Gatekeepers Theory

Now, I’m a dreamer. I always have been, and I hope I always will be. Part of my career is being able to see things that others don’t. Being able to visualize something that others can’t even fathom, and then wowing even those who may have a scrap of imagination. I understand that sometimes you’ve got to look towards the stars, and leap, simply willing yourself to fly, because there’s no logical reason for you to do so, but your heart tells you that you should.

But I also know that there are times when other things besides just your personal actions keep you from attaining your goals. I’ve known dozens of 4.0 students who didn’t get into the college that they wanted to. I know of a number of people who are working in the restaurant industry, because they couldn’t quite match up to some of the other graduates in their fields, though they are simply amazing individuals. Why does this happen? I mean, besides the standard answer of, “It’s just how life works.” Why does it have to work that way?

I have this thing that I’ve come up with over the years that I finally named the “Gatekeepers Theory.” It has seemed to explain, pretty accurately, the way that life goes for the common man, and I thought I’d put it up here.

When you enter school, even from the youngest age, your opportunities are supposedly wide open. You can “do anything”, or so they say. They give you all those random cliché phrases like, “The world is your oyster,” or “Just believe in yourself.” These kinds of encouraging words, however, usually come from either parents, or those teachers who actually give a flying sack about you.

But it becomes quickly apparent to the students, as blind or observant as the teacher may be, who the “favorites” are. The surest way to get a good grade is to become friends with the instructor. It never matters who the teacher is, if he or she likes you, than things are probably going to be easier on you. From the very beginning of your education, you’re learning that in order to get ahead in life, you’ve got to please your superiors.

This continues on through high school. Scholarships to the best colleges are usually given only to the best students. So, in an essence, the best get better while the average become more average. (However, I have learned that its the average who generally are the easiest to relate to. Especially since I’m one of them.) But if you can’t make the cut, then there’s really no way for you to go forward. Instead of allowing someone to prove their worth in an environment outside of simply a scantron test or an essay, universities block out any but the best.

I’ve included the essay that I wrote about this on a page to the right, so if you’d like to see it, you can take a look. I know that this kind of stuff is boring to some, but I’ve found that even if my thoughts are a little jumbled sometimes, it’s always good to get them down. So enjoy or not, but those are my thoughts.

- Kyle

~ by Karratti on Wednesday, 31 October, 2007.