Michelle Obama warns Gen Z students: Don’t let the Ivy League ‘scam’ you

[quote] But after completing her first semester (with straight A’s, no less) as one of the only Black women on campus, she realized she wasn’t the outsider after all. In reality, plenty of students, from athletes to those from legacy families, owed their spots on campus to something other than academic merit.

[quote] “It was infuriating, but it was freeing because I was like, ‘I get it now. You're just trying to get into my head. You're scared of me. You don't want me competing with you,’” she added. “And I think it was at that period, going to one of the top schools, that I was like, ‘I'm done. I am done worrying about whether I belong here. This is a scam.'”

Wow.

Just.... wow.

I think she needs to stop talking now.

She's not wrong...

I have never felt imposter syndrome. In fact, there are so many stupid people that I interact with in my professional life that I think, of course I belong here. If they can do it, I can too

Everyone feels like imposters no matter what. Yeah, her whining is getting tedious. Her sense of victimhood is a bottomless pit.

I went to Princeton. Shre right.

*She's

She's 100% correct, and I applaud her for saying so. Legacy admission, affirmative action, athletics, or geographical profile got you in. It doesn't mean that you are an imposter. Admissions recognizes potential. She lived up to what they believed she had in her, and more importantly...Michelle Obama lived up to her own standards.

I know that more often than not it is the legacy admission who doesn't belong. Family money (and Mommy and Daddy who are active alums) got them in. There are those who work hard, but then there are others like the guy I knew in college whose family were all alumni who gave a great deal of money to the school. He was dumber than a box of rocks. And a real homophobe to boot.

[quote] Everyone feels like imposters no matter what. Yeah, her whining is getting tedious. Her sense of victimhood is a bottomless pit.

Michelle's message is more important today than ever. Insidious, structural racism is on the rise. All the anti-DEI and anti-affirmative action efforts, and the bullshit about America being a meritocracy, are calculated to discourage Blacks and instill imposter syndrome.

In what f*cking perversion of a meritocracy could Pete Hegseth be Secretary of Defense?!!! Or Karoline Leavitt be anything other than that c*nt in HR at Walmart that everyone hates?!!! Or Lauren Bobert be something other than a dead whore who overdosed on meth?!!

Navigating a 5-decade career in an endless sea of white mediocrity has give Michelle essential insight that must be shared.

She’s passing her story and message on to the college undergrads and high school students who might be helped by it. And she’s 100% right. Ok, scam is a strong word for it, but the pretense of “this campus and admissions process is a pure meritocracy” can become crazymaking when you keep encountering dumb students who got admitted for an athletic skill set or because Grandpa gave them $1M.

Standardized tests are not an accurate indicator of how well someone will do in college, but colleges have to start somewhere. Grades can also be arbitrary based on the school system. A 4.0 in Mississippi probably differs from a 4.0 in Connecticut or Massachusetts. SATs are filled with hidden biases, mainly socioeconomic, that some kids have a more difficult time breaking through than others.

[quote] In what f*cking perversion of a meritocracy could Pete Hegseth be Secretary of Defense?!!! Or Karoline Leavitt be anything other than that c*nt in HR at Walmart that everyone hates?!!! Or Lauren Bobert be something other than a dead whore who overdosed on meth?!!

This is actually a valid point.

This statement does the opposite of what she hopes for. What resonates is that she did poorly on her SATs, yet got in anyway. She needs to realize how lucky she was. that a decision was made in her favor despite her subpar performance. That said, people excel in many ways that can't be measured on standardized tests. She proved her worth but how many others, given the same benefit of the doubt, could, too.

[Quote] I went to Princeton. Shre right.

Thanks for proving your point R5

With everything that's going on right now, this is the best she can do--dredging up insecurities from 30 years ago?

All she ever does is complain, complain, complain.

I think she has a constituency of pissed off women who enjoy her speaking her truth and support her.

