Thought of the Day 06.18.10

Hazel Soares recently finished her undergraduate degree in art history at Mills College in Oakland, California at the age of 94. This is so obviously a wonderful thing that only a true curmudgeon wouldn’t celebrate it.

However, modern feminists who want to praise her are caught in a bit of a bind. You see, they regularly lament women who get college degrees and then choose to get married, have children, and stay home with them rather than working. They view this as a waste, either because mothering isn’t a worthy enough project for a college graduate (anybody can do that) or because now the whole society will miss out on her educated potential to contribute to the economy.

But of course, nothing could be more “useless” than a 94-year-old woman getting a college degree in art history. And so the only way to celebrate Hazel is by realizing that education is much more than mere financial productivity. When done right, it makes you a more complete person, a “humanities” benefit no less valuable in stay-at-home mothers than in an elderly graduate.