Benn Eifert on investment scams; Charles Fain Lehman on marijuana; Robert Wright and Ross Douthat on the blogosphere; Leighton Woodhouse on social classes
At least from that excerpt, Woodhouse appears to talking around the actual problem with the current state of post-secondary education. "[S}uccessful cultural assimilation into the professional managerial class" is exactly the point of any post-secondary degree. The generation of an attitude of disdain for 'working class virtues' (I'm not entirely sure there is a significant difference between UMC virtues and working class virtues, but I'll play along) is directly attributable to the fact that we've steadily reduced the number of kids from poor and working class families who attend post-secondary institutions by switching from admission by merit to admission based on DIE criteria even as actual negative discrimination based on those criteria has declined, as you noted.
Have you read 'The Aristocracy of Talent' by Adrian Wooldridge ?
If not it might be worth a look for you. Wooldridge goes into how talent was highly regarded for a long time and many of the left and right pushed the meritocracy but how many have turned against it.
In England the Grammar Schools were set up by the left and then torn down by the left.
At least from that excerpt, Woodhouse appears to talking around the actual problem with the current state of post-secondary education. "[S}uccessful cultural assimilation into the professional managerial class" is exactly the point of any post-secondary degree. The generation of an attitude of disdain for 'working class virtues' (I'm not entirely sure there is a significant difference between UMC virtues and working class virtues, but I'll play along) is directly attributable to the fact that we've steadily reduced the number of kids from poor and working class families who attend post-secondary institutions by switching from admission by merit to admission based on DIE criteria even as actual negative discrimination based on those criteria has declined, as you noted.
Have you read 'The Aristocracy of Talent' by Adrian Wooldridge ?
If not it might be worth a look for you. Wooldridge goes into how talent was highly regarded for a long time and many of the left and right pushed the meritocracy but how many have turned against it.
In England the Grammar Schools were set up by the left and then torn down by the left.