Today, we discussed how it is that we classify knowledge. Moving past our starting point, we broadened the discussion into how intelligence, specifically university-certified intelligence, can benefit individuals. Superficially, this seems to be fairly straightforward--of course a university degree is beneficial, requiring years of hard labor to produce a degree from an approved educational institution. This seems innocent enough, but what about the unspoken subtext? Operating within the framework of this course--where all of a sudden nothing makes sense--perhaps the most obvious explanation, the most sensible, is a farce. In other words, is our understanding of knowledge, degrees and achievement fundamentally biased, exclusive and unjust?
In the United States, not everyone can earn a fancy degree framed in an ornate placard featuring cursive calligraphy that very few people can actually read. The collegiate degree, the esteemed diploma, is in itself a status symbol. It represents power, drive and achievement, all honorable qualities. But what about luck?
To succeed in this society, an individual needs more than talent: they need a certain amount of luck, of "I was in the right place at the right time," of "I knew this person who really helped give me a chance." These connections are crucial yet we, the nation of individuals, often don't want to confront this unsettling truth. After all, why would we, the self-made individual, admit that that might is not the case?
Even in something as impersonal and "safe" as a blog post, these words are difficult to write. But lest my point should remain unclear, allow me to spell it out.
I am white. I am male. I am a heterosexual who is over 6 feet tall. My physical appearance is beneficial; I fit easily into the category of red-blooded American male that this country appears to prize. I was born with no abnormalities and with an average degree of aptitude. Both of my parents raised me growing up and I was surrounded by a support network of loving family and friends that pushed me to where I am today. I was born in the United States of America to a middle class family; I knew that college was always in my future. In essence, I won the lottery of life. I have had to do very little, comparably speaking, to achieve what I have achieved, due mostly to factors outside of my control. I'm incredibly lucky, incredibly lucky. The scary thing, though, is to ask myself: how much of my success is due to elements outside of my control?
My culture is telling me one thing--that I have earned what I have achieved and it is due to my tenacity as an individual. My heart might be telling me something different, though.
Again, let me repeat: how much of my success is due to elements outside of my control?
Maybe I don't want to know.
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