On a recent podcast the Meghan Markle of politics was discussing how expensive it was living in the White House. What she didn't mention was the fact that after 8 years in the White House the Obama's net worth was up almost $70 million.

-Barack Obama was the president who saw the second highest increase to his wealth coming out of office, at around 5,300 percent.

-After the Democrat was in office for two terms between 2009 to 2017, he accumulated a net worth of $70 million, up from $1.3 million.

So out of touch. Does she really think that people will empathize?

Michelle Obama complains living in White House was expensive: 'You're paying for every bit of food you eat' Story by TOI World Desk • 3d • 2 min read

Former first lady Michelle Obama got heavily trolled as a clip from her podcast, where she was seen complaining about the cost of living in the White House, went viral. In 'The Diary of a CEO' podcast, Michelle said though you don't have to pay for living in the White House, every bit of the food is on you - prompting backlash from social media users on how out-of-touch she could be.

Michelle lives in a universe where people enjoy listening to complaints.

Michelle lives in a universe where people enjoy listening to themselves complain

A sense of humor would benefit her immensely.

She stars to get a bit overexposed.

Is she related to Meghan Markle, because they sound very alike.

It's not clear to me who exactly is the scammer and what is the scam? Princeton admin? Princeton students? And the scam is what?

It OP the inarticulate party, or it is Michelle?

Glass houses, it's me. I meant to ask - Is OP the inarticulate party. Sorry OP. Its Michelle. It's bullshit. I went to two ivy schools. One on full tuition scholarship. No "people" ever made me feel like I didn't belong. I had black friends and sometimes roommates. There might have been a few assholes who grumbled "affirmative action" but no black kids paid attention to such assholes.

My summary. Almost everyone lucky enough to attend an Ivy school, is mostly pleased as punch to be there, and aren't feeling scammed by anyone or any institutional actor. If a DEI or previously affirmative action admits in, and does well, where is this "scam"? Sounds like a great deal for the Ivy grad.

Trump Regime 2 has a solution for the "imposter syndrome." Scrap all DEI and affirmative action programs. No potential "imposters" are allowed in to complain/humble-brag 30 years later.

[Quote]I think she has a constituency of pissed off women

You got this part right.

She's thin skinned. And her warming is kind of dated, if it was ever even necessary.

Oh wait, I suppose Michelle could speak out to support Jews on Ivy campuses now. Not to be scammed into questioning their right to be on an Ivy campus. Last year they were so attacked. Oh wait. Ivy League jewish students are never going to self-question or doubt their right to be on campus. Queers for Palestine can go fuck themselves.

Michelle Obama has revealed that she is undergoing therapy to help her come to terms with being an empty nester.

The wife of Barack Obama and former first lady said she was preparing for the “next phase” of her life, with the sessions including work on dealing with feelings of guilt.

Cure Diana Ross recording of "It's My Turn."

I read her thesis from Princeton.

It is riddled with spelling errors.

R29, it takes a lot of work to change the subject from Michelle Obama’s experience almost forty years ago to student demonstrations last summer. I would congratulate you, but I imagine these leaps are very easy for you and happen with much frequency.

College admissions have never been just about standardized test scores or only for people who are good at taking tests. I was never great at them myself, but I did a ton of activities and knew how to put together a strong admissions package. (I had a perfect score in English, but not so much in Math on the SATs.)

The problem is, people assumed she only got in because of “DEI,” and that gave her a complex. She may have even thought she didn’t deserve to be there.

But she went on to thrive not just in college, but in her career.

And that’s the part that still matters today. This isn’t just a story from the past. It’s still happening now. It’s a good message to give young people: maybe you do deserve to be there. Maybe... just maybe... you should trust that the admissions committee saw something real in you.

Instead of the snide comments, read what she's saying. This is her experience, not the experience of the two black guys you may or may not have known at some Ivy League school back in the stone age.

This is why I roll my eyes at all the people who want her to run for President. You only want her to run so that you can trash her and tear her down. Luckily, she wants no part of that.

