The college essay wrongly encourages students to cast themselves as victims, to exaggerate the adversity they’ve faced, and to turn genuinely upsetting experiences into the focal point of their self-understanding. The college essay, dear reader, should be banned and banished and burned to the ground.

  • theneverfox@pawb.social
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    4 days ago

    I mean, it is a problem… It’s literally filtering higher education by main character syndrome.

    If you force someone to victimize their self history, that doesn’t just go away - it’s recontextualizing your life. That’s not something people generally do outside therapy or psychedelic trips. It’s deep introspection, it’s something the average person only does a few times in their life

    If privileged people think of themselves as victims, that instills a lack of empathy. They look at those less fortunate, and think they had it harder, because they don’t know the details of their lives but their narrative is as a victim

    They’re fucking disappearing people in my county, and there’s no problem that measures up to that… But it is a real problem

    • just_another_person@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      What in the fuck are you even describing right now?

      If you force someone to victimize their self history

      ??? Has English completely left your brain? This sentence makes no sense, but maybe I’m in the wrong here. I’d love for you to break it down into a digestive format that myself and everyone can understand, because otherwise, this sentence is absolute bullshit and nonsense.

      Please allow me to respond to your comment first in the context of the article so we’re on the same page:

      1. Your assertion is that college-aged kids are being FORCED into an essay. K
      2. These college-aged kids are both privileged AND victims somehow? Cool
      3. Because they don’t know what these “college.aged.”“kids”" are saying, that something must be wrong.

      And then in the last single sentence you get to the heart of the matter.

      Seriously fuck off with this nonsense. Personal essays have been a mode of education for hundreds of years. Now you take issue with their subjective nature? My fucking LAWD.

      They aren’t agreeing with you dumbshittery. It doesn’t mean they are wrong.

      If they start spouting stats and facts that are fucking DEMONSTRABLY wrong, then come on back and have this argument.

      All you’re espousing right now is they don’t agree with your stupid bullshit. Fuck right off.

      • theneverfox@pawb.social
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        4 days ago

        These college-aged kids are both privileged AND victims somehow? Cool

        This is the heart of it. I don’t know what else you’re going on about, but but yes - this is the problem

        You can be both. You can go through abusive experiences and decide they’re normal - and vice versa. You can be both a victim and a predator… To insist otherwise is fucking brain dead