For those who are unaware of the recent scandal, an FBI investigation has revealed a major scam in which wealthy parents bribed SAT and ACT test administrators to help their children cheat on these tests. Not only that but it was also revealed that some of these parents were bribing college administrators to admit their kids as recruited athletes even though their children did not play sports.
A complete description of the scandal can be found on Vox and full explanation of how the scheme was pulled off can be found here. The Department of Justice has brought charges against at least fifty people involved in the scam, including actresses, Lori Loughlin (Full House), and Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives).
After her involvement in the scandal was discovered, Netflix fired Lori Loughlin from Fuller House and the Hallmark Channel severed ties with the actress. Renowned playwright, director, and screenwriter, David Mamet, writer of Glengarry Glen Ross and Wag the Dog, released statement defending Felicity Huffman, who has appeared in some of his plays, and her husband. In his letter, he claims that college admissions have always been plagued with problems and that Huffman’s bribes were no different from someone bribing a college with donation money. He goes on to say that he believes Huffman was motivated by her “zeal for her children’s future” which is something that every loving parent can relate to.
Even if Mamet is right and Huffman’s actions were motivated by her love for her children, her actions and the actions of everyone else involved in the scandal directly and unfairly impacted scores of innocent people. Resources were taken away from disabled students, degrees from the affected schools are losing value, and many qualified people were rejected from universities to make room for trust fund babies.
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