creepy student essay contest: wall streets war for young minds

[xchrom]

http://www.nationofchange.org/creepy-student-essay-contest-wall-street-s-war-young-minds-1359731557

It may be the creepiest student competition in history. Foreclosure.Com’s essay contest may be trivial compared to what Wall Street’s doing to undermine our educational system and manipulate our thinking, but it reflects the same warped set of values.

The Campaign for a Fair Settlement’s Dan Petegorsky sent me some comments on the contest, which led us to its entry requirements: “You’ve been tasked with analyzing two foreclosure properties to determine which one is a better investment,” contestants are told. “The goal is to maximize profit, whether it is a buy, hold or flip strategy …”

Opportunity Knocks … and serves an eviction notice

I began writing about illegal bank foreclosures before Wall Street’s criminal actions in this area were widely known. Soon I started receiving heartbreaking emails from people who had been illegally foreclosed upon. A single mother said she’d been contemplating suicide. Another victim said “your article was like morphine to the dying.”

“All this time,” the homeowner said, “I blamed myself.”

[orpupilofnature57]

1. ' Opportunists Knock ' , who answers ?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

2. What's so creepy?

A third-party investor would naturally seek to maximize profit. The only way to do that would be determine which property could realize it's fullest potential value. That actually has a rehabilitative effect for the remaining property owners in the area. The sooner distressed properties are sold off and the better the price the sooner their homes begin regaining value. And if private investors can be used then that means already strained government resources can be left for other necessities.

If someone can help heal the real estate market which in turn will help the economy as a whole recover while not having to burden public funds I won't begrudge them a profit so long as it's done honestly.

[demwing]

3. " so long as it's done honestly."

and that's the problem outline by the OP, right? What don't you get?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. It's an essay contest.

Unless the essayist says, "Throw the old lady into the street using fraudulant applications of the law" I don't see how it could be dishonest.

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. creepiest Essay I Ever Had To Write

was for the "Daughters of the Confederacy" in my 7th grade history class (Alabama - early 70s)

We were instructed not to use the term "Civil War", instead we used "War Between the States". It could not be on a topic we chose, it had to be about one of three pre-selected topics. God forbid, that any of us write about Fort Pillow, Andersonville or some battle where their ancestors got their ass handed to them.

I don't remember which "Confederate Hero" I ended up writing about, but they really took all the fun out of it.