(I think I caught it, initially, over at LRC, Lew Rockwell’s blog. )

It merits repetition — the Gatto stuff on ruling elites, but on social engineering and “snobbery” found in his Underground History of American Education is vein-poppingly superb. Every minute spent reading it is a minute well spent.

Sadly, I think Ol’ John is sick these days. I hope I am wrong about that. He doesn’t come out to play much, and even about a decade ago, he was in pretty frail health (heart, I think?)

Excellent essay, here.

We as a society have delegated an immense amount of power to college admissions officers. Who are these people and what are their qualifications and values? I would guess their characteristics are almost as different from the typical academic as they are from the typical businessperson.

This would undoubtedly go some way toward addressing the problem spoken of here, though of course, it would not cure the elitist buffoonery of giving different weights to particular extracurricular activities. Even better, to my mind, would be the elimination of all preferences, and simply basing admissions on performance in earlier schooling.

On the other hand, however, we must realize that those schools which are so difficult to get into have become ever easier to graduate from, and teach less and less needed information and more “elitist” attitude. Perhaps those who wind up at second-level or even (gasp!) state colleges and universities would not actually be better served by admission to such “lofty” places. At least where they do go to school they are taught to keep their noses to the grindstones, rather than in the air.