Lost in the meritocracy. Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn 2022-12-19
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Lost in the meritocracy is a term that refers to the belief that one's success in life is determined by their individual merit, rather than factors such as their social class, race, or ethnicity. This belief is often promoted in societies that value individualism and hard work, and it is often used as a justification for social and economic inequality.
However, while the meritocracy may seem like a fair and just system on the surface, it is often fraught with problems and challenges. For one, the concept of merit is often subjective and open to interpretation. Different people may have different ideas about what constitutes "merit," and this can lead to disputes and misunderstandings about who is deserving of certain opportunities and rewards.
Furthermore, the meritocracy can be insidious in that it often reinforces existing social and economic inequalities. Those who come from privileged backgrounds may have access to better education, resources, and networks, which can give them an advantage in the meritocracy. This can lead to a self-perpetuating cycle of inequality, where those who are already successful are able to pass on their advantages to their children and future generations.
Additionally, the meritocracy can be demoralizing for those who are struggling to succeed. It can be tempting to blame oneself for one's failures, rather than acknowledging the role that structural inequalities and other external factors may play. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness, and can contribute to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
In conclusion, while the meritocracy may seem like a fair and just system on the surface, it is often fraught with problems and challenges. It is important to recognize that success in life is not solely determined by individual merit, and that other factors such as social class, race, and ethnicity can have a significant impact on one's opportunities and outcomes. Instead of relying solely on the meritocracy, we should strive to create a more equitable and inclusive society that values and supports the contributions of all individuals.
Atlantic Monthly essay: "Lost in the Meritocracy"
So says Walter Kirn, a peerless observer and interpreter of American life, in this whip-smart memoir of his own long strange trip through American education. No wonder I'd grown so self-pitying and isolated. But it did give him the realization that there was nothing beyond for him, unless he created it himself. And so, belatedly, haltingly, accidentally, and quite implausibly and incredibly, it began at last: my education. He imagines that the idea of meritocracy aims to flatten that caste system but that it fails to live up to its ideal: "A pure meritocracy, we'd discovered, can only promote; it can't legitimize. But his observations about life among the high-achieving high-percentile academic elite were pithy and fun to read, so I can recommend the book if you're looking for a light read about the life of a misfit at Princeton I think in the 1980s. Kirn is not alone even in his apparent recovery to prominence.
No I had nowhere to go at all, it seemed. Arriving at college, Kirn finds himself unable to break into certain social privilege enjoyed by those students born into the wealthy elite. Those entire workforces stimulates fresh ways of thinking and creative ideas. This seemed odd to me, given what the book was supposed to be about and also, that it was supposed to be about something. Kirn writes that he managed to get into Princeton through cleverness and no work, and that he then proceeded to spend his years there posing as an intellectual, envying those who had more money, and doing drugs, eventually culminating in a psychological breakdown that left him aphasic. Then the "memoir" itself was trash: Drug use at Princeton.
It was one of those small, frigid nations that at the time was partly subjugated by the Russians but would eventually break free and dominate the worldwide modeling scene" "The benefits of a Princeton degree were so far-reaching and long-lasting, supposedly, that for the duration of our lives we would be expected to give money to various university funds and causes, all of which were portrayed as critical to carrying out what was called the place's "mission. Today is a big deal for us. He'd made some good points but I sensed he made them often, to other patients besides me. I started to spew a list of adjectives describing my thoughts about this smug, smarmy, superficial, supercilious and that is just the list of words starting with "s" memoir that is filled with humble brags and 179 mentions of how he "crushed" his SATs, but then I remembered that I'm trying to exercise more restraint over my cynical and nihlistic tendencies, so I decided just to leave this warning for potential readers: Don't. After a couple hundred pages portraying how intellectually superior he is albeit misguided , he makes his point, concretely, on the last page. Too embittered and confused to make good use of his 4 years at Princeton, Kirn only started reading books for their own sake and trying to articulate his own thoughts during the summer after graduation. Nothing important, I've discovered.
He poses as a playwright and as a proponent of Critical Theory. . This is a sharp guy, for sure. They reminded me of a short-lived high-school class in which we'd tried to learn German phonetically by repeating sentences from tapes. Things get worse for Walter, who begins a sexual relationship with a New York City dilettante who dresses like a prostitute and indulges masochistic tendencies. One false step and he is liable to sink into forming yet another iteration of whining from an Ivy League alumnus incensed that his glowing, youthful potential was squandered by a gaudy university that failed him. Arizonamom, Yep, just one experience.
