Last week, news broke about a college admissions scheme where parents paid millions of dollars to bribe their children into Ivy League colleges and universities across the United States. Some of the Ivy League schools included: Yale University, Georgetown University, University of Southern California, and Stanford, just to name a few. It was found that celebrities such as Lori Loughlin, an actress from “Fuller House” and Felicity Huffman from “Desperate Housewives” were involved in this scheme. Loughlin and her husband fashion designer, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly agreed to pay bribes of $500,000 so that their two daughters could attend the University of Southern California.
Image: wallstreetjournal.com
While a bulk of college admissions scheme included parents paying their children’s way into elite colleges and universities, it also involved wealthy parents bribing college entrance exam officials to facilitate cheating on exams such as the SAT and ACT. This outrageous scheme has not only brought up a conversation about dishonesty and classism but, the fact that white privilege exists.
By looking at this situation I see that classism and white privilege are to blame. I believe that they are to blame because white people believe the color of their skin allows them to take advantage of the system. The scandal proves that money is the root of all evil. People in these positions of power tend to use them for their own selfish advantages. This also shows how desperate people can be to say that their child attends an Ivy League school. These actors and actresses involved in this scandal proved that they are scared of other people’s opinions. In reality, just because someone attends Yale, Harvard, or USC does not make them any better than people who do not attend these schools. In my opinion, even though white privilege is something that us as black people will constantly have to deal with, it is important for us to know that we possess skills that people cannot put a price on. This scandal proves that the world needs more people with integrity and good morals to stand up and be able to say that this is wrong.