Is jail proper punishment in college admissions scandal?
Alas, Alec Baldwin. He does a fair job portraying an entitled narcissist on “Saturday Night Live.” But then he ruins it by acting like one in his real life.
He tweeted to support actor Felicity Huffman as she reported for a 14-day stay in a low-security federal prison, punishment for her role in the college admissions scandal.
Huffman began serving her time Oct. 15, after pleading guilty to paying $15,000 to have her daughter’s SAT answers changed.
Baldwin took exception to the prison time, posting: “I don’t think anyone involved in the college fraud cases should go to prison. That includes past cases as well.
“Community service, fines, yes.
“But prison time, no. My heart goes out to Felicity, Bill Macy and their family.”
Baldwin has a defensible point. But the defense he chose, alas, dragged him further down a rabbit hole of privilege.
“The demonization of wealth in this country is mind blowing,” Baldwin posted to answer the swarm of critics who quickly took him to task. “A country built on both freedoms and commerce. Now, all success is scrutinized. Merely to succeed, especially financially, invites scrutiny, judgment, abuse.”
Wrong. Huffman’s doing time — albeit a meager amount in relatively plush “Club Fed” surroundings — because she was daft enough to believe that it was OK for her to cheat.
She’s being punished for the hubris of believing that money can buy her child out of the difficulties poor and middle class kids have to face on their own.
Lord knows this nation adores the rich. It’s why the country elected the reality TV star Baldwin loves to lampoon.
The college admissions scandal — which also brought charges against actor Lori Loughlin, among others — has long drawn the view that public humiliation of the famous is sufficient. As if anything more would be too much for these stars to bear.
Huffman was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and pay $30,000.
Huffman could make a substantial and longstanding contribution if she educated herself to become an advocate for the type of student that her actions most offended. There is nothing more humbling than to have your own relative privilege questioned and reflected by the day-today struggles of another.
Place Huffman in the counseling office of a troubled public high school and let her get a heavy dose of the trials less- privileged students face. She could shadow a teen who works nights and weekends to save for college, one whose parents didn’t get past the 12th grade.
Let her get close to a student who isn’t enveloped by the warmth of a wellheeled household, one who has few positive adult role models. Let her get close enough so that she learns the gritty details, the subtle factors that determine who rises in society and who is mired.
I’m sure Huffman has already been cut to the core. Her deeply apologetic statement of remorse to the court included a retelling of how her oldest daughter reacted when she learned of the misdeed.
“I don’t know who you are anymore, Mom,” her daughter said, according to USA Today. “Why didn’t you believe in me, Mom? Why didn’t you think I can do it on my own?”
The cheating provided the teenager a staggering 400-point rise over the results she achieved in a practice test.
Huffman’s challenge now is to make amends outside of her family, to be a voice for those who are equally, if not even more, deserving of the breaks that she illegally tried to snare for her own.