#elite colleges

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/luxury-beliefs-that-only-the-privileged-can-afford-7f6b8a16

‘Luxury Beliefs’ That Only the Privileged Can Afford

By: Rob Henderson

Published: Feb 9, 2024

In the same way that you don’t notice the specifics of your own culture until you travel elsewhere, you don’t really notice your social class until you enter another one. As an undergraduate at Yale a decade ago, I came to see that my peers had experienced a totally different social reality than me. I had grown up poor, a biracial product of family dysfunction, foster care and military service. Suddenly ensconced in affluence at an elite university—more Yale students come from families in the top 1% of income than from the bottom 60%—I found myself thinking a lot about class divides and social hierarchies.

I’d thought that by entering a place like Yale, we were being given a privilege as well as a duty to improve the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves. Instead, I often found among my fellow students what I call “luxury beliefs”—ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class but often inflict real costs on the lower classes. For example, a classmate told me “monogamy is kind of outdated” and not good for society. I asked her what her background was and if she planned to marry. She said she came from an affluent, stable, two-parent home—just like most of our classmates. She added that, yes, she personally planned to have a monogamous marriage, but quickly insisted that traditional families are old-fashioned and that society should “evolve” beyond them.

My classmate’s promotion of one ideal (“monogamy is outdated”) while living by another (“I plan to get married”) was echoed by other students in different ways. Some would, for instance, tell me about the admiration they had for the military, or how trade schools were just as respectable as college, or how college was not necessary to be successful. But when I asked them if they would encourage their own children to enlist or become a plumber or an electrician rather than apply to college, they would demur or change the subject.

In the past, people displayed their membership in the upper class with their material accouterments. As the economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen famously observed in his 1899 book “The Theory of the Leisure Class,” status symbols must be difficult to obtain and costly to purchase. In Veblen’s day, people exhibited their status with delicate and restrictive clothing, such as top hats and evening gowns, or by partaking in time-consuming activities, such as golf or beagling. The value of these goods and activities, argued Veblen, was in the very fact that they were so pricey and wasteful that only the wealthy could afford them.

Today, when luxury goods are more accessible to ordinary people than ever before, the elite need other ways to broadcast their social position. This helps explain why so many are now decoupling class from material goods and attaching it to beliefs.

Take vocabulary. Your typical working-class American could not tell you what “heteronormative” or “cisgender” means. When someone uses the phrase “cultural appropriation,” what they are really saying is, “I was educated at a top college.” Only the affluent can afford to learn strange vocabulary. Ordinary people have real problems to worry about.

When my classmates at Yale talked about abolishing the police or decriminalizing drugs, they seemed unaware of the attending costs because they were largely insulated from them. Reflecting on my own experiences with alcohol, if drugs had been legal and easily accessible when I was 15, you wouldn’t be reading this. My birth mother succumbed to drug addiction soon after I was born. I haven’t seen her since I was a child. All my foster siblings’ parents were addicts or had a mental health condition, often triggered by drug use.

A well-heeled student at an elite university can experiment with cocaine and will probably be just fine. A kid from a dysfunctional home with absentee parents is more likely to ride that first hit of meth to self-destruction. This may explain why a 2019 survey conducted by the Cato Institute found that more than 60% of Americans with at least a bachelor’s degree were in favor of legalizing drugs, while less than half of Americans without a college degree thought it was a good idea. Drugs may be a recreational pastime for the rich, but for the poor they are often a gateway to further pain.

Similarly, a 2020 Yahoo News/YouGov survey found that the richest Americans showed the strongest support for defunding the police, while the poorest Americans reported the lowest support. Consider that compared with Americans who earn more than $50,000 a year, the poorest Americans are three times more likely to be victims of robbery, aggravated assault and sexual assault, according to federal statistics. Yet it’s affluent people who are calling to abolish law enforcement. Perhaps the luxury belief class is simply ignorant of the realities of crime.

Most personal to me is the luxury belief that family is unimportant or that children are equally likely to thrive in all family structures. In 1960, the percentage of American children living with both biological parents was identical for affluent and working-class families—95%. By 2005, 85% of affluent families were still intact, but for working-class families the figure had plummeted to 30%. As the Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam stated at a 2017 Senate hearing: “Rich kids and poor kids now grow up in separate Americas.”

In 2006, more than half of American adults without a college degree believed it was “very important” that couples with children should be married, according to Gallup. Fast-forward to 2020, and this number had plummeted to 31%. Among college graduates polled by Gallup, only 25% thought couples should be married before having kids. Their actions, though, contradict their luxury beliefs: Most American college graduates who have children are married. Despite their behavior, affluent people are the most likely to say marriage is unimportant. Their message has spread.

