Oliver Friedfeld, a Georgetown University (GU) senior, penned an oped last week in which he argued that he deserved to be robbed at gunpoint due to his “privilege.” Friedfeld is a student at the university’s School of Foreign Service, a top-ranking entry point to the U.S. State Department — many may find this fact worrisome.
It is easy for one to be concerned that Friedfeld — who openly believes that the “privileged” should simply adapt to crime — is being groomed by GU to step into a government position where he could someday represent the U.S. on a global stage.
Numerous senior officials at the State Department graduated from GU’s School of Foreign Service: Patrick F. Kennedy, Philip L. Verveer, and Otto Reich. Other prominent graduates of the program include former president Bill Clinton, President Obama’s Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, and former National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones.
It is alarming that Friedfeld may someday be in a similar position of power.
The GU senior, whose oped was published in The Hoya, wrote that he “can hardly blame” the assailants who robbed him. He further argued that income inequality is to blame for the incident.
He wrote, “Who am I to stand from my perch of privilege, surrounded by million-dollar homes and paying for a $60,000 education, to condemn these young men as ‘thugs?’ It’s precisely this kind of ‘otherization’ that fuels the problem.”
Friedfeld continued, “Not once did I consider our attackers to be ‘bad people.’ I trust that they weren’t trying to hurt me. In fact, if they knew me, I bet they’d think I was okay. The fact that these two kids, who appeared younger than I, have even had to entertain these questions suggests their universes are light years away from mine.”
The GU senior ultimately argued that privileged millenials have the burden of righting “some of the wrongs of the past. Until we do so, we should get comfortable with sporadic muggings and break-ins. I can hardly blame them. The cards are all in our hands, and we’re not playing them.”
It is frightening to imagine a State Department official who makes authoritative decisions based on the notion that the U.S. is obligated “right some of the wrongs of the past.”
Friedfeld’s specific post-grad plans are not apparent. He did not respond to Breitbart Texas’ interview request.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.