"I don't remember any of my failing grades making national news - but then again, my mom's not a lawyer for January 6 insurrectionists. I come from a family that's pretty strict about grades. My mom has been a professor at state universities almost as long as I've been alive, so she always prioritized education. "It's the one thing that can't be taken from you," she'd say."
"I didn't bring home many failing grades when I was in school, though that may be attributed to a healthy sense of fear rather than my own aptitude. But when I did fail? I was the one in trouble. My mother didn't file a complaint with my school, and she certainly didn't take me to the local news station. She told me to do better: to either genuinely apply effort or, if necessary, learn from the mistakes and improve myself."
"I imagine that's how many of us grew up. It's something the modern conservative movement also loves to uphold - the emphasis on personal responsibility as opposed to systemic failures. The "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality. And yet, never before has someone become so famous for coming in fifth place or failing a homework assignment than through the modern conservative movement."
A family enforced strict academic standards and prioritized higher education, with a mother emphasizing that education cannot be taken away. Failures prompted private correction and encouragement to apply effort or learn from mistakes rather than public complaints. The modern conservative movement champions personal responsibility and a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" ethos. Riley Gaines tied for fifth in the 2022 NCAA women's 200-yard freestyle after tying with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, turning an otherwise unremarkable athletic result into a political platform. Gaines has publicly attacked Thomas and used the tie to argue that trans women should be barred from women's sports.
Read at Advocate.com
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