Writing for the New York Post, Instapundit Glenn Reynolds argues "Our society's 'top brains' have gone mad - and dysfunctional politics is the result." First, he defines the problem.
Our ruling class has become less diverse and more prone to groupthink. A century ago, the people running our government, our economy, our academy and our media were varied.
Now they’re all members of the same class, educated usually at the same elite institutions, incestuously intermarried and driven by class solidarity.
See his conclusion.
Agriculturalists know that in a monoculture, diseases spread rapidly because the entire crop is identical. In a social and intellectual monoculture, groupthink ensures that bad ideas spread the same way.
This is especially so because our ruling class has substituted reputation for achievement. One can be a successful CEO if the company does badly, so long as it pursues the right political goals.
Journalists, bureaucrats and political operatives routinely fail upward because they play to their peers. The result is that any crazy idea can flourish if it’s stylish. Dissent is instantly ostracized before it even has a chance to be considered.
Our elite bites. Reynolds advocates doing away with the Ivy League, a utopian idea that has merit.
