Miriam Weeks gives a lecture on exorbitant cost of college tuition.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Indian American student Miriam Weeks, who has become famous globally for doing porn under the name of Belle Knox to fund her education at Duke University, was invited by the University of North Carolina’s Student Union to give a lecture on Tuesday, and Weeks gave a piece of her mind on the exorbitant cost of college education in the United States.
“I felt that being screwed on camera was the best way to avoid being screwed by the higher education system,” Knox said, talking about how high college tuition led to her involvement in the adult film industry, reported The Daily Tar Heel.
Weeks, a Sophomore at Duke, gave a 15-minute free lecture, which was followed by a question-and-answer session at the meet attended by about 100 people. It was hosted by UNC Young Americans for Liberty, a group who advocates for social and economic freedom and individual liberty on campus.
Weeks, whose mother is of Indian origin, has become a celebrity as she does not shy away from speaking her mind on the education system in the US, which she has said need to be reformed as middle class families are being priced out from sending their sons and daughters to college due to spiraling costs.
“We chose to bring Belle Knox because not only is she knowledgeable and has been nationally published on the topic, but she also has the ability to attract students that might not have otherwise had the opportunity or inclination to hear a libertarian stance on college tuition or a libertarian position in general,” Alex Johnson, the president of UNC Young Americans for Liberty, was quoted as saying in the report.
In her lecture, Weeks spoke about how government subsidies drive tuition prices up, as well as the cultural ideal that one has to go to college to be successful. She also discussed topics ranging from American economic policy to life in the pornography industry.
“The American dream is becoming more and more unattainable,” she said, reported the Tar Heel.
The response from some of the students who attended the lecture was positive, and the audience appreciated how she had dealt with her own situation in life.
Sophomore Hannah Beason decided to attend the lecture because she thought what Knox has been through is intriguing, said the report.
“I don’t think I would ever do that — I know I wouldn’t — but college prices are so high, especially Duke prices, so I could definitely see how someone would be faced with that decision,” Beason said.
Senior Kyle Jackson said he was impressed by what Knox had to say, and was impressed by Knox’s explanation of how the laws of supply and demand drove up college tuitions. Makeda Thomas, a junior at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, who traveled from Winston-Salem to hear Knox speak, said “it was good to see from the eyes of the youth our age that she’s going ahead and taking power into her own hands to better her education.”
Priscilla Del Aguila Vienrich, a sophomore at Salem College in Winston-Salem, said she gained respect for Knox, reported the Tar Heel.
“I admired her openness and courage in talking to people her age about this subject. I applaud her a lot for being so open and courageous,” Del Aguila Vienrich said. “She’s definitely a big voice in the media, and it was good to see her advocating for women’s empowerment and women’s body image.”