In Defense Of Elitism

"In Defense of Elitism"

By: Dr. William A Henry

Summary

The dominant theme in this essay appears to be this: post war social changes such as offering increased university admission promote the view of egalitarianism in education. The author's main issue with "secondary" education is the sheer numbers of our population that the United States as a whole educates.

According to Mr. Henry, the United States educates nearly thirty percent of high school graduates who go on to a four year bachelor's degree. He believes that the increased number of graduates has led to a workforce of mediocrity. In the author's comparison to other leading countries, the United States has academic standards and achievement requirements which do not directly insure that this nation's youth are job ready with a four year degree. Mr. Henry's theory states that the United States as a whole needs to restrict college admissions to only half of those who would seek degrees. In the essay, the author is of the opinion that by reducing the number of degree seeking students, a nation can improve quality and the value of a college education. To decrease the quantity of students would in the long run increase the quality of education. The author sees the necessity of restricting higher education to include only those who have demonstrated at an early age in the educational process the ability and ambition to pursue a higher education. In his opinion, following this process would allow only the more intelligent or ambitious of students into college, therefore assuring a competent post graduation workforce. Would severely limiting admission achieve the steep goals the author believes it will?

Mr. Henry states that in order for the job market to sustain ample job opportunities for university graduates, those chosen should meet strict educational standards early in the education process. Without these measures, he believes, the American education system will continue to degrade as everyone will become equal, with none terrible and more importantly, none great. Mr. Henry asserts his belief that in a watered down workplace, complacency is only eclipsed by averageness. For an individual to progress and excel through college, it takes a certain measure of drive to achieve the necessary academic quality. This drive requires its recipient to work harder and achieve better grades, more income potential, and more recognition. Mr. Henry believed that those who were filled with ambition were above the rest and as such, should receive special privileges for this fact. He believed that there should be less people leading and more following; more money for the rich and less money for the poor. The regular belief among youth of the author's generation is stated in the following quote from Mr. Henry.

"In the unexamined American Dream rhetoric promoting mass higher education in the nation of my youth, the implicit vision was that one day everyone, or at least practically everyone, would be a manager or a professional." (Henry 172)

The author believed that this reality was the building block of a wall of lies concerning secondary education. These lies have led to more institutions being opened in order to accommodate the increase in degree seeking students, as well as the steady flow of money coming in. These same lies have also led to a large number of graduates not having the aptitude or ability to maintain a career in a degree required field.

Soapbox

It is my opinion that the author listed several good arguments to support his theory. For instance, the high number of degree recipients working in a non-degree related field supports his ideas. A major point of interest for me in this essay was the fact that the issue of civil, natural rights does not seem to warrant a discussion at any point. Were these thoughts the author simply did not have or were they left out intentionally in an effort