Why I roll my eyes is that the former First Lady actually complained about having to pay for every bit of food she and her family ate at the White House. She didn't bother talking about the fact that the people who actually prepared the food and the Secret Service that protected her family was being paid for by tax dollars.

Before Obama's presidency their net worth was 1.3 million. After serving two terms their net worth was 70 million. She's absolutely tone deaf

And who are the people who wanted her to run for President? R35

I want a public spotlight for my podcasts but don't you dare speculate about my marriage.

[quote]She didn't bother talking about the fact that the people who actually prepared the food and the Secret Service that protected her family was being paid for by tax dollars.

The White House is the people's house. Tax dollars pay for employees. You're insane.

[quote]Before Obama's presidency their net worth was 1.3 million. After serving two terms their net worth was 70 million. She's absolutely tone deaf

They write books and receive speaking fees. As other former presidents and First Ladies did. I'm old enough to remember when Reagan, dementia and all, got a $3 million speaking fee from the Japanese.

Your sheet is showing. You cunt.

Let it be said that Michelle Obama often looks a gift horse in the mouth. To mixed results.

I shared my experience as a full ride ivy student precisely because it was in the same era as Michelle's Ivy experience. The DL poster above missed my point entirely. Michelle frames her experience as being "scammed", or the presence of some "scam", but there is no scam really.

Oneupmanship is standard operating procedure in hothouse, elitist institutions, occupations, and some pastimes. Social condescension, snarking about any perceived lack among the "happy few" - NOK - "Not our Kind". Too poor. Too ugly. Too provincial. Too black. Whatever.

When people tried one upping me because I wasn't paying my way through "their" elite school, I laughed to myself and took comfort in MY ivy school having attracted a century of fat donations from their dead ancestors, so that the admissions department could take me and the school comp me. Thank you. My black friends had the same attitude. You think I'm a "charity" admit because I'm black? Poor? Well the joke is on you, asshole.

So were is the systemic "scam" in any of this? Michelle doubted herself? That's was on her to overcome.

Certainly the ivies created the meritocracy and could do it in part for their wealth and privilege of being elite for so long in American history. The Ivies are not scamming any of their various kinds of "charity" admits. They were not doing that in the 1980s and they are not in the 2020s. So what is Michelle's point in naming snarky snobby cunts as some kind of "scam"?

The advice would be better worded as "pay these assholes no mind and enjoy your experience".

Michelle often has a kind of victim narrative woven into her stories about her life experience. It's a prison of her own mind and you'd think by her age she would be smart and wise enough to reframe her perspective and update her goggles.

And the only reason anybody would be interested in their books, podcast or public speaking is because they were in the White House She doesn't seem to realize all of the things that 8 years in the White House has provided for her and her family to say nothing of the 2 homes they were able to buy after Obama's presidency. One in Kolorama, Washington DC and one in the historic Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard MA. Instead, she talks about having had to have paid for every bit of food they ate while they were in the White House! How many people do you know that don't pay for the food they eat? R38

[quote] The advice would be better worded as "pay these assholes no mind and enjoy your experience".

[quote] Michelle often has a kind of victim narrative woven into her stories about her life experience. It's a prison of her own mind and you'd think by her age she would be smart and wise enough to reframe her perspective and update her goggles.

Excellent post and excellent advice, R39.

I wish you could somehow get that message to Michelle, so that she can stop putting her foot in her mouth.

It's really a bad look.

It seems to be set point in her personality or perspective. I LIKE Michelle for the most part. But anyone can have an annoying side or a blind spot.

R38 Bill Clinton Increased His Wealth by the Most After Presidency, Barack Obama Was Second

It's fine if they increase their wealth. No one, apart from MAGAs, begrudges it. Just don't complain about your lot in life when you're doing better than 99 percent of the population.

She’s right. It is a scam that the HAVES defend at all costs for their crotchfruit. Fuck them forever.

I'll take the crotchfruit over the crotch-rot that has invaded Ivy League schools now