A lot, is what's wrong.Because I'm out of practice, I'm not going to organize my thoughts at first; just going to respond, in sequence, to each of the statements on the sheet.
"About to graduate debt-free." That's actually admirable. College ain't cheap.
"working 30+ hours a week making barely above minimum wage." That's why you're going to college, after all, so you don't have to work a crap job, so you can get one that allows you to make a living. That's almost full time... huh. I am honestly impressed with your dedication. No snark.
"in-state public university." Yeah, that's one way to make it affordable. Not everyone can -- nor should they -- go to Stanford. (My kids should.)
"started saving at age 17." Smart.
"I received two scholarships which cover 90 percent of my tuition." Again, that's pretty cool. Basically, you only owe 10 percent of your class costs, plus books, and living expenses. The crap job should be able to cover most of that. Makes sense.
"I have a 3.8 GPA." More on that in a few moments.
The "I live frugally" paragraphs. Kudos. More people should do that, to avoid accumulating debt before entering the real world, where debt can eat you up.
"If I did have debt, I would not blame, etc..." Not sure what this paragraph is doing here, unless the person is more interested in making a self-righteous point or a political statement. Both of which are cool. I do that all the time! You're reading that kind of thing right now.
"and will continue to work my @$$ of for everything I have." Just say ass. Otherwise, you look and sound 13 years old.
"I am NOT the 99%." Well, by definition, you are, since the other 1 percent refers to the richest 1 percent of Americans. I don't think you are part of the 1 percent. Maybe that 3.8 GPA is being dragged down by a poor math score? (That was mean, yes, but I won't take it back.)
So let me get this straight.
That sheet describes the kind of effort it takes to graduate debt-free
-- from an in-state university
-- with 90 percent of the tuition eliminated
-- forgoing all luxuries
-- working nearly full time.
Damn. I'm not encouraged. I'm depressed. Our higher education system is financially broken, and we need immediate reform. This is not a picture worth celebrating. It's one we ought to never have to see in the first place.
Touche', John. You totally have a point! ;-)
ReplyDeleteamen, brother. Whomever wrote that paper is an asshole. Assuming, that it WAS a real person, and not some propagandist in charge of sewing discourse about the 99% movement. It really does seem too "Joe The Plumber" to have been created organically. That's what my gut tells me, anyway. Kudos for your rebuttal. I was about to do the same thing, but you made all my points for me, with the exception of the propagandist theory.
ReplyDeleteTo that end, I don't necessarily believe that going to college should be free for everybody, but a high quality education shouldn't just be available to the landed aristocracy. We don't see a lot of the 1%'ers clipping coupons, working minimum wage, and living in shitty apartments without amenities or a cars now, do we? The middle ground should be much easier to come by. If you're in college, you shouldn't necessarily have to spend the majority of your time pinching pennies and working your "@$$" off. That time is better spent concentrating on homework and bettering yourself through an in-depth education rather than stressing about rent or food. If the child of a Michigan auto worker wants to fucking attend a good school, then, by God, they should be able to, without having to decimate the family's financials. If they want to attend a cheap in-state school, then that's fine too. The point is that they have the choice, even without scholarships that cover 90% of tuition.
ReplyDeleteThere's a better way than just sucking it up and pinching pennies, and there's a better way than forgiving all college debt. I say meet in the middle, a little closer to what a realistic picture of the American dream used to be.
Also, to the person who wrote that sign, when I write something, I sign my name to it. Is it too much to ask that you do the same? That is assuming that an actual person wrote it and not some seditionist.
Colin Eggleston
Hattie - Thanks! Someday, I'll try to change from That Guy Who Points Out Problems to someone who offers solutions.
ReplyDeleteDurandal/Colin - I considered that the note-writer was a plant to combat OWS movements and the like. But since it that was an unprovable dead end, I let it go. (A possible tip-off phrase is most certainly "If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions," which sounds phony, accusatory and is way more politically pointed than the rest.)
Thanks for reading. Stick around, I'll think we'll get along.