Opportunity for the Already-Privileged
May 31st, 2006 at 11:33 am by Susie
Duncan sums it up nicely:
The proliferation of unpaid jobs as the entryway into important political and journalistic institutions makes such institutions extraordinarily exclusive and perpetuates a huge class bias. Not everyone has parents who can subsidize their summers. Not everyone can afford to forego making real money during the summer.
Wonderful opportunities for those who can afford to take them.
This is why so many political leaders and journalists are out of touch - they only talk to people just like them. (How else do you explain “liberals” who think higher health insurance co-pays are a great idea?)
That’s always my beef about things like the Take Back America conference, too. Voices like mine are far too often shut out of the political discussion because the financial hurdles are too high.
You can help. Click here or here to contribute to my trip fund - and many thanks to those who have already donated.
See you in DC, Suze. It’ll be fun.
In my former life as a musician, the career track rewarded the kids who could do the summer festivals, like Tanglewood and Aspen. Same deal. Me, I was mixing paint at W.T. Grant or running the high school music camp. The one festival I played, as a featured soloist, left me a grand in debt even after a full ride. And that was at the same time the school loans from grad school kicked in.