Corruptive Connections

I must say that I was absolutely outraged by a conversation that I heard today.  Some ladies were talking about their children being in college.  One was mentioning how nervous her child was about starting her college journey.  Another spoke of how hard her child had worked to earn an R.A. position.  But what the third woman said took the cake.

This woman said, "Well, my daughter is going to be an R.A. her junior and senior year."  The other women asked how she knew this.  She offered, "We are related to someone who works at the college.  And she/he said that they will let her work with her/him to get her master's for free, too.  It's great to have connections."

I am sorry.  This is the point where I absolutely lost it inside.  Why should this woman's daughter get a free college education because of someone she knows?  I was taught that hard work would be the key to success, only to find out more and more that all of the chances to do something amazing are going to people who are not even working for it.  They are simply HANDED the education, job, etc. 

I will not stand on my soap box and throw a pity party shouting, "Not fair!"  What I will say is this, what about those who are struggling to attend college?  What about those students who cannot afford a college education, but desperately want one?  This girl will be stealing their opportunity and she won't even bat an eye.  She will think that she is entitled to this.  Why?  Because that is the narcissistic society that people are being raised in today.

And I thought these so called "connections" are actually deemed as nepotism.  Isn't nepotism ethically wrong?  Someone is being favored merely because of who they are related to.  We cannot choose who our family is.  Not all of us can have the lifestyle of Paris Hilton.  So, why should we be punished for this?

I truly hope that this type of behavior will stop.  It makes me absolutely sick to think of how hard I worked in school just to have a great opportunity like this be given to someone who didn't even have to try.  Still, I am proud of the accomplishments that I have achieved ON MY OWN.