Quote of the Day – Meritocracy

 

“The SAT 50 years ago pulled a lot of smart people out of every little town in America and funneled them into a small number of elite institutions, where they married each other, had kids, and moved to an even smaller number of elite neighborhoods. We created the most effective meritocracy ever.”

“The problem with the meritocracy, is that it leeches all the empathy out of your society … The second you think that all your good fortune is a product of your virtue, you become highly judgmental, lacking empathy, totally without self-awareness, arrogant, stupid—I mean all the stuff that our ruling class is.”

— Tucker Carlson

Let me observe Carlson’s quote about meritocracy echoes something Tennyson wrote in the poem The Passing of Arthur:

The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And God fulfils himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.

It is not our vices which are corrupting as it is our virtues carried to an extreme.

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  1. Kate Braestrup Member
    Kate Braestrup
    @GrannyDude

    Seawriter (View Comment):
    Not that I think intelligence is unimportant to success. It is. But so is physical strength, good health, perseverance, and appearance. Exaggerating the importance of any one trait at the expense of the others is a self-made trap, in my opinion.

    Agree, Seawriter! Also agreeableness… and sufficient moral character to avoid making really big messes… it also helps not to have addiction issues… or a lot of stressful family problems to deal with…

    And then there’s the question of what we mean by “success.” And whether “intelligence” is the common denominator amongst some random assortment of successful people… say, the Kardashians, David Brooks, Colin Kaepernick,  E.L. James, Beyonce, David Petraeus and Hillary Clinton?

    • #31
  2. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A few years ago, I was at Loew’s pricing carpet. When I got home, the phone rang and it was the carpet guy. He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not just a carpet guy. I have a master’s degree.” I didn’t know what to say, so we talked about the different turns life can take.

    That’s what drives me nuts. My father-in-law couldn’t go to college although he was offered a full scholarship to Amherst (he was a good football player) because his father died and he had to work to support his mother and brothers and sisters. He loved literature and history. He read constantly and knew more about just about everything than anyone I’ve ever known. He was the superintendent of the local post office. He provided very well for his family.

    We talked constantly, mostly about history, and he prefaced everything he said with “I didn’t go to college.” He was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.

     

    • #32
  3. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    Hm. My brain just went to Lewis Pearson’s and Deanna Smid’s essays in the new book.

    Wow, impressive!

    • #33
  4. CM Inactive
    CM
    @CM

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    PHCheese (View Comment):
    It has been my observation that if things come to easy very bright people aren’t use to trying times. They often aren’t used to hard work and competition in life’s struggles.

    Which may be one reason I was lucky to be the “dumb” one. I had to work to keep up with my brothers.

    Seawriter

    My youngest brother has dyslexia and was in 3rd or 4th grade when he learned to read. He’s the only one of my brothers to be financially independent from our parents.

    I scored a 1300 sat. I hated my job and struggle with motivation even doing what I wanted to do. I loved academia… the reward system worked for me. Trying to replicate it in real life leaves me floundering.

    • #34
  5. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Trink (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):
    What I’ve often pondered as I’ve dealt with professionals in every field throughout my life is how alike the personalities are in the different fields. Although one could safely say that the reason for that is that their interests are similar, I also can’t help wondering if the SATs actually did succeed in sorting out the boomers not into intelligence groups but, rather, into personality groups

    Fascinating Marci.

    Did you watch any of those Jordan Peterson videos?  I think he would say that this happens.

    • #35
  6. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    CM (View Comment):

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A boy at my high school got 100% on the SAT.

    I had 2 at my high school.

    I don’t remember what I got. It was good, but not that good.  Same with my GRE.

    In upper elementary grades in our two-room rural school (around 1960) the kids in my class of 8 were complaining to the teacher about me (not in a hostile way) that I set the standards too high. It wasn’t fair, they said. I think this was right after we had had IQ tests administered.  I don’t know what my IQ score is either, though I was told at least once, and perhaps at that time. I know it’s nothing spectacular.  But our teacher told them, “John isn’t so smart. He is just able to apply what he has learned.”

    That may have been an impolitic thing for the teacher to discuss with the class, but I thought at the time that she had it just right. I was pleased.  That’s how I had already viewed myself then, and still do.  And that is sort of why I call myself The Reticulator.

    I wouldn’t mind being a faster thinker, like some of the really intelligent people I’ve worked with, or have a better memory, or be able to think my way through more complex ideas than I can handle.  But I try to work with what I have.

    • #36
  7. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    Very good!

    Any virtue by itself, apart from the other virtues, becomes a vice. (My first published scholarly article was on that topic.)

    The link doesn’t seem to work.

    • #37
  8. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    Did you watch any of those Jordan Peterson videos? I think he would say that this happens.

    Wow. Really?

    I will try to watch these when I’m done with the project I’m working on.

    How funny that would be if someone else had the same idea I had on this. :)

     

    • #38
  9. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    MarciN (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    Did you watch any of those Jordan Peterson videos? I think he would say that this happens.

    Wow. Really?

