Perspective: When parenting becomes a religion, college admissions officers become high priests
A woman walks past a sign directing people toward the admission center at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles on March 13. By David Zahl March 23 Take a drive around any upper-middle class enclave in America, and within minutes you will spot a station wagon or three adorned with collegiate logos. These cars belong by and large not to college students but to their parents.
When parents resort to criminal means to secure their child a spot at a top university, no doubt they believe they are acting in the child’s best interest. They worry, as do all parents, about their kid’s future, and they know a prestigious answer to the “Where did you go to school?” question guarantees, rightly or wrongly, a lifetime of opportunity and respect for their child.
Perhaps that sounds like hyperbole. A friend once told me if you are having trouble understanding fanatical behavior, trace the righteousness in play, and things will become clear. This helps explain why someone might commit felonies to circumvent a university’s front door. Actions like these reflect a society in which success, not goodness, has become our highest virtue. Maybe it always has been.
If parenting is a religion, then admissions officers serve as de facto priests, doling out blessings or curses in response to the sacrifices offered them in accordance with Almighty Standards of Performance. The words engraved on their stone tablet read “Thou Shalt Excel — Effortlessly Yet Also With a Degree of Humility.” Or else.
What is required in the religion of parenting is nothing short of the objectification of one’s progeny. Experience shows that kids who have been objectified rarely fail to make their feelings known. They may do so with words. They may do so with their wardrobe. They may do so by moving across the country.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Perspective | The college admissions scandal isn’t just about rich, entitled peoplePerspective: The college admissions scandal isn’t just about rich, entitled people
Read more »
Perspective | We’ve been here before: Colleges haven’t learned from admissions fraudAdmissions officers are far more likely to suspect fraud from a certain type of kid. And it’s not the children of Lori Loughlin or Felicity Huffman.
Read more »
Prosecutors seek cooperation from some wealthy parents in college admissions scandalFederal prosecutors are interested in talks with some of the wealthy parents charged in the sweeping college admissions scandal as investigators continue to broaden the case, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Read more »
College admissions scandal: Wealthy parents told to make deal or face more chargesFederal prosecutors are seeking potential deals with some of the wealthy parents charged in the sweeping college admissions scandal as investigators continue to broaden the case.
Read more »
Wiretaps, emails and checks: Parents in college admissions scam face tough legal fightSome of the parents charged in the colleges admission scandal have a tough choice to make in the coming weeks: Do they fight the charges against them or agree to cooperate with federal authorities?
Read more »
The Other Atrocity In The College Admissions Scandal: Bad ParentingThe wealthy parents who allegedly paid bribes for college admission, writes Joanna Weiss, delivered shameless lessons to their elite children: The rules don’t apply to you.
Read more »
Powerful parents lose jobs, face backlash over college admissions scandalThe parents and others accused of cheating and bribing officials to get their kids into elite colleges are expected to face charges in federal court in the coming weeks. They also are facing fallout — and in some cases consequences — from the sensational scandal.
Read more »
Analysis | The baffling argument that has become mainstream under Trump: ‘Islam is not a religion’Analysis: The baffling argument that has become mainstream under Trump: 'Islam is not a religion'
Read more »
Perspective | Why women have become targets in the immigration fightReproductive rights have become a major flash point in the battle over immigration.
Read more »