Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to using her money and celebrity status to guarantee her child’s admission to college. Presumably, that led to her recent denial of an Emmy nomination for her performance in the widely acclaimed When They See Us.
In September, a judge will decide whether Huffman should be imprisoned for her crime.
While there is no question she should be punished for breaking the law, the useful societal purpose served by jailing her is not immediately obvious. She poses no physical danger to anyone. Imprisonment just to make a point or set an example seems a bit mean-spirited. Having been publicly humiliated, she probably does not need time in the pokey to learn her lesson. It is highly unlikely she will be a repeat offender, and it’s hard to imagine others will try to do what she did if she is not incarcerated.
Maybe it would be more appropriate to make her contribute money to scholarship funds for deserving college applicants. That way, at least, some of the people hurt by her actions would receive a little relief.
Those who oppose that idea say it’s unfair for the rich and famous to get off the hook for their offenses simply by writing a fat check. They may have a point. Everyone should be equal under the law. The question is, what constitutes equality?
What’s really at play here is the larger and more important issue of the extent to which we are willing to allow fame and wealth to unlevel the playing field.
As an unknown and non-billionaire parent of a rising high school senior who has worked incredibly hard for her great grades, amazing standardized test score, and leadership positions in extracurricular and athletic activities, I am bothered by the influence of fame and money in the college admissions process.
But having met dozens of college admissions staff in recent months, all of whom have struck me as people of integrity, I am cautiously optimistic that our daughter’s application will be judged on its merits. That’s all we can ask.
As a society, however, it is unfortunate that we have allowed the establishment of a different set of rules for the glitterati. Among many other privileges not available to most people in this country, the rich and famous are seated at special tables in areas of restaurants and bars that are roped off from the great unwashed; they are given free suites in the best hotels; they are whisked through security screening at airports (when they fly commercial); they get private appointments for such routine functions as having a driver’s license renewed; they are draped in jaw-dropping diamond ensembles at no cost, and are given gift bags worth thousands of dollars simply for appearing at events at which they are honored.
Can we really be shocked when they think they can get away with things the rest of us cannot?
Look at a magazine rack in any store in any city in this country and you will see that the amount devoted to the rich and famous exceeds any other category. How many glossy magazines celebrate teachers, police officers, firefighters, sanitation workers, doctors, nurses, or community volunteers?
It is impossible to know whether that is the cause or result of our national obsession with celebrities, but it is a discredit to us as a country, and it has proven dangerous to celebrities more than once.
Some have even suggested our obsession with celebrities was a factor in the election of President Trump. An interesting theory, for sure.
Whether that’s true or not, paying and glorifying actors and athletes so much more than those who teach, heal, or serve the community creates a society in which some celebrities believe they are special and indeed, better than the rest of us. Therefore, they are entitled to things we are not, such as sparing their child(ren) from the indignities, scrutiny, and uncertainties of college admission processes.
Does that justify what Huffman and perhaps others did in their illegal efforts to get their kids into college? Of course not. They knew better. It’s not society’s fault that they chose to break the law.
Until we become a society that values educators, police officers, medical professionals, sanitation workers, and firefighters as much or more than entertainers, performers, magicians, singers, and football players, then we can expect more of what Ms. Huffman and other famous and wealthy people tried to do.
The good news in all of this is that despite the nerve-wracking process of college selection, there is a school for every student, and like all applicants, Felicity Huffman’s daughter will get in somewhere. Whether it will be prominent enough to please her mom is irrelevant. What matters is that she learns, grows, and enjoys her experience there.
That’s what parents sending kids to college should be focused on. No amount of fame, money, Emmy snubs, or even prison time can guarantee that.
Mark Weinberg, a communications consultant and executive speechwriter, served as special assistant to the president and assistant press secretary to President Ronald Reagan, and is the author of Movie Nights with the Reagans (Simon & Schuster). He and his wife are raising two children.
