1. Counter-point: the "elite overproduction" framework is a blaming the victim narrative that obfuscates the larger context of declining social mobility, failure of circulation of elites, rise of the Failsons & failed attempt to diversify historically exclusionary institutions. https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1364943822405459973 …
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2. To my mind, the best conservative apologia for our shitty society has always been the idea of "a circulation of elites" developed by Vilfredo Pareto & expanded on by James Burnham: "sure, we're not a real democracy but talented outsiders & opposition factions can rise"
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3. I'd say from late 18th century till about end of Golden Age of capitalism in early 1970s, the "circulation of elites" held true in Anglo-American society, with successful (although always bumpy) absorption of new money, educated professionals, and eventually white ethnics.
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4. The circulation of elites has broken down in the last 50 years in a host of ways: declining social mobility, rising life expectancy among rich whites (creating a gerontocracy), institutional sclerosis, rising dynasties (the Bushes, the Trumps, etc).
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5. A lot of elite institutions that owe their status to being exclusionary (Ivy League, national media) have faced political pressure to diversify but that cuts against their historical formation as gate-keepers & reality of declining opportunities in many fields.
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Jeet Heer Retweeted
6. I think its fair to say, as Matt does here, that "overproduction of elites" is flipside to structural stuff I talk about. But polemically "overproduction" frame is too often used to justify "these are just over-educated whiners" rhetoric. https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1364962524794339335 …
Jeet Heer added,
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