The argument that the consumer comes first stresses the rights and obligations of buyer and seller, a contractual relationship that supersedes the ethical relationship between student and teacher.
學生權的論調原是消費者保護運動的副產品，消費者至上論意味消費者有選擇的自由，強調買賣雙方的權利與義務，這種契約關係當然超越師生間的情誼與倫理關係。