Kim Kardashian West has begun studying to become a lawyer.
In her tweet acknowledging critical comments, she said: “The state bar doesn’t care who you are. This option is available to anyone who’s state allows it.”
There have been mixed feelings on the internet, but most aren’t coming from the actual act of her taking the bar exam to become a lawyer. The comments are more so on her not being able to acknowledge the leg up she has in the world of education.
Far too often we see celebrities and people of power choosing not to acknowledge how lucky they are in terms of money and what it can get them. For example, being able to just decide they want an education and not have to think twice about it.
While she may have to take the bar exam like anyone else who is studying to be a lawyer, it is naive to think the option to get an education is available to everyone.
For example, she has two mentor lawyers who help her study, and they come to her so that she doesn’t have to travel back and forth to San Francisco. That is not a luxury most people get, and she should’ve been more open about this in her statement on Twitter.
While I am in no way against the idea of Kardashian West becoming a lawyer, I think this instance is just another time where people of high status and privilege are given luxuries that some people work years and years to get to.
This pertains back to the college admission scandals, where people who have money are able to have access higher education, whether their admission is deserved or not.
Similarly in this case, it was not something that was talked about prior to the scandal getting out. These children of rich parents just went to college, and some of them thought of it as simply a chance to party and make friends rather than focus on their studies.
I believe everyone has the right to an education and that learning is a beautiful thing, but the fact of the matter is not everyone has the opportunity to study to become a lawyer or a doctor or even go to college at all. It’s a tough system to break through if you aren’t given the right tools.
I want Kardashian West and any other celebrity who desires to become a lawyer to do it and help individuals, because I have always expected more of celebrities than they usually deliver to society. She helped free Alice Johnson from incarceration after she was incarcerated for 21 years for drug charges, so her efforts have not gone unnoticed. However, Kardashian and everyone else should be careful how they speak so loosely about their opportunities.
Law school is no easy feat, and while Kim Kardashian is following her dreams, keep in mind there are also people right here at IU who deserve equal praise.
