Why is canceling student loan debt so 'controversial'? (#28)
Me thinks it has more to do with the public's zero-sum mentality than anything else.
In her fantastic 2014 memoir “A Fighting Chance,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren recounts her own fortunate path through higher education when she enrolled at the University of Houston during the late 1960s. This was, amazingly, after she had dropped out of George Washington University following an unexpected marriage proposal from an old boyfriend. But being Elizabeth Warren, she ultimately found a way to go back to school after the couple had moved to Texas. Later, she ended up going to law school, too, primarily as a compromise because she couldn’t adjust to being a full-time homemaker but knew her then-husband wouldn’t agree to her having a full-time job with the baby and all (booooo!).
(Her book is a really great memoir that I highly recommend)
In any case, I remember exactly how much the senator’s college tuition at UoH was because I distinctly remember reading the passage in the book multiple times—I just couldn’t believe how cheap it was. In fact, her tuition was so cheap that Warren writes she was able to pay her way through college by working as a…part-time waitress. Here’s the excerpt:
I now had what Jim jokingly called a “reverse dowry”—I owed money on my student loans from GW, even though I hadn’t gotten a diploma. But I had a plan. If I could finish college and get a teaching job, I could make a steady salary and the government would forgive some of those loans every year. The University of Houston was about forty minutes away, and tuition was only $50 a semester. I persuaded Jim that it would make sense for me to go back to school.
That’s right. Some time long ago, college tuition in the U.S. was as low as 50 bucks. Now you might be thinking, surely she was exaggerating for dramatic effect? That’s the same thought I had. Lucky for us, we have a thing called Google where we can find out whether Warren’s claim is true or not.
According to PolitiFact, the fact-checking arm of the non-profit journalism insitute Poynter, Warren’s claim was “mostly true”: while the tuition at UoH back then was indeed $50 (my god) that total doesn’t account for associated expenses like building fees and books, etc, which puts the real total cost per semester at the time a little bit over $100. I don’t know about you but to me that still sounds like a damn good deal for a bachelor’s degree. Today, Politifact notes “tuition at the University of Houston costs about $4,000 per semester for an undergraduate student taking 12 hours.”
I should mention that Warren is a vocal supporter of free public college and she’s also been pushing President Joe Biden to use his executive powers to forgive $50,000 of each borrower’s student loan debt (which the president has outright said he won’t do). At this moment, student loan debt in the U.S. stands at an estimated total of $1.7 trillion, according to Federal Reserve data. I mean, that is a helluva lot of debt to pay off!
When I decided to apply for graduate school in the U.S., the biggest challenge in making that a reality was, of course, money, especially since I would be paying a much higher tuition as an international student (Did you know most higher-education institutions depend on the higher tuition fees paid by foreign students to off-set the lower cost of college for domestic students? That’s why colleges were freaking out over losing international student enrollment at the onset of the pandemic).
I was fortunate to have a lot of financial support for my grad school ambitions. I ended up being able to cover my tuition through a mix of scholarship money, family money, and student loans (as a noncitizen, I was ineligible for federal loans and I was only able to access a private loan with a citizen co-signer on the contract). Because the student loan I took out was small-ish in size—certainly much smaller compared to the average amount students in the U.S. typically borrow to get through undergraduate or graduate school—I was able to pay it off within a few years of graduating. 💸💸
But not everyone has the financial support to cover college costs, and being student debt-free is no doubt a luxury in this post-pandemic economy. According to the Brookings Institution, an American research think-tank, one in eight Americans have student loan debt, so this issue is clearly far-reaching. Research shows evidence that Black students are impacted by student debt the most as they are more likely to default on student loans than white students, even when accounting for things like family background and type of college they attend. Student loan debt also disproportionately impacts women with two-thirds of student loan debt held by women borrowers, who take on large amounts of college debt then face pay inequities in the workforce.