I noticed that many Yale students selectively concealed their opinions or facts about their lives. More than one quietly confessed to me that they were pretending to be poorer than they really were, because they didn’t want the stigma of being thought rich. Why would this stigma exist at a rich university full of rich students? It’s a class thing. For the upper class, indicating your social position by speaking about money is vulgar. Sharing your educational credentials is a classier shorthand, but broadcasting your seemingly altruistic and socially conscientious luxury beliefs is the best of all.

It is harder for wealthy people to claim the mantle of victimhood, which, among the affluent, is often a key ingredient of righteousness. Researchers at Harvard Business School and Northwestern University recently found evidence of a “virtuous victim” effect, in which victims are seen as more moral than nonvictims who behave in exactly the same way: If people think you have suffered, they will be more likely to excuse your behavior. Perhaps this is why prestigious universities encourage students to nurture their grievances. The peculiar effect is that many of the most advantaged people are the most adept at conveying their disadvantages.

Occasionally, I raised these critiques with fellow students or graduates of elite colleges. Sometimes they would reply by asking, “Well, aren’t you part of this group now?” implying that my appraisals were hollow because I moved within the same milieu. But they wouldn’t have listened to me back when I was a lowly enlisted man in the military or when I was washing dishes for minimum wage. If you ridicule the upper class as an outsider, they’ll ignore you. The requirements for the upper class to take you seriously—credentials, wealth, power—are also the grounds to brand you a hypocrite for daring to judge.

But negative social judgments often serve as guardrails to deter detrimental decisions that lead to unhappiness. To avoid misery, I believe we have to admit that certain actions and choices, including single parenthood, substance abuse and crime, are actually in and of themselves undesirable and not simply in need of normalization. Indeed, it’s cruel to validate decisions that inflict harm. And it’s a true luxury to be ignorant of these consequences.

Rob Henderson is the author of “Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class,” which will be published on Feb. 20 by Gallery Books.

[ Via: https://archive.today/FAksi ]

[thenewwei]

I’ve been planning for my 30th Elementary School Reunion and I’ve been going through my old stuff. Among many other fascinating things is this self-imposed schedule from freshman year of college (at Wesleyan). I don’t know why this is so interesting to me—perhaps because I recall being insecure, confused, angry, socially inept and depressed—yet the schedule portrays me as being remarkably disciplined—even to the extent that I penciled in calling my parents around 7pm-ish daily (I don’t recall talking to them everyday, but maybe) and “socialize, write, read, misc”—among other things—between 10pm-X, but only on Fri, Sat and Sun nights. That was a job in itself, I guess. But even then, I had “write” for two hours a day, at least 4 days a week!

[amaditalks]

Unlike less competitive institutions that have the room to enroll every qualified applicant, elite schools do not use rolling admissions. All applications are due no later than a specific date and no applications are considered before that date. There is never risk that a student will be admitted over someone more qualified simply because they submitted their application first. 



Brett Kavanaugh claimed he had no privilege. His grandfather went to Yale. He is a legacy.

Dubya Bush got into Yale, then Harvard MBA. Guy is dumb as a rock. Another legacy.

[belle-keys]

And a reminder that higher education cannot be considered truly democratised if students can still be doomed to poverty with multiple or advanced arts and Humanities degrees...

[ridreamir]

Could I request a Drayton fic where he and reader dance whilst it's snowing,?

[You're given a bad grade, one you might not have even earned. Drayton is there in the ensuing aftermath.]

You've emailed your professor, but nothing can be done. For some reason, your professor has decided that your performance in their class was not up to snuff, and you received some point reductions off your final average. It was devastating. If you couldn't even get a perfect grade at your best, what was the point of even trying? Your grades were directly responsible for your enrollment at the academy, and if they started to slip...

Worse was that the standards were already high for you, but no one seemed to see your efforts as hard work. They were just expectations, and when you failed to deliver, well, people looked at you as if it were the start to the end... As if it were finally time you were knocked off your high Mudsdale horse. And of course, here was Drayton, snickering at you as your mind spiraled out of control. Lacey smacked his arm, clearly the most concerned person in the room. Of course from the outside it looks a little ridiculous, but they aren't in your shoes. But your semi-meltdown at the Elite Four bi-weekly conference was coincidentally horrible timing.

Amarys failed to see the larger issue, thinking that the grades were directly proportional to one's own efforts and your own must have slipped. Thus you earned it, and should simply be careful not to let it happen again.

And Crispin? Well, Crispin looked around the room with clear confusion. Who'd be upset over an almost-perfect grade? He'd be ecstatic to receive your marks.

And you're so embarrassed at the email you sent, but you're second-guessing everything. Were you really just horrible? Couldn't your professor see how well you did in everything? How much effort you put into making sure you performed excellently? Is it because you're operating off a different region's idea of perfect academic performance? What happened? Why wasn't your best good enough? What... do you do now?

