Dear Syag,
Oh, you need not believe my true story at all. But to proclaim disbelief and give it equal weight to a first-hand account is absurd and quite indefensible.
Was it an islolated incident? I don’t know, but if you believe the attitude is unheard of, then you are not connected. I have many relatives and friends in Lakewood and I can assure you none were surprised at the story, even though to their credit they were most saddened by it. Is it the norm? Of course not. Most peole have neither that much money nor a first-class masmid son to allow for the two sides of the story.
By the way, this once-bochur was also offered a young woman with off-the-charts yichus. This was also rejected as the boy’s parents were not interested in being owned and micro-managed by the meyuchas royal family.
He ended up marrying a wonderful bas yisrael with neither money nor yichus and they have been living a life of Torah and Yiras Shamayim in Israel, with love and respect for all. Even for the Zionist uncle who davens in a blue shirt sans hat. Threw that in because I knew you would understand the expression, what with your college education and all.