In his New York Times op ed, Casey Gerald, author of There Will Be No Miracles Here, reflects on the expose about the Louisiana school T. M. Landry and his own experience from a poor neighborhood in Texas through Yale, Wall Street, and the Washington political scene. He concludes “The American dream can also destroy people who make it ‘out’. . . . We need to stop substituting hopeful stories for justice. We must ensure that all children have a true opportunity to realize their potential. We ought to subscribe to a new vision of success, where the goal is not just great kids, but free and whole ones too.” To read the complete essay, click here.
T.M. Landry and the Tragedy of Viral Success Stories
by lindaoppenheim | Dec 10, 2018 | Opinion | 2 comments
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Thanks for sharing this link. The op-ed causes me to reflect on my own experience as one who made it out (I went from a vocational high school in a depressed post-industrial town to graduating from Princeton) and am mindful of the toll it took on my psyche and how much my experience had to do with luck on the one hand and extreme pressure to succeed on the other.
NOT having pressure to succeed can exemplify white privilege. “Do your best” “Do what you love and the money will follow” “Your best is good enough…” “Talent will emerge…” “Learn for the sake of learning…” “It’s OK to be a late bloomer..” I’m guessing that none of these were familiar to you!