Post
by Morkonan » Wed, 13. Mar 19, 17:29
As has been posted, it's not like this hasn't been happening forever...
Being "rich" and "powerful" has meaning, else nobody would call it being "rich" and "powerful." Otherwise, it'd be something like "overburdened with money" and "you must construct additional pylons."
I think people aren't really concerned about the practical implications of the rich being rich and the powerful being powerful. I think they're just pointing at this "evidence" and screaming about it because it's a blatant example of what happens with rich and powerful people.
Are their kids really not getting into Princeton because they were pushed aside in favor of someone who's more rich and powerful than they? Maybe? Probably not. Their kid just might be dumb or an underachiever and the only way the could have possibly compensated for that would actually be to apply lots of money and power to the problem of admissions... like the rich and powerful people do. THAT'S what they're angry about.
It's for good reason, though, since going to one of the Ivy League or prestigious schools has very real meaning. A degree from Harvard will make someone look much more desirable in terms of skill than someone who has the very same degree from a community college. And, someone who has a degree from an "Online University" is either filling in the gaps for a necessary requirement for promotion or is immediately slush-piled in the HR office of a prospective employer.
The point eventually being that, despite the repeated assertions of many outspoken critics of higher-education, a degree in a profession or discipline does, in fact, matter.
What we need to do is figure out how to balance the acquisition and application of knowledge so that degrees from any college or university actually have equal merit when compared to the very same degrees from well-known institutions.
Until that's accomplished, no number of lawsuits or indictments are going to have any practical impact. I imagine anyone complaining about the rich and powerful finding ways to get preferential treatment for their children would be very enthusiastic about getting preferential treatment for their own children. We just have to figure out how to make preferential treatment a bit less impactful in regards to education and earning potential. We've been working on that issue for quite a long time, haven't we?