If you watch any TV or are on any social media platforms, you've heard about the Lori Loughlin scandal that alleges she paid a total of $1 million to get her daughters into college.
It's truly crazy, but at the same time, I always suspected this type of bribery and deceit happened, not necessarily with this family but with other well-to-do people. I grew up knowing education and life were political, and I mean, look at all the rich students in Harvard and Yale. You really think all of them got in because they scored perfect scores on the SATs?
No. It's because their parents basically paid for their education and then some, too. More often than not, those parents are generally alumni as well, who got into school themselves the same way they're handling their children's education: through money.
What's sad, though, to me is that as someone who attends college, works hard for their education and has student loans, these parents don't realize the true shame to their actions. The ironic part is that they thought it would be more shameful for their children to not go to college than for them to be bought in.
What's ultimately shameful is that these parents didn't believe in their children's abilities and dreams.
I'm not a fan of Olivia Jade, who is the daughter of Lori Loughlin and whose education was bought. I've seen her face pop up on YouTube and Instagram once or twice, but I never paid much attention to her.
Even though I don't follow her, I still feel bad for her. Because her parents forced her hand into this education debauchery, she has taken the brunt of the storm, too.
Across social media, she has been shamed for this scandal, for not wanting education and for being spoiled. Her YouTube videos are being clipped into 15-second cuts of her saying she didn't want to go to school, that her parents ultimately forced her to go, and how the only parts she looks forward to are the parties and football games.
But honestly, if I was doing the thing I love without needing an education, I wouldn't go to college either.
I think people forget that education is a choice. Just because she didn't want to go doesn't mean she's stupid. Although her job as a social media influencer may seem like a joke to many, that joke pays hundreds of thousands of people each year millions of dollars.
As the saying goes, work smarter not harder.
Anyone who hates on social media influencers are really just jealous, maybe not of the role itself, but of the money it brings for the seemingly little work they do for it.
Education truly is subjective. Some people learn better in classrooms, some people learn better doing hands-on work. For social media influencers, it's learning from the trade and other people who do the same profession as well.
The job may not be the most respectable work I've seen, but it's something that supports families worldwide and allows people to fulfill their dreams of traveling, acting, working on video, becoming photographers and sharing advice. You know, just because this may not be mine or everyone else's dream jobs doesn't mean that it isn't someone else's.
It's easy to criticize people for their actions and dreams, but I find that the people who attack others the most understand the least.
Did Lori Loughlin do a really despicable thing to her daughters? Honestly, yeah. If my parents didn't believe I could amount to much without education and couldn't do it on my own, I would be heartbroken. I'm sure her daughters feel this too, and now on top of it, they're the laughing stock of social media for not only being "stupid," but for being more rich kids who depend on their mommies and daddies for everything.
What's crazy is that Olivia is already worth $300,000 at 19 years old, while I'm 22 and have $15 dollars to my name (not literally, but you get the point). Everyone's attacking this girl, but looking at her numbers, I'm thinking she's doing something right.