    I will try to watch these when I’m done with the project I’m working on.

    How funny that would be if someone else had the same idea I had on this. ?

    This is the video I had in mind:

    You can start around 1:03, or if you are short of time, you might want to start around 1:09.  And then you might decide (like I did) that you want to watch the whole thing.

     

    • #39
  10. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    You can start around 1:03, or if you are short of time, you might want to start around 1:09. And then you might decide (like I did) that you want to watch the whole thing.

    Fascinating.

    I will return to it later. Thank you.

     

    • #40
  11. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    Very good!

    Any virtue by itself, apart from the other virtues, becomes a vice. (My first published scholarly article was on that topic.)

    The link doesn’t seem to work.

    It’s working for me.  It’s just a Google search for the words of the article title: “the unity of the virtues and the degeneration of kallipolis.”

    • #41
  12. CB Toder aka Mama Toad Member
    CB Toder aka Mama Toad
    @CBToderakaMamaToad

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A boy at my high school got 100% on the SAT.

    My oldest son scored perfect 800s on the verbal and the math sections of the SAT.

    • #42
  13. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    PHCheese (View Comment):
    It has been my observation that if things come to easy very bright people aren’t use to trying times. They often aren’t used to hard work and competition in life’s struggles.

    Which may be one reason I was lucky to be the “dumb” one. I had to work to keep up with my brothers.

    Seawriter

    Exactly

    • #43
  14. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    Reading this post and comments it is probably safe to say that we are all in the top 5% or at least 10% of IQ and SAT scores. That being said I have had many trials and tribulations in my life. I feel so blessed to have been given gifts that 90% of people haven’t. Can you imagine struggling along with an IQ of 85? It is no wonder that there are so many political problems.At least half can’t conceptualize the problem let alone the answer.

    • #44
  15. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    Boss Mongo (View Comment):
    True. But my SAT scores helped me get “leeched” into West Point. Suckers.

    I can’t say that that makes it a two-way street. It’s a one-way street. But it’s got a pretty decent bike path, going the other way.

    Is West Point not an elite institution?

    • #45
  16. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    Very good!

    Any virtue by itself, apart from the other virtues, becomes a vice. (My first published scholarly article was on that topic.)

    The link doesn’t seem to work.

    It’s working for me. It’s just a Google search for the words of the article title: “the unity of the virtues and the degeneration of kallipolis.”

    It works for me too.

    • #46
  17. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    CB Toder aka Mama Toad (View Comment):

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A boy at my high school got 100% on the SAT.

    My oldest son scored perfect 800s on the verbal and the math sections of the SAT.

    Why am I not surprised? I view this as not only a tribute to his obvious intellgence, but also a tribute to YOU.

    • #47
  18. Amy Schley Coolidge
    Amy Schley
    @AmySchley

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A few years ago, I was at Loew’s pricing carpet. When I got home, the phone rang and it was the carpet guy. He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not just a carpet guy. I have a master’s degree.” I didn’t know what to say, so we talked about the different turns life can take.

    There’s a joke about the lawyer who hires a plumber to fix an emergency. When he gets the bill, he yells “I don’t make this much per hour!” The plumber responds, “Neither did I as a lawyer.”

    • #48
  19. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    I don’t have any parallel jokes about philosophers.

    Maybe that’s because, like the bird in C. S. Lewis on Narnia’s first birthday, we are the joke.

    • #49
  20. Amy Schley Coolidge
    Amy Schley
    @AmySchley

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A few years ago, I was at Loew’s pricing carpet. When I got home, the phone rang and it was the carpet guy. He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not just a carpet guy. I have a master’s degree.” I didn’t know what to say, so we talked about the different turns life can take.

    On a more serious note, the difference between how one is treated due to perceived education is amazing.  Selling comfort shoes, my favorite customers were blue collar folks, because they looked at me as their peer — a skilled worker in a demanding job that requires more knowledge than they have.  The absolute worst were teachers. *They* saw themselves as smart, educated people, and obviously anyone working sales was neither educated nor intelligent nor worthy of respect.

    I had one college prof buying shoes for a Greek expedition who replied to my question about the nature of the research replied, “Oh, you wouldn’t be interested.”  When I explained that I had a BA in history, a minor in classics, and a law degree, you could see on her face my transformation from “idiot working at the level of her competence” to “pitiful underemployed person who deserves respect.”

    So yeah, I get why a carpet guy would want to explain upfront that he’s not just a carpet guy. Much less frustrating when the customers understand that you have a brain.

    • #50
  21. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    I’m still a member of Mensa, but I don’t go to their social events anymore, for various reasons.  One thing that always struck me at Mensa gatherings was that the distribution of low achievers and high achievers was pretty much the same as it would be in any other random collection of people.  If you have other virtues (like persistence, honesty, motivation, focus, and so on), then intelligence probably makes it easier to succeed, I imagine.  But by itself, I’m not sure how helpful it is.

