So the world is abuzz about Justin Combs - Diddy’s son: you
know, the one with the restaurant named after him - getting a scholarship at
UCLA. Apparently some people have an issue with it since pops throws around
money like it burns in his hands.
(*Before I go any further, I want to fully disclose the fact
that my parents make a decent amount of money. Nowhere near Sean, obviously;
but let’s just say they’re doing fine for themselves.)
What the two brown buffalo head sense does that make? What
Justin’s father does has absolutely nothing to do with his own endeavors. It
had nothing to do with what Justin did to earn the scholarship, so why would it
have anything to do with the choice to accept it? That’s somewhat akin to
something I heard while growing up: that I was smart because my parents taught.
Bull. A lot of teachers had idiots for children, and a lot of veritable
geniuses had parents whose professions had nothing to do with education.
Another piece of support I’d like to bring up regarding the
spurious relationship between Sean’s money and Justin’s talents? Well, there’s
this…
…which I’m sure Sean has told Justin, as his affinity for
the show is well-known. Having parents who are well-off should not disqualify
you from financial rewards that are based on your talents. This is why I
believe all scholarships and financial aid should be merit-based, but that’s an
entire discussion unto itself. To quote a famous Drake line, Sean wasn’t with
him shooting in the gym.
“That money could go to someone else who deserves it”…well,
if ‘someone else’ deserved it, ‘someone else’ would have gotten it. ‘Someone
else’ didn’t. Justin did. I’m pretty sure UCLA isn’t in the business of
throwing away money, especially given that it’s run by a state that is in the
red.
“What does that have to do with anything: the state doesn’t
have time to think about every single scholarship decision UCLA makes”…exactly.
Neither should anyone else.
Who are we to tell UCLA - and definitely Sean - how to spend
their money? It’s their money. If people feel so bad about it, they should
donate to UCLA’s general scholarship fund so ‘someone else’ can have the
funding that Justin supposedly took away.
Would it be nice if Sean paid for Justin’s education, or for
someone else’s? Of course. However, that shouldn’t be required or regulated in
any way. There are lots of things we could all do to promote the general
welfare. We could give that $3 at the cash register of the grocery store (which
I actually did last time I went). We could donate some time to causes we feel
worthy. We could pick up litter and throw it away, hold doors open for
others…but all too often, we don’t. How are we going to criticize Sean for
employing the same “could, but won’t” mentality that we practice in our
everyday lives?
That said, I want to go back to the main point. The work
belongs to Justin. The talent belongs to Justin. The scholarship, therefore,
should belong to Justin. He earned it.
People are stupid. I totally agree with what you said. My mom was a teacher and I was a C student at best, in elementary, junior high and some of high school. Let them be the wealthy parent and their child get a college scholarship.....yeah *crickets*
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