luthor!!!
someone who builds things vs talks about them….
Brains over beauty on this one
Look at the actors that played Lex.
Look at the actor that played Woo.
Another shoo in for Lex!
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