    Athletics is similar (amazing how often athletics provides insight into the real world).  The best player on a team is rarely the best pure athlete.  You need many qualities to be a great basketball player or wrestler or whatever.  Athletic ability is one of those qualities, but there are many others.

    One last example.  The best doctors I know are not necessarily the smartest doctors I know.  IQ helps, but so does judgement, humility, study habits, compassion, and so on.

    I have a high IQ, so I wish that’s all that mattered.  But it’s not.  I still have to work my tail off.  I think we over-value intelligence in our society.

    • #51
  22. Cato Rand Inactive
    Cato Rand
    @CatoRand

    Somebody should write a book about this phenomenon.  Oh, wait, somebody did.

    • #52
  23. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Amy Schley (View Comment):

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A few years ago, I was at Loew’s pricing carpet. When I got home, the phone rang and it was the carpet guy. He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not just a carpet guy. I have a master’s degree.” I didn’t know what to say, so we talked about the different turns life can take.

    There’s a joke about the lawyer who hires a plumber to fix an emergency. When he gets the bill, he yells “I don’t make this much per hour!” The plumber responds, “Neither did I as a lawyer.”

    hahahaha!

    • #53
  24. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A few years ago, I was at Loew’s pricing carpet. When I got home, the phone rang and it was the carpet guy. He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not just a carpet guy. I have a master’s degree.” I didn’t know what to say, so we talked about the different turns life can take.

    that seems…odd.

     

    • #54
  25. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Amy Schley (View Comment):

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    A few years ago, I was at Loew’s pricing carpet. When I got home, the phone rang and it was the carpet guy. He said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not just a carpet guy. I have a master’s degree.” I didn’t know what to say, so we talked about the different turns life

    … So yeah, I get why a carpet guy would want to explain upfront that he’s not just a carpet guy. Much less frustrating when the customers understand that you have a brain.

    I didn’t treat him that way at all. While he was showing me the carpet samples, we got to chatting, and I really liked him, and we got along well during that encounter. I just think it made him care what I thought of him. I know I didn’t talk down to him because ever since the tile layer with the Ph.D, I never assume anything. I think he was the one making assumptions – about ME.

    • #55
  26. Hypatia Member
    Hypatia
    @

    Really?  Well then, Tucker Carlson can go tuck himself.  I am so sick of this Crapola.

    All men are not created equal.

    Equality before the law is the best we can aim for.

    Face it: sometimes the race IS to the swift, and the battle to the strong.  In fact, usually.

    • #56
  27. Amy Schley Coolidge
    Amy Schley
    @AmySchley

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    I didn’t treat him that way at all. While he was showing me the carpet samples, we got to chatting, and I really liked him, and we got along well during that encounter. I just think it made him care what I thought of him. I know I didn’t talk down to him because ever since the tile layer with the Ph.D, I never assume anything. I think he was the one making assumptions – about ME.

    It’s almost certainly something he does to everyone, because while you may be willing to approach him with an open mind, so many people aren’t.

    One of my rules for surviving retail is to assume that customers are going to be oblivious, irrational jerks. That way, one will have frequent happy surprises.  And every so often, you get to take them down a peg, like when the ex-teacher-turned-wannabe-chef came in for kitchen shoes and was complaining about how after graduation from the local culinary program he got a job for $10/hr chopping vegetables.

    I looked up from tying his shoes and just said, “Sir, I’m a lawyer.” He shut up after that.

    • #57
  28. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Amy Schley (View Comment): …  And every so often, you get to take them down a peg, like when the ex-teacher-turned-wannabe-chef came in for kitchen shoes and was complaining about how after graduation from the local culinary program he got a job for $10/hr chopping vegetables.I looked up from tying his shoes and just said, “Sir, I’m a lawyer.” He shut up after that.

    So satisfying! When I was right out of college, I briefly worked as a receptionist at a fancy salon in Chicago. One of the regular customers was a snotty P.R. lady who talked down to me and put on all kinds of airs.  Then I ran into her at the Chicago Yacht Club at the annual Mackinac Race party the night before the race. She looked at me in astonishment and said, “What are YOU doing here?” I smiled and said, “My dad is a member, and he’s on the race committee.”

    • #58
  29. profdlp Inactive
    profdlp
    @profdlp

    Seawriter:“The problem with the meritocracy, is that it leeches all the empathy out of your society … The second you think that all your good fortune is a product of your virtue, you become highly judgmental, lacking empathy, totally without self-awareness, arrogant, stupid—I mean all the stuff that our ruling class is.”

    — Tucker Carlson

    He must have been looking at a picture of Obama when that thought came to him.

    • #59
  30. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):
    I’m still a member of Mensa, but I don’t go to their social events anymore, for various reasons.

    Don’t laugh, but I used to be a Mensa member. I took my test at Northwestern University. The proctor told us there’s an axe murderer on death row who’s a Mensan. I let my membership lapse after a few years because you have never seen such a bunch of social misfits in your life. The last straw was when I heard about a party where everyone went around all evening with their IQs painted on their foreheads in iodine. Even in the top 2% of the general population, humans need to form hierarchies.

    • #60
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