Buy Me to the Moon
On Tuesday we learned that there was a “massive college admission scam” with players from Hollywood as well as business leaders across America. The charges stem from mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit these crimes. But as I read those charges – they meant nothing to me. Those are merely legal terms of violations. They do not capture the essence of the real damage that has been caused.
I decided to look up the two Hollywood A-listers out of the forefront of this scandal, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
Huffman attended The Putney School, a private boarding high school in Putney, Vermont, and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan in 1981. She attended New York University, Circle in the Square Theatre School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. (Wikipedia, 2019)
Loughlin attended Oaks School #3 Elementary School in Oceanside, NY. She would go on to graduate from Hauppauge High School. (Wikipedia, 2019)
Several scenarios present themselves to me as I ponder how this came about. The student (child) tries his/her best in school but for whatever reason does not measure up to the standards of these very prestigious learning institutions and:
- Cries to his/her parent in despair to help them get in despite not qualifying.
- The parent simply refusing to accept the level of achievement that the child has attained and is prepared (and willing) to put his/her money where his/her mouth is.
My question is – for what? For the pride and opportunities that attendance (or a degree from that university) will afford them? I don’t believe that. These adults have already demonstrated that earning something is not the way to go – buying it is.
What is going on in our society? And what does it say for those individuals affiliated with these universities and testing grounds that they could be bribed to this end?
Let’s now take a look further into the future. Do you think for one moment that having not qualified on their own to earn acceptance to these elite schools and mommy and daddy shelling out thousands (if not millions) to get them in anyway will somehow inspire them to do well enough to keep up the façade? One of two things will occur: Either the student will sit back and wait for the next challenge to be met by someone else’s wallet OR they will take a hit right in the self-esteem knowing that their parents simply could not stand the “disappointment” of them not measuring up.
Many Hollywood actors choose to become a voice to influence the people. They have everyone’s attention and they use that to create a platform to sway public opinion. Well, congratulations to those who have embarked on this very expensive ethics violation. You have diminished EVERYONE affiliated in any way with these establishments. And all of that pales in comparison to what you have done to your own children.
Take what’s left of your money, find yourself a very expensive attorney and try your best to pretend that thought of your child having to go to a Community College was simply too much to bear. You had no choice but to bribe child’s way into an acceptable future….something “you” could be proud of.
What do you think?
The Roaring Ellie
Wikipedia, Retrieved on the world wide web on March 14, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicity_Huffman
Wikipedia, Retrieved on the world wide web on March 14, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Loughlin
Unfortunately, these parents and school administrators who are involved in this debauchery have certainly lost sight of the true objective of higher education. That is to prepare ones self to be mentally, financially and emotionally responsible to stand on their own when college is finished.
I suppose to these people, the name of an institution is the only thing that matters. Not the actual education that one would be capable of attaining. The more you pay for something the more valuable it must be. Whether or not it’s legitimate. So the bottom line is, if you have deep enough pockets it’s yours for the taking, earned or not
And that is the absolute tragedy in this story! The most valuable lesson these parents could teach their children and they blew it.