....

And of course, as the League Club meeting came to an end, Lacey reluctantly departed, Amarys and Crispin following suit. Lacey especially worried about what might happen once it was just Drayton and yourself left in the room.

You all had class in a few minutes, but something told you that you weren't going to be able to pretend it was all okay this time. You were going to tough it out, but she talked you out of it. Just for today. It's just for one class. Not the most reassuring after you just practically signed off your future, but fine. Might as well throw in the towel now.

And Drayton? Why he never showed up to class, and if he did it was always very late into the lecture. Must be nice being a native student who literally couldn't flunk out of school.

"The professor's gonna hate me." You whisper to yourself, groaning at the thought of your panic-induced email. You never wanted to see them in person again, but you'd have to. They must think you're nuts or something. You did write a panic attack in the form of an email after all.

You were already starting to hyperventilate again when Drayton's unhelpful snort caught your attention. "No they're not." He sounded like he was holding back a smile. "You really need to chill. So what if you got a bad grade?" You wanted to agree with him, but every involuntary emotion in your body was sapping your ability to just rationally say yeah, this is nothing. You know that people wish they had your grades, but you still hated it. You hated everything. "Whoa whoa there-" He waved his hands, knowing what you were thinking. "Haven't you learned why overworking yourself is bad? You're supposed to be enjoying the process and not... resenting it like that." "-But hey, that applies to everyone but you, right? Champion world-saver?" He elbowed you, his words obviously sarcastic though he kept an innocent enough tone. "I..." You began to reply. He looked on, a hopeful twinkle in his eye.

"I... haven't been enjoying it for a while now." You paused. "I don't know if I'll ever enjoy this, I mean should I even be here?"

His lips parted for a moment as he blinked a few times. You... what? "You mean... At Blueberry Academy?" He struggled to find words. "Are you..." Are you going to go back to Paldea? You look away, not responding to him. He stands there, eyes wide, realizing just how serious this actually is. "Hey, hey now-" His hands flew up, the fastest you've literally ever seen him move. "You can't- Leave!" Wide, frantic slitted eyes look more frantic than yours probably did writing that email. "That's it! You're-" He's literally barrreling at you now and before you can process how terrifying this actually is he's hoisted you up and tossed you over his shoulder. You're half bleat-screaming and he's rushing out the door. "We're going outside! You need to cool down! Then you can come to your senses and-" You're waiting outside an elevator when the door opens, revealing a student who, for a moment, looked like they were having a normal day before they freeze at the sight of you both and step aside to give him a plentiful amount of room.

[He's still death-gripping you and despite your attempts to wriggle free, he's fighting you on this one!] Now he's frantically pressing the close door button with his elbow, and the poor unfortunate student stuck in the elevator with the two of you scoots back until they're pressed into the corner. The ride is filled with grunts, growls, fighting, and screams and that poor, poor soul is mortified in the corner almost the whole time down--

--Until the door opens to reveal another student on another floor waiting for the elevator. They stop mid-press of the button to take one good look before getting pushed out of the way by the one that was next to you who took their first chance to escape. You and Drayton are too preoccupied to pay attention but the door closes without them stepping on.

Once the door finally opens to the terrarium he's calling out Archaludon who's strong enough to four-legged carry both of you on its back. "YOU'RE-- ffu- oww- HAVING FUN!!!" He's screaming and you're still fighting, all the while Archaludon underneath you turtle walks through the Savanna Biome at a painfully slow pace, passing by several random students who can do nothing but look on with mild horror. "And you're-" You try to think of things to spit back. "-In- insane!" Archaludon squeaks a tiny roar and both of you take it as an agreeance, and thankfully the Pokemon is so sturdy that your thrashing doesn't send it wobbling. At some point he managed to wrangle you into a headlock, but you're still punching and kicking and of course, screaming! "And YOU take things too seriously! Are you really gonna give up over ONE bad grade?! Are YOU insane?!" "Way to broadcast it Drayton!" "What?! I'm right! If anything- I'm, I'm always right! And you know I'm right!" "And--" He's once again picking you up and with one final roar he's tossed you off the side of Archaludon, right into a huge snow bank. Seems you've arrived at the Polar Biome! You fall back first into the crunchy artificial powdered snow and can only see the projection of the blue sky before his hoodie smacks you in the face. Bare arms out, he's given you the oversized thing to wear since you weren't properly dressed for the cold. Despite being mid-argument. He could have thought of that before he threw you into the snow!

"Of course I don't want to leave!" You finally bark at him, making a show of putting on his admittedly very warm hoodie. "I need these grades or else I lose my scholarships and can no longer attend the academy!"

