“We’re Actually Pretty Middle Class” Says Kid Whose Parents Started The War In Iraq
Big IssuesOpinion February 17, 2023 The New England Classic
GASSON HALL– The core curriculum, a cornerstone of Boston College’s educational pedagogy, offers many students the unique opportunity to discover that people have lived experiences. Professors often ask students to consider and share how their identities impact their lives.
Overwhelmed by his peers sharing their identities and experiences that have negatively shaped the trajectory of their lives and historically excluded them from basic human rights; Truss Fund (MCAS `24), as a straight, white, cisgender man, needed to find an identity that made him seem oppressed and marginalized.
Just then, the most brilliant and underutilized stretch of an identity came to mind. When the question got around to him, Fund proclaimed, “We’re actually pretty middle class. Like I guess I didn’t grow up with a ton, both of my parents basically worked for a gas station for most of my life. I’m also a Studio Art major and we’re not really represented much in higher education.”
Gemma Joy (MCAS `24), a low-income, first-generation student was excited to meet a student with a shared experience at a school filled with obscene displays of wealth. However, following a post-class lunch with Fund, she was left perplexed by the differences between the tax bracket he claimed to fall into and the one he seemed to actually be in.
“When I asked him about his FAFSA, he said he wasn’t in that club but was totally an ally?” Joy told the Classic. “I was really confused but tried to move past it. Then he wouldn’t stop talking about how skiing was his favorite sport. I started to really doubt that he and I had a similar financial background.”
Their lunch had left a bad taste in Joy’s mouth that she couldn’t get rid of. She decided to do a little research into Fund’s background, and found out that his mom and dad were actually the CEO and CFO of ExxonMobil Corp.
“I guess that’s technically working for a gas station, but that’s not what he made it sound like in class,” Joy said. “What I found even more shocking is that George Bush is his godfather.”
At press time, Fund was overheard using summer as a verb and discussing his sober-curiosity journey.
