There is a huge scandal going on, all the media tell me, in which rich parents committed crimes and social offenses of all kinds to get their pampered but dim-witted offspring into elite colleges, after which they can sponsor a line of perfume or become trust fund layabouts in Palm Beach. The mastermind of the scandal is allegedly one Rick Singer. We know his name because he is the mastermind. The parents involved number around 50, but two stand out. And stand out. And stand out because photos of one or both of them are used to illustrate the day's story. And their names are in the headline.
Like today: Headline writers at outlet after outlet all racked their brains. And almost to a man or woman the headline they came up with is:"Huffman, 12 other parents plead guilty in college scheme."
Who are the "12 other"?" One searches long and hard, even though, as ABC said, "Other parents charged in the scheme include prominent figures in law, finance, fashion, the food and beverage industry and other fields." Prominent they may be. Named they rarely are.
Look. This is going to be an issue next year. One side will portray it as another example of Hollywood liberals with no respect for the law. The other side will try to avoid the issue because none of the parents without a SAG-AFTRA card will be named, much less bothered, by intrepid reporters.
This story has gotten, so far, the worst kind of Rupert Murdoch-style coverage. It won't get better.
Tom - if the story didn't have the Hollywood hook, would it make the headlines?
ReplyDeleteBtw, our local newscast last night implied that the former star from Desperate Housewives may do some hard time. Perhaps not much, but when it comes to jail, at least if it's me who might have to go to jail, there is no such thing as "not much". Is this a crime that requires that the bad actors be tossed in the hoosegow to ponder their misdeeds and protect the rest of us? I would say, No. But I've always thought I'd fail as a judge - I don't have the heart to imprison anyone. Take me off the short list of successors to Kirstjen Nielsen.
In my comment directly above, I referred to the celebrities in question as "bad actors". I meant that in the sense of "malefactors", not as a critique of their artistic work!
DeleteAlways nice to have a celebrity to distract one from the other crooks. Martha Stewart was imprisoned. Not to big to prosecute but a convenient distraction from all the other Wall Street creeps.
ReplyDeleteTom, yes, the angle is prominence/celebrity (who's doing it) rather than magnitude (if this is a trend, how widespread is it and who is affected).
ReplyDeleteJim, I agree about jail. Dad served time for some DUI's, which was humiliating but not rehabilitative. One of those breathalyzers attached to his car ignition switch would have served the public safety better.
I think a more appropriate punishment for the parents and others in this debacle would be to require the miscreants to pay all the money they spent cheating into a scholarship fund for needy students whose parents didn't pull strings.
Native American courts have done some interesting things with sentencing that strengthens offenders' sense of responsibility to the community by making reparations rather than simply locking people up.
A Facebook meme going around has a picture of the two celebrities who are the face of the scandal juxtaposed with a picture of migrants trying to climb a wall. It reads, "Same difference. You try to jump to the head of the line, you take the place of someone else who had a prior claim." I see it as false equivalence, none of the line jumpers in the college scandal were in fear of their lives or in danger of starving.
ReplyDeleteWow. Facebook, which I never touch, sounds as awful as the endlessly circulating emails about how Obama wouldn't open the Bakken oilfields and how atheists made the FCC cancel a religious series. Free speech. Gotta love it.
DeleteAlso: The wall jumpers are often looking for a border agent so they can start asylum proceedings. Their only other option is waiting in a line of makeshift shelters in hopes they will be let in that day. Women with children to feed cannot afford to leave the line to work, so reports are that they are turning to prostitution.
DeleteFB is also how I was able to donate to Angry Tias & Abuelas. So it can be a blessing as well as a curse.
I hadn't heard of Angry Tias & Abuelas. What is their focus?
DeleteAT&A have been sources for journalists reporting on migrant conditions. Just a bunch of local women pissed off about the treatment of migrants who decided to do something about it by providing support on both sides of the Mexican border. From their FB page:
DeleteThe Angry Tias and Abuelas’ mission is to advocate for dignity and justice for individuals and families seeking asylum at our borders. As they embark on their journeys to destinations across the U.S., our aim is to assure their basic health and safety needs are met.
We provide emergency assistance such as food, water, clothing, toiletries, logistical support and cash funds when needed to those recently released from ICE custody at bus depots or shelters in Brownsville and McAllen. We inform asylum seekers of their rights as they await entry across international bridges and give direct financial support to refugee shelters in the RGV and select immigrant shelters in Matamoros and Reynosa.