Overall Theme:
This piece exposes the racist, classist, and sexist hypocrisy surrounding higher education in America. It unpacks how the narrative of “college is a scam” didn’t appear until Black, brown, and female excellence began challenging legacy, privilege, and patriarchy.
Detailed Breakdown
1. “Racist. To the poor: college is a scam. The rich: legacy admissions to college.”
Analysis:
This opening hits hard. It captures the double standard immediately. Poor folks are told not to trust college—while the wealthy quietly leverage it to secure power. Legacy admissions are institutionalized nepotism. They don’t just open doors; they keep them closed for others.
2. “College degrees didn’t become useless… just because you got one doesn’t mean you’re smart.”
Analysis:
This highlights a cultural shift: College used to equal status. Now, suddenly, degrees are “worthless.” But the real shift isn’t in the value of education—it’s in who’s holding the degrees. The question isn’t about usefulness. It’s about access and identity.
3. “Until the Jasmine Crackers of the world…”
Analysis:
This line likely refers to a stand-in or archetype—white conservative voices who mock educated Black and brown people or feminists who challenge patriarchal norms. The name feels symbolic, representing a backlash against progress.
4. “Until women started going to college to get degrees and work on their careers…”
Analysis:
Now we touch on gender politics. Education used to be a means for women to become better wives. Once they used it to build themselves—not men—education became threatening. This shift from dependency to autonomy is what got labeled “a problem.”
5. “When college degrees were exclusive to white men, oh they were just fine.”
Analysis:
This is the gut punch. It exposes the core hypocrisy: Exclusivity breeds prestige. The moment marginalized groups gain access, that same prestige gets questioned. That’s not coincidence—it’s structural resistance to equality.
6. “Now all of a sudden they’re useless…”
Analysis:
“Useless” is code. It means, ‘less exclusive.’ When everyone has access, the elite must devalue the thing to maintain control. This isn’t just about education—it’s about power hoarding.
7. “Then they tried to price people out…”
Analysis:
Now we get into the economics. Skyrocketing tuition, predatory loans, systemic poverty. The system couldn’t stop folks from enrolling—so it made access a financial trap. They said: You can come, but you’ll pay for it the rest of your life.
8. “Don’t let these folks lie to you about college degrees…”
Analysis:
This is a call to arms. A rejection of the defeatist narrative. The speaker is reminding us: The scam isn’t college—it’s who’s allowed to benefit freely from it.
9. “While they’re telling us college is a scam… they’re sending their kids to college.”
Analysis:
Exactly. The rich aren’t opting out—they’re just redirecting the messaging to discourage competition. If they can convince poor and marginalized folks that college isn’t worth it, they reduce the threat to their generational advantages.
10. “You are now going to be competing with the world…”
Analysis:
Globalization has changed the game. This is bigger than the U.S. now. The speaker warns: While we’re arguing about if degrees matter, the children of elites across the globe are stacking theirs up. Don’t fall behind due to someone else’s deception.
11. “The poor: college is a scam. The rich: legacy admissions to college.” (Refrain)
Analysis:
Ending where we began creates a circular structure that reinforces the central truth: This is not about the value of education—it’s about who’s allowed to have it without being punished.
Key Themes:
- Class manipulation through narrative control
- Anti-Blackness and misogyny in modern education narratives
- Weaponization of student debt
- Legacy admissions as institutional racism
- Gatekeeping knowledge to maintain supremacy
- Global competition and the importance of resisting disinformation
Tone:
Righteous. Unapologetic. Direct. This isn’t an intellectual debate—it’s a sermon from the trenches. A speech for the silenced. A wake-up call.
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