Katie Osgood reviews Chris Hayes’ new book “Twilight of the Elites” and ponders how the elites–the so-called best and the brightest–are now running education policy. Their ideas fail and fail but they boldly push ahead, utterly unfixed by the damage they inflict on others. They enjoy money, power, prestige, unlike those poor teachers and children whose lives they mess up with their hapless schemes.

Very well written, except that I cringe every time someone says that the elites have “made mistakes” or that they are “being duped”. Just because the madness of what they’re doing doesn’t make sense to us doesn’t mean that they don’t intend to do exactly what they’re doing. Everything that we find baffling and incomprehensible to them is an intentional feature, not a bug.
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Perhaps Melville said it best in Moby Dick.
On his obsessive quest for the great whale, which was to doom him and almost all of his crew, Ahab is momentarily lucid and honest with himself, and states, “All my means and methods are sane; my purpose is mad.”
Likewise, the ed deformers use the trappings of science, rationality and public policy – deceptively, despite the willful naiveté of some – for a purpose that, from the perspective of the public good, is utterly insane.
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I would suggest reading Twilight’precursor– Revolt of the Elites by Christopher Lasch.
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Spot on assessment!
Great job Katie.
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We are all waiting for Chris Hayes to have a show exposing today’s ed reform sham. Disappointed he hasn’t addressed it yet.
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Chris Hayes’ show did address reform and poverty during the Chicago Teacher Strike. http://www.thenation.com/blog/169989/fighting-poverty-part-education-reform
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He promised an entire show, with a qualified panel. Including Diane
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Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
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These elites remind me of a scene in that great TV series, “Arrested Development”. While all the rich hobnob with one another at a fundraiser to end hunger, a waiter brings a tray of food to Lindsay. She replies, “No, I could not eat another bite”.
The elites are out of touch, and unfortunately for us, education is one of their causes.
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Reblogged this on onewomansjournal.
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