The Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life

[Cocoa]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4075507,00.html

<snip>

All this illustrates what might be called the Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life. One of the things that makes America great is that, unlike in many other times and places, every good job isn't automatically handed out to the brother of the best friend of the Duke's former mistress. Yet incidents like the Brown fiasco remind us of the extent to which even the United States is far from a true meritocracy.

Everyone who has gone to college, whether that college was Central West Northeastern State or Yale, remembers the spoiled rich kids who lazed their way to gentlemen's C's while waiting to take their appointed positions in Daddy's firm. (Indeed, a key factor in the otherwise inexplicable enthusiasm so many privileged people have for affirmative action is their inside knowledge of how much of their own social privilege has been inherited rather than earned).

The Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life predicts that a lot of incompetent people are going to be promoted to positions they have no business holding. And, as long as the spotlight doesn't shine too brightly, they may well hold onto such positions for years and decades, protected by the same factors that put them into those jobs in the first place, while talented subordinates labor to compensate for the deadweight at the top.

For obvious reasons the Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life will seem least plausible to those who have benefited from it the most. President Bush, for instance, would probably dismiss it out of hand.

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. He's mixed up his arguments.

(Indeed, a key factor in the otherwise inexplicable enthusiasm so many privileged people have for affirmative action is their inside knowledge of how much of their own social privilege has been inherited rather than earned).

The mediocre frat boys are most likely to be against affirmative action, because they would never see their own advancement as being equivalent to it. 'Privileged' people oppose it, but people who have advance through their own efforts support it, because they recognise that at some point every one of them have advanced because someone gave them a break and they know what it is like to have to work to get where they are. Affirmative action does not guarantee success, only a chance at success. It is being born well that guarantees success.