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn
Which of the following is not considered as a business? On the other hand, it was well-written enough that I am tempted to read more by the author. I know I'm probably missing the point of this book, but I just can't get past his whole "the only reason I got into an Ivy League school was because I happen to be a good test-taker" front. Kirn describe the country and his life on a talk show, and I was struck by how clever and pithy he was. His introduction into true education rhymed with my own personal experience which was a cherry on top. Paul to take the test that will help determine who will get ahead in life, who will stay put, and who will fall behind, two of my closest buddies seal their fates by opening pint bottles of cherry schnapps the moment we leave the high school parking lot. There's a kind of joyous cackle behind these colorful scenes, and a sadness, too, both finally giving way to a clean-edged wisdom that infiltrates his story as he leads us toward his moral awakening.
A Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford! It ends with perhaps the wisest words in the book: "Knowledge is a reckoning, he taught me, a way to assess your location, your true position, not a strategy for improving your position" p. Paul to take the test that will help determine who will get ahead in life, who will stay put, and who will fall behind, two of my closest buddies seal their fates by opening pint bottles of cherry schnapps the moment we leave the high school parking lot. In the land of nonreadability, the nonreader was king, it seemed. I just didn't care about him or his story. Walter desperately needs guidance from strong authorities but his dearth of self-direction and self-discipline is nonetheless self-generated—he knows right from wrong and usually chooses the latter. They rarely eat at the many interesting eateries because they know that their meal card is paid for, and they don't want to waste it.
blog.sigma-systems.com: Customer reviews: Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever
One paragraph does stand out on page 23: "My psychiatrist, who'd encouraged these reminiscences and patiently listened ot them for several sessions, fanning my hopes for a conclusive insight into my conflicted character, ended up profoundly disappointing me. Then the "memoir" itself was trash: Drug use at Princeton. In your opinion, what type of schools, if not Ivies, would this type of situation still play out with frequency? Towards the end of his high school years, I tired pretty quickly of his escapades. Long live the king. While some of his reflections about education are interesting, and dead-on Kirn observes that all he had to do to get an A in an English class at college was to insert words he and most people didn't understand , in the end, his writing suffers from the same problems he suffered Kirn taught at UChicago for a quarter, so I was interested to read his latest book about his underwhelming education or non-education both before and at Princeton.
Read This: 'Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever,' by Walter Kirn
Maybe not what one would consider attention-grabbing fiction, but then this is not fiction. One paragraph does stand out on page 23: "My psychiatrist, who'd encouraged these reminiscences and patiently listened ot them for several sessions, fanning my hopes for a conclusive insight into my conflicted character, ended This is one arrogant, conceited person. Hohmann-Dennhardt, justifies the payout with her claim that she fulfilled the contract Germis Essay on Exploring Race and Challenging Privilege would call the culture of power. His deficiencies can be fixed only when he, himself, picks up the tools. When she notices one of the bottles coming my way, she shoots me a look of horror.
Nevertheless, no one can argue that Kirn isn't clever, and while I don't think there was anything particularly special about this book, it was a decent and quick read. Guess what you get for not learning anything in college? While some of his reflections about education are interesting, and dead-on Kirn observes that all he had to do to get an A in an English class at college was to insert words he and most people didn't understand , in the end, his writing suffers from the same problems he suffered throughout college: all sheer wit, no real depth or skill. Because the character the author doesn't really evolve much during the course of the book there's not much substance, in my opinion. I'd never bothered to contemplate the moment when the quest for trophies would end, as would the game of trading on previous trophies. It can confer success but can't grant knighthood. Seemed uncomfortable in his own skin, but also had some intelligent things to say every once in a while.
Lost in the Meritocracy by Walter Kirn: 9780307279453
By his senior year, Kirn is penniless, virtually friendless, and experiences a nervous breakdown. One of the first chapters describes Kirn's experience with "Uncle Admiral," a sort of mentor when he was very young. T I heard Mr. The story telling approach is what I found common between both, Freakonomics Rhetorical Analysis application, there remains an ever-important and all-encompassing skill which is needed to truly understand each subject: reading. He'd taught me to love learning for its own sake, as a way to feel less lost. Personally, I would have liked to have known a bit more about how he eventually made peace with his experiences at Princeton, how he has fared since then, and most importantly, where he plans to send his own children for their education. Here's a sample from the book about a town form his childhood: "Marine, Minnesota, where I attended grade school was a tidy bluff-top river town that belonged on a cake plate.
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