Really! But not really.
News broke revealing many parents, including celebrities, were involved in bribing test administrators and coaches to get their children in elite college and universities under the guise of donating to charities. While this is crazy, it is not in the least bit shocking that the wealthy would go to such extremes to ensure the success of their children. I came across a tweet that summed up this craziness to a T.
this celeb fraud scandal just reminds me that the bulk of white ppl running corporations and institutions arent smarter than you or me.
— Avenge Latasha Harlins (@race_jones) March 12, 2019
they just had privilege, access and enough money to put them in those seats.
As if the wealthy were not already advantaged, they took it a step further to fabricate college applications, SAT scores and even extracurricular activities. You couldn’t even motivate your child to want to partake in a sport or school club! This whole situation is super f*cked up! A common joke across many college campuses are how the trust fund babies come to school, get straight A’s, and go on to start Fortune 500 companies all at the expense of mommy and daddy, but to have tangible evidence that it actually occurs is really pathetic. Undergrad was a truly tough time for me. I had psychologically internalized that I was not good enough because my SAT scores were poor, I did not truly know how to “study”, I couldn’t really write well and I was a couple hours away from home, my comfort zone. I would sit next to the products of private school while in class and gawk at the cultural capital they leveraged over me because they had already gained experiential knowledge that I was not privy to. While I was in defeat because I knew I couldn’t compete against the curve, these mofos were scamming their way in and occupying seats that could have gone to somewhere more worthy.
This scandal made me revisit the importance of college. According to Bartelby, the purpose of a college education is to
“gives a person the opportunity to be successful in life, either financially or morally dependent on the goals that they set for their life”
On the one hand, this definition implies that seventeen and eighteen year olds already have a map of their lives, which we know is false. It is also implies that with said degree one will be successful, which we also know is false. At one point in my life, I too, had fallen prey to the idea that a college degree would open the floodgates of cash money and opportunity. While my degree from my fairly elite institutions has opened some doors, I am still searching for my destiny to financial freedom. In no way am I suggesting that we should not encourage folks to go to college but I would like to see more rhetoric around success without going to these large, well-known universities. I also despise that we, as a society, have placed so much value on higher education that the wealthy even feel as though they have to go through such extremes to even gain access.
I truly hope that there is serious consequence for their actions. There are people of color sitting in jail right now because they lied about their address to help gain access to better education. If the individuals involved merely get a slap on the wrist it will reveal and devalue the institution as a whole. It would further prove the educational divide, discouraging the less fortunate to even attempt at proving their ability.
It truly sucks that these idiots take away opportunities from those that are deserving!
