LAMORINDA WEEKLY | It's Just Not Fair!


Morgan is a Campolindo senior with a passion for art, writing, and birds. She enjoys long walks on the beach, obscure Internet jokes, and red pandas.

Sometimes, as a teenager, it's easy to feel like material possessions are the center of our world, especially in high-income towns like Moraga, Lafayette, and Orinda. It's easy to feel left out when you don't have the newest phone or the nicest clothes. It's especially easy to forget that not everyone is on a level playing field in terms of wealth. And it's easy to feel that life is unfair.

For my senior year in high school, I will share a single, rented room with my mother. It's not what I would choose, but I don't have an option. "What a lot of people don't understand," says Campolindo student, Suzie (not her real name), "is that not everyone in our community is from a high-income family. A lot of kids don't have the money for fancy cars and other expensive things, and it really bugs me when people aren't considerate of that." While monetary status appears to dominate lives in this community, for teens, it is critical to remember that a parent's bank balance does not determine what our individual future will be.

John, a Lamorinda student states that "sometimes I look at other kids and think to myself: 'Why can't I have that? Why does life have to be so hard for me?' I know so many kids who have a license and a car that was given to them 'just because.' I have a job and I still can't afford a car."

Although Lamorinda is considered a wealthy area, there are low-income families living here as well. Not everyone is fortunate enough to drive a BMW and in fact, some people may not be able to even afford a bike. Having money is great, yet many of us go without. Fair or not fair, this is life.

The opinions expressed in Teen Scene are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lamorinda Weekly.