Meritocracy is a matter of perception and people who play politics found a way to take credit for other peoples' work and dumping their mistakes on others. I've seen this crap get steadily worse where people who spend 90+ percent of their energy to self-promotion moving up while the smarter people who put 100% of their energy into doing their job are getting left behind, not promoted and systematically undermined by the political players who are essentially useless.
What's really happened is that perception has eclipsed reality in importance so it's perception that's driving advancement, so the person that controls perception gets advanced in most cases.
They may be smarter but they are less well-connected. That's the rub of elite schools. Mid-century, 10% of Harvard biz grads went into finance. In 2006, that number climbed to 30%. The people at the top are actually super-skilled. They play dumb really well, like some politicos aping southern accents when they have a JD from Harvard/Yale law. They are essential to the org, even if they have never spun a wrench.
I'd say it's arguably still healthy if you can afford it, makes you happy, AND you never get injured/wreck?
I own a late-model multistrada. It was billed (by me) as a "safety bike" as in HONEY IT LIGHTS AROUND CORNERS WHEN YOU TURN at purchase time. After 1198 the 1340 is calling me. lol
That and they came from enough money to either pay for school, had a lot of money to pay for a great school, or at least had enough credit to get loans...
Roughly $10M between private and subsidized sources for truly elite students. It's like 37 to 1 compared to middle class kids. check out "public/private schools"
Either way, the thing (higher education) has turned into a racket. The current/coming cost/ value favors premium trades, IMO.
Telling middle class kids they can run the show if they matriculate from a decent school is indeed a racket. They are subsidizing elite education and many of them don't finish when they hit comprehension or social walls.
No one can ever take away your education.....
Can what you never had be taken away? Substandard education experiences are more the norm than otherwise, we just finally ran out of ways to juke the stats so now the blame game is starting...
IDK, I have a nephew who somehow didn't know that the college he went to for his masters isn Psychology wasn't acredited until he tried to get certified. 2 years and $$$$$ flushed down the toilet.
That would never happen to an elite student, or even one of my students! If I had a nickel for every urgent meeting to thwart a commitment to "chef/trade" school leading to guaranteed employment. His money wasn't flushed down the toilet, it was flushed up.
"True, but you also can't sell it
" Your human capital which is primarily educational (in our vetting system) is EXACTLY what you are selling. WTF dude? What do you think parents are socking away hard cash in 529s for? Why so much competition for spots if it wasn't fungible? Y'all need to read the The Meritocracy Trap post-haste. Anyway, the baby crash is compounded by lack of third spaces and social media keeping kids and young adults away from each other physically. The potential parents seeing the "racket" and rigged system is the other part. Not at all mysterious, but hard to see when you are swimming in it.
I have a hard-won degree from an elite uni and the reactions you get are comical at times. Applying to grad school I was waved in without the interview. Specifically, I was waved out of the panel interview I dressed up for and thought I did something wrong. No, just automatically accepted. Go bears, I guess...