In-Defense-of-Elitism

1InDefenseofElitismByWilliamA.HenryIIIBOOKEXCERPTTimeMagazine,August29,1994WilliamA.HenryIIIwhodiedinJuneatage44,wasTime’sthentheatercritic,buthealsowrotemanystoriesaboutAmericansociety.IntheweeksbeforehisdeathhecompletedInDefenseofElitism,whichhasbeenpublishedbyDoubledayandwillbeavailableinstoresattheendofthismonth.Henrydecriedtheassaultheperceivedontheintellectualattributeshevaluedmost:respectandevendeferenceforLeadershipandposition;esteemforaccomplishment.especiallywhenachievedthroughlonglaborandrigorouseducation:reverenceforheritage,particularlyhistory,philosophyandculture:commitmenttorationalismandscientificinvestigation:upholdingofobjectivestandards;mostimportant,thewillingnesstoassertunyieldinglythatoneidea,contributionorattainmentisbetterthananother.”Henryarguedthatinthestrugglebetweenelitismandegalitarianism,elitism,asrepresentedbythesequalitieswaslosing.ThefollowingexcerptistakenfromthechapterofInDefenseofElitismthataddressedthewaysHenrybelievedoverusinganti-elitismhasdebasedhighereducation.Whileallthemajorsocialchancesinpost-warAmericareflectegalitarianismofsomesort,nosocialevolutionhasbeenmorewillfullyegalitarianthanopeningtheacademy.Halfacenturyago,ahighschooldiplomawasasignificantcredential,andcollegewasaprivilegeforthefew.Nowhighschoolgraduationisvirtuallyautomaticforadolescentsoutsidetheghettosandbarrios,andcollegehasbecomeanormalwaystationintheaverageperson'sgrowingup.Nolongeramarkofdistinctionorproofofachievement,acollegeeducationisthesedaysamereriteofpassage,acapstonetoadolescentpartytime.Some63%ofallAmericanhighschoolgraduatesnowgoontosomeformoffurthereducation,accordingtotheDepartmentofCommerce'sStatisticalAbstractoftheUnitedStates,andthebulkofthosecontinuingstudentsattainatleastanassociate'sdegree.Nearly30%ofhighschoolgraduatesultimatelyreceiveafour-yearbaccalaureatedegree.Aquarterorsoofthepopulationmayseem,toegalitarianeyes,asmallandhenceelitistslice.Butbyworldstandardsthisisinclusivenessatitsmostextreme-andit’smostpeculiarlyAmerican.ForallthesocialismofBritishorFrenchpublicpolicyandforallthepaternalismoftheJapanese,thosenationsrestrictuniversitytrainingtoamuchsmallerpercentageoftheiryoung,typically10%to15%.Moreover,theyandotherFirstWorldnationstendtocarrytheelitismoverintojudgmentsaboutpreciselywhichinstitutiononeattends.Theyranktheiruniversities,collegesandtechnicalschoolsalongaprestigehierarchymuchmorerigidlygradated-andjudgedbystandardsmuchmorewidelyaccepted-thanweAmericanseverimposeonourjumbleofpublicandprivateinstitutions.InthesharpestdivergencefromAmericanvalues,theseothercountriestendtoseparatethecollege-boundfromthequotidianmassesinearlyadolescence,withscanthopeforasecondchance.Forthem,highereducationislogicallyconfinedtothosewhodisplayedthemostaptitudeforlowereducation.Theopeningoftheacademy'sdoorshasimposedgreateconomiccostsonthe2Americanpeoplewhiledeliveringdubiousbenefitstomanyoftheindividualssupposedlybeinghelped.Thetotalbillforhighereducationisabout$150billionperyear,withalmosttwo-thirdsofthatspentbypublicinstitutionsrunwithtaxpayerfunds.Privatecollegesanduniversitiesalsospendthepublic'smoney.Theygetgrantsforresearchandthelike,andtheyserveasaconduitforsubsidizedstudentloans--manyofwhichareneverfullyrepaid.PresidentClintonreferstothissortofspendingasaninvestmentinhumancapital.Ifthatisso,itseemsreasonabletoaskwhethertheinvestmentpaysaworthwhilerateofreturn.Atitspresentsize,theAmericanstyleofmasshighereducationprobablyoughttobejudgedamistake-andonebasedonagiantlie.Whydopeoplegotocollege?Mostlytomakemoney.Thisrealityisacknowledgedisthemassmedia,whichareforeverrunningstoriesandchartsshowinghowmuchacollegedegreecontributestolifetimeincome(withthemoresophisticatedpublicationsveryoccasionallynotingthecounterweightcostsoftuitionpaidandincomeforgoneduringtheyearsoffull-timestudy.)Buttheequationbetweencollegeandwealthisnotsosimple.Collegegraduatesunquestionablydobetteronaverageeconomicallythanthosewhodon'tgoatall.Attheextremes,thosewithfiveormoreyearsofcollegeearnabouttripletheincomeofthosewitheightorfeweryearsoftotalschooling.Takingmoretypicalexamples,onefindsthatthosewhostoptheireducationsafterearningafour-yeardegreeearnabout1½timesasmuchasthosewhostopattheendofhighschool.Theseoutcomes,however,reflectotherthingsbesidestheimpactofthedegreeitself.CollegeGraduatesarewinnersinpartbecausecollegesattractpeoplewhoarealreadywinners-peoplewithenoughbrainsanddrivethattheywoulddowellinalmostanygenerationandunderalmostanycircumstances,withorwithoutformalcredentialing.Theharderandmoremeaningfulquestioniswhetherthemediocritieswhohavealsofloodedintocollegesinthepastcoupleofgenerationsdobetterthantheyotherwisewouldhave.Andiftheydo,isitbecausecollegeactuallymadethembetteremployeesorbecauseitsimplygavethemtherequisitecredentialtogetinterviewedandhired?TheU.S.LaborDepartment'sBureauofLaborStatisticsreportsthatabout20%ofallcollegegraduatestoilinfieldsnotrequiringadegree,andthistotalisprojectedtoexceed30%bytheyear2005.Fortheindividual,collegemaywellbeacredentialwithoutbeingaqualification,requiredwit