Teaching Students to Feel Guilty about Financial Success

American Thinker ^ | 01/08/2013 | By Christopher Paslay

[SeekAndFind]

The New York Times is the only newspaper that runs a "business" column not about how to get ahead economically, but rather about how to indoctrinate kids to feel guilty about being financially successful. At least that's the theme of Ron Lieber's recent article, "An Invitation for High School Seniors to Write About Finances," which calls for seniors to submit their college application essays that focus on finance to the New York Times for possible publication.

How do high school seniors write exemplary essays about "finances," exactly? One way is by concentrating their writing on corporate thugs like Bernie Madoff. Lieber states in his article:

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At Pitzer College, a student used the example of the Ponzi schemer Bernard L. Madoff to take a philosophical look at how much money people truly need to be happy. This, according to Angel Pérez, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid at Pitzer, makes for an excellent college application essay. "I think there is this new consciousness," Pérez said. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

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High school seniors can also write about "finances" by stepping into the class warfare fray by stigmatizing the richest 1 percent and demanding they pay more taxes (more than the 39.6 percent they pay now). According to Lieber:

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Aside from the Madoff essay, Mr. Perez has read other Pitzer applicant essays and had other conversations with applicants about money and the economy in recent years that have stuck with him.

"One student last year was very affected by the whole conversation about the 1 percent," he said. "He sent us his proposal for the tax code. The committee thought that this is someone who is clearly thinking about this in a critical way, is informed about what is going on in the world

[albie]

“...how much money people truly need to be happy”

...I can’t begin to tell you how much I despise this statement. When this little blurb is belched out by some lib, does anyone ever ask the twirp, “where will the money go that you don’t want?” “If you have a job making $50,000 per year and that’s ‘enough’ for you, do you turn down raises?” “If so, where do you think your money will go?” “What happens when you have an unexpected expense, like your car gets totaled and insurance won’t pay? or a health expense you didn’t plan for?” “Why must we all try and figure out how much we need?” “Do you think Henry Ford would’ve been so industrious had he been given a limited salary?” “Well, As%^ole”!

[SMARTY]

‘”It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.” Albert Camus

Part of invalidating Christianity is to demonize a wholesome, Protestant work ethic.

So: ‘Let’s all be lazy, recalcitrant and surly, so the state will indulge us out of fear!’

Really….seriously?

[central_va]

All these profs have Euro envy. In a socialist cradle to grave society how much you make doesn't really matter. Look at the income distribution curve for Sweden:

[Resolute Conservative]

You want to see manifestations of this watch some of these house flipping shows in the NE where a young couple (under 27) is buying a POS house that costs $800K. It is crazy. The cost of these houses, a wood framed, 1800 sq ft 3br/2ba house that would only go for $100 or less down here, is another discussion all together. They don’t have a realistic grasp of true income and how to manage it when all they see on tv is out of college kids making 6 figures and buying brownstones and luxury cars.

I didn’t make over $60K until I was in my mid 30’s, kids nowadays expect that or higher our of college. I have young 30’ in my office making $100K for software, it took me 20 years to get there.

[Old North State]

It is interesting to note that the whole purpose of this piece is to get applicants to concentrate on their emotions. For liberals, knowledge, accomplishment, intellect, are all subservient to feelings; and not just any feelings. Correct feelings are parsed by ethnicity and gender. Whites must feel guilty, minorities must feel entitled, men must be sensitive and women must be assertive.
Don't have a clue about history, science, math, or economics?
Read at a sixth grade level? No problem, just tell us how you feel about it, and remember to follow the guidelines above.

[rlmorel]

Interesting. That was the line that completely stuck out for me, and it symbolizes the difference between conservatism and liberalism.

Conservatives don’t think it is anyone else’s business what makes you happy.

Liberal’s think that they (or the government) should be able to define what makes you happy.