As someone who’s had to pay off student loan debt and was lucky enough to be in a situation where it was realistic for me to do so in a matter of years, I wholeheartedly support canceling the country’s student debt and giving folks a clean slate, which Biden has promised to do—at least for some amount of student loan debt and only for those with federal loans, anyway. But whenever I see debates over student loan debt boil over online or on TV, I’ve found plenty of people who don’t agree with wiping out any student loan debt at all. Not because of any supposed economic consideration but because it’s just not fair to them.
Here’s one example from an article on student loan debt forgiveness by Al Jazeera, which quotes a suburban mother in Wisconsin who is against canceling student loan debt:
Daily coffee runs and Spring Break?? Sounds like someone has been watching too much Gossip Girl! It’s incredible that there are people who still believe in the dangerous Avocado Toast Myth: the false idea that younger generations can’t afford anything these days because they simply aren’t trying hard enough to save up, instead spending monies on fancy avocado toast at some hipster cafe which is obviously why they can’t afford to pay off their student loans—unlike Good Adults such as Amy in Wisconsin.
On a grand scale, buying a house in 2022 is not the same as buying a house in 1980. Buying a car in 2022 is not the same as buying a car in 1970. And, as Sen. Warren’s anecdote underlines, paying a college tuition in 2022 is not even remotely the same as paying college tuition in 1960. All these financial burdens become ten-fold for people who are single or without a long-term partner to shoulder costs with. I doubt most Boomers and older Gen Xers shouting about youngins buying too many matcha lattes would *not* find themselves in the same situation as many millennials or Gen Zers if they had to contend with today’s economy—and it would not be because of how many cups of Starbucks they bought.
The argument of “well, if I didn’t get any help then neither should anyone else!” is not a good enough reason to be against canceling student loan debt. Interestingly—or rather, sadly—I’ve found this zero-sum mentality exists not only in the debates around student loan debt but in conversations around other policy topics, too. For instance, there is a lot of this attitude in conversations around healthcare. As my very smart husband who’s worked years in public health policy tells me, whenever experts push for free naloxone (which is incredibly important given the ongoing opioid crisis) detractors will often be people who themselves are burdened with paying exorbitant prices for live-saving medication, such as insulin. Why should we make naloxone free for those addicts when I have to pay hundreds of dollars for my innocent son’s insulin?! they argue.
Similarly, I’ve found this sad mentality in debates about immigration policy—even from other immigrants. I was not surprised with the backlash, including from so-called liberals and progressives, that popped up after New York City passed a noncitizen voting bill, which will allow certain legal-status noncitizen residents to vote in city elections (if you want to know the facts around the bill, you can check out my old op-ed about the legislation here). Most nasty remarks I read online about immigration affairs come from conservative white folks (unsurprising), but I’ve also seen pushback from people of color and those who explicitly identify as recent immigrants or descendants of immigrants. The argument typically goes like this: I or my mama/daddy/grandparents did it “the right way” and became a citizen to vote so other people should have to go through that, too! Or, like this: people have to EARN the right to vote! whatever “earning” the right to vote means.
Personally, I find the idea of not giving a leg up to others on the grounds that it’s “unfair” because I didn’t receive the same help for the same problem utterly psychotic. But apparently, to a lot of people, prioritizing others turns into a zero-sum game when they haven’t received any help for their own problems. The fact is that these discussions aren’t just about one thing over the other. For example, when it comes to student loan debt forgiveness, it’s not about *only* forgiving student loan debt—we should also be talking about long-term solutions. Because let’s face it, erasing student debt without fixing the predatory loan system will only function as a bandaid. But why does it need to be nothing or either—between canceling all student debt OR fixing the system—when it could or should be BOTH? Certainly, we can walk and chew gum and text at the same time without tripping over ourselves.
