Carolyn Hax: How to respond when people imply your son got burned by affirmative action?

After a competitive year, your son only got into a couple of the "top colleges" he applied to. How do you respond to people who say it's because he's a While male from a privileged zip code? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Advice to help you tackle life's problems.     (Nick Galifianakis for The Post) How to respond when people imply your son got burned by affirmative action? Dear Carolyn: It was a really competitive year, and my son got into only a couple of the "top" colleges he applied to. He got rejected from the rest, including his dream school. It was hard on him, but he made peace with it and is excited for the school he chose (and that chose him). Yay for him! How do I shut down comments implying that my son — a White male from a privileged Zip code — was rejected because of affirmative action? It really [ticks] me off and I think they're outright wrong. But I don't have a good response locked and loaded — in part because the comments vary and aren't always direct. This also just depressed the hell out of me, that so many White people still feel our kids are entitled to those spots and they're being "taken" from us. — [Ticked] Read Carolyn's Response     ADVERTISEMENT   Want more? Carolyn's been writing her advice column for two decades. Explore the archives below. Stepmother-in-law tells your baby that you're 'just for food' and claps at you to get your attention Read more »   Reader resents being asked to cover the school's budget shortfall, but her husband is fine with it. Read more »   Don't dread certain futures. Steady yourself for them. Read more »     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Bold School for smart advice on how to get better with age, plus tried-and-true tips from our readers, every Monday and Friday for 12 weeks. Sign up »

Manage my email newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe from Carolyn Hax | Privacy Policy | Help You received this email because you signed up for Carolyn Hax or because it is included in your subscription. ©2021 The Washington Post | 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071