You can see his brain literally buffering as he processes what you've said. Then he's making a fist and slapping it into his open palm. "I'll fight your professor-" "No-" "Cyrano then- or that weird big-haired lady, La Provolone or somethin-" "No!-" "But they're literally overworking you to the point that one bad grade and you think you're gonna be booted out the school!" He scoffs, arms wide as he gestures around to the terrarium. "I watched you have a panic attack over it! Obviously, that's not healthy!" You freeze, not because anything he's said was wrong. He must notice the anguish on your face because he suddenly springs into action, scooping up snow with his bare hands before tossing it up like glitter. "I'll figure it out. There's no way we can't fix this." He says, somehow dead serious while snow awkwardly bundles over both your heads. Somehow, for no good reason, your heart jumps a little in your chest.

He then breaks into a smirk, and then snickers. "But you and I-" he flicks the melting droplets at your face. "Are..." "Dancing! Dance with me!" He does a weird little shimmy with his bare shoulders out, and by Arceus above you never thought he could get even get more loony. "Ch-ch-ah, ch-ch- c'mon!" He's tango-ing, albeit very poorly, before he grabs your hands with his very clammy wet ones and pulls you forward. "What are you-" "Haven't you ever heard of the move Dragon Dance? C'mon now!" He laughs, and you laugh, not forgetting the absurdity of this whole situation. And by some miracle, it starts to snow.

The time of day in the terrarium is changing, and the lights above dim while clouds block out some of the lighter blues from the screens. Long shadows cast on the uninterrupted field of snow, save for what few footprints you've left in it already which you notice once you finally look down. His shadow draws close to yours, and he pulls you along to the sound of small snowflakes scattering in the slight breeze. They rattle almost like leaves, but so, so much softer while each step you both take crunches beneath you. "They'd never let you get kicked out the school." He murmurs, voice low with only a slight edge to it. "You should just talk to them, honestly. There's no way they wouldn't listen to you." "But the professor-" "Professors can be wrong. They're people too. And if I know anything it's that you've done your absolute best. Even if they don't change that one grade, heck, even if you started to flunk-- the people here care about you. They'd try to help before just up and booting you out." You look back up at him, no longer watching your feet make imprints in the snow. He's calm again, a small, concerned smile on his face. Your heart starts hammering in your chest. You're still anxious to high heaven, but not for the same reason as before. He looks absolutely silly in his sleeveless shirt out in the middle of gentle snowfall, but the sparkles in his hair catching the low light are... maybe it's the bitter chill that sweeps in as the breeze hits your face, but you're seeing him so clearly. You close your eyes, the image of him still burned into your mind. "I didn't know you could get so riled up." You whisper. He snorts. "Yeah, I usually don't lose my cool. I've noticed." You open your eyes again, and his eyebrows are only slightly furrowed. The eye contact the two of you are suddenly sharing is, well, the shine of his eyes picks up every golden fleck in his unusual irises. They're so close you can see all the star patterns, the deeper tones and the faceted flecks that sparkle with the reflecting snow.

Though he said it sarcastically, it was true. You've never seen him so animated before, you think, as his smooth annoying face tilted a little to the side. "You really freaked me out there." He's thinking long and hard about something. It's usually subtle, but it's written all over his face this time.

...

Your noses are brushing, and though you'd expect his breath to be hot, his lips hit yours and feel like soft velvet and the cold.

[nashvillethotchicken]

Sometimes I think about how loustat are in a placage marriage and make myself insane.

[alixra]

nothing can describe how proud i am of this uconn team like actually.

so what we lost 5 players? so what our bench is only 3 deep? foul trouble early in the game with our starters? no problem.

i was actually shaking that whole game and i’m in tears rn😭😭

no matter what happens in the final four i am so proud and amazed at everything they do and i’ve never been prouder to be a uconn fan💙💙

GO HUSKIESSSSSS

[qevillous]

parting gift

[louisupdates]

Louis Tomlinson received the Praeses Elit Award from the Trinity College Law Society, Dublin.

The award is given to those who have left an indelible impact in their chosen field, and who have advanced discourse and societal thought in the process.

Louis was unable to attend in person, but will attend in the future. via tcdlawsoc

“We were honoured to present Judge Aileen Donnelly, Ms Reni Eddo-Lodge and Mr Louis Tomlinson with the Praeses Elit Award and we were lucky to have Judge Donnelly and Ms Eddo-Lodge address our members! Mr Tomlinson was unfortunately unable to attend in person on his recent trip to Dublin but has committed to come in to us in the future!”

[nightmarefuele]

qimir the stranger the typa guy to play the piano in a modern setting

[tabl3]

am i smack in the middle of my series's p1 climax? yes. am I starting a regular human au that's a few chapters long to fight writer's block? yes

it's a dark ass one too lol, i'll give a summary if asked

[belongstolove]

[jungleho0k]

just don’t leave

don’t leave

[usarmytrooper]

[tudorgothic]