The internet lashed out last week when a college admissions bribery scandal involving Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman broke. The scandal, which involved fake athletic scholarships and altered standardized test scores, allowed the ultra wealthy to cheat their children into college.
Twitter went wild and people seemed shocked. They shouldn’t have been.
We should be mad, but we should not be surprised. The wealthy are advantaged at every turn in our society, and the rules simply do not apply to the uber rich. In addition, the fact that the majority of wealthy individuals are white gives them even more of an edge in getting what they want.
The sad truth is this news cycle will pass and we will inevitably go back to pretending that if any bootstraps are yanked hard enough, we all have the same chances of success in this country. This is just not true.
Celebrities charged with crimes evade jail time, instead having house arrest staycations in their mansions. In a country with private prisons and laws written by corporations, money can get you out of any jam.
It’s no secret that privilege is self-perpetuating. Money is passed from generation to generation. White privilege is passed from generation to generation.
As someone whose dreams of a prestigious coastal college experience were crushed by rejections and insufficient financial aid, I have had it all explained to me too many times to count. Rich people get priority in the sliver of students to be accepted. If you donate enough money for a dining hall, you get in. If your family cannot afford that, it’s a lottery.
Everyone told me college admissions were not fair. And yeah, that makes me angry.
But this particular scandal honestly does not make me any angrier than I already was. I was angry in high school as I discussed applications with classmates whose parents paid for them to take the SAT a dozen times. I could not afford that many chances.
I was angry when people got great scholarships from schools their parents attended. I was angry when people could afford schools where they got no scholarships, knowing my expensive options weren’t options at all.
And other people would no doubt be angry looking at me. I grew up in a wealthy area with good schools, and I benefited immensely from that. My being white put me at no disadvantage in school, and propelled me toward gifted and talented classes.
We all have some kind of privilege, and yes it is important to recognize that. I have to thank my whiteness and my upbringing for where I am.
But that’s not enough. While there is a self-awareness in me saying, “Being white helps me everyday,” awareness doesn’t do enough for the people of color disadvantaged in their day to day lives.
We have to care. We have to stay mad that rich people don’t face consequences for their actions.
And then we have to do something about it. We collectively have to say this system isn’t working and put a better one in place.
The rich and famous need to be held to the same standards and face the same consequences the rest of us face. If we can stop idolizing celebrities and see them as people, this is a good start.
Furthermore, we need to work to give less advantaged people greater access to the opportunities they’re currently being denied. They’re overcoming more to get less, and that has to change.