Likewise, healthcare—including all treatment and medicine—should be equally accessible, not just naloxone or insulin. And anyone who is part of the fabric of their local community should be given the right to have a say in selecting their community’s representative, regardless of immigration status—and regardless of whether I will benefit from it personally. I may be getting a bit John Lennon here but imagine if we considered public policies without a “what about me???” attitude and instead with the explicit intent to give a leg up to those left behind even when it may not benefit us directly. Imagine if we tried to help each person thrive instead of trying to cut everyone else down? I think, ultimately, we would all thrive.
What do you think about the debate over student loan debt forgiveness? Do you think there is in fact a justifiable reason to *not* cancel the trillions worth of student debt? Sound off in the post’s comments!
🌟 TOP FIVE ISSUES OF THE P WORD IN 2021 🌟
To mark the start of this new year, I went into the newsletter’s year’s-long archives and checked out which issues got the most attention from The P Word readers! It’s always nice to do a retrospect because it reminds you of things you’ve done that you may have forgot about and, looking back, I did some really interesting write-ups this past year. I’m grateful to have been able to share my thoughts and writings with The P Word’s community of readers so thank you all for indulging me! In case you missed them, here are The P Word’s Top Five issues of 2021:
American socialists and a bad trip
My write-up on the DSA’s tone-deaf trip to Venezuela where they met with President Nicolás Maduro, eliciting criticism among their supporters.
A quickie update highlighting the work of U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo tribe, and the myth of America’s “first Thanksgiving.”
A look at the insidious history of the global bones trade and how it made its way onto viral TikTok.
The un-subtle politics of the Olympics
Highlights from the 2021 Olympics—can you believe that happened in the middle of a global pandemic??—and the history of competitive sports as political propaganda.
A meditation on FDR’s turn from American aristocrat to presidential progressive.
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TWEET OF THE WEEK: ON UNNECESSARY INNOVATIONS 💡
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THIS WEEK’S MUST READS
🔥 You’ve probably paid more income tax than some of America’s billionaires, thanks to decades-old loopholes in tax policies that were meant to tax rich American families whose descendants are still evading taxes just like their ancestors. | ProPublica
🔥 A great profile on former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a rising star in the Democratic party who shocked everyone when she didn’t seek re-election after her first term ended last year, and the complications that come with being a Black mayor of a Black city like Atlanta. | Intelligencer/New York Magazine
🔥 For the first time ever, Hawaii’s tourism authority is run by a majority of Hawaiian natives, and now the state has come up with new plans to build a culture of sustainable tourism that put the island’s needs—and its residents—first. | Bloomberg
🔥 Ex-American Idol star Clay Aiken is running for Congress in North Carolina’s newly-drawn 6th District—yes, you read that right. “If the loudest and most hateful voices think they are going to speak for us, just tell them I’m warming up the old vocal chords,” Aiken said in his wholesome campaign video, taking a shot at Republican Ken a.k.a NC Assembly Member Madison Cawthorn. | CNN
🔥 The Canadian province of Quebec plans on imposing a “health contribution” tax on the unvaccinated as COVID-19 infection rates soar. The special tax would only be put on folks who refuse to get vaccinated for non-medical reasons, like being an idiot. (JK, that last part is just my own assumption). | Guardian
🔥 The Taiwan government is boosting its affordable housing stock amid the pandemic by converting hotels into homes. The three-year plan will convert 16,000 hotel and motel rooms into affordable housing units on the island state which has done a stellar job mitigating the spread of COVID-19. | The Straits Times
🔥 A former MC recounts Nigeria’s “electrifying” gay ballroom scene that secretly thrived in the early aughts. Now, a younger generation of queer Nigerians is reviving ballroom culture amid the country’s crackdown against the LGBTQ community. | Teen Vogue
🖊️ Last month, I spoke with refugee resettlement workers, educators, and an incredibly bubbly 18-year-old Afghan student about the resources available to refugee students being resettled in public schools in the U.S. | Prism
Did you like this newsletter? Check out past editions of The P Word here.
Thanks so much for reading the newsletter’s first edition of 2022! Got any feedback or thoughts to share? Hit me up on Twitter, comment below, or reply to this email.
Stay warm and classy,
Natasha