So I have a TON of debt, close to 200k. I am one of those sporadically employed young attorneys you read about.
So I came across this new blog
and it was pretty good. However there are two writers, KF Li and Mike Triforce that are the personification of every negative stereotype about a student debtor. One has virtually declared he has no intention of paying back his debt, and the other constantly whines about how his student loans get in the way of the brand new BMW he wants to buy.
Needless to say I was more than a little offended. I contacted the person who ran it and, lo and behold, I got a response! He basically said that he wanted writers from all over the borrowing spectrum and that if his words were really that heinous it would be reflected in the comments.
So here's where I am coming from. Say this movement really gets off the ground and there is a chance at real, meaningful, student loan forgiveness, there is going to be a huge backlash, and guys like KF Li and Mike Triforce are going to be the poster children for why student loan forgiveness is a bad idea. As strong as our numbers are, there are millions of people who either never had debt or have paid off their debt and they are not going to want to relinquish their economic advantage over us. Nobody wants a level playing field when you are facing the downhill goal.
I want to do my part for the movement. I think that starts with keeping an eye on the individuals who put our whole operation at risk. If we can't convince them to be civil can we at least convince them to act right in public?
Well, I do think those two blog posts were ridiculous, and at times downright nasty (actually, I don't think that site is serious at all.) However, I don't think that only very conservative people who intend and want to pay back their student loan debt should be allowed inside the movement. No, indeed, I think it is also very possible for people that are comfortable themselves to be overly compromising and thereby sellout those of us who absolutely need to really be able to cancel their debtload right now to be able to move forward with any kind of life. I don't support the morality of being a slave to banks, and personally, I don't want or intend to pay this debt back in my current circumstances--$800 per month for the rest of my life, let alone my current 10$/hour life is pretty crippling.
As for people that have paid off their own debt, yes, they can be reactionary to our cause but ultimately they are more likely to simply not give verbal support but won't really take any action against us. I doubt some stupid blog is going to ruin our real chances, if any.
I think there is some serious commentary at
www.mydebtorsprison.com
But what keeps me coming back is the Colbert-esque satire. I just read another post that was so ridiculous that it can only be an attempt at that kind of humor.
Let's face it, there are a ton of serious blogs out there but they are for the most part extremely depressing. Just because I am in debt doesn't mean I don't like to laugh.