Growing up I remember people telling me, "you only got into Princeton because of affirmative action." I know it was said "as a joke," but even then, I often felt like those that said it believed it, even if only a little. My achievements in high school weren't enough to merit my acceptance into an elite school. Since then there have been lawsuits aimed at ending any school policy that provides an opportunity for people of color, and generally those who grow up at a disadvantage from gaining access to premier education at elite schools. Low and middle class whites aimed their frustration at people of color, immigrants, and other low income societal groups as the reason for their struggle with upward mobility. In light of the recent scandal which highlights the lengths that the wealthy go through to make sure their children attend elite schools, it's my hope that that anger is redirected. It's not us that are stealing your positions and keeping you from advancing, it's the rich. It's always been the rich.
For those who feel that illegal immigrants are cheating the system and taking away opportunities from their children, or those who think that affirmative action is taking away opportunities from them or their children, I hope you are just as angry if not angrier about this scandal. Here are people whose children were given every available resource to thrive, and whose children chose not to thrive, who paid money to fake charities (which means they didn't pay taxes on that money) to bribe officials and give their kids a spot in a school that you or your child may have been able to get into. Those kids will go on to "earn" higher positions in companies where they serve as your and your children's bosses. And as they climb the corporate ladder, and eventually have children of their own, they'll repeat the process, perpetuating as system the supports the rich.
So when you get angry about people fleeing to the US to avoid death and torture at the hands of gangs and cartels, and when you get angry at people of color for getting a little bit of help to offset slavery and Jim Crow, remember that there are also the wealthy who already have every advantage, and cheat to make sure they keep it. They are the ones taking the jobs that you want.
Affirmative Privilege
