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If you enjoyed this piece, you should read "Planet Loser": "If you actually want to know why people persist in going to grad school, or trying to be screenwrit

If you enjoyed this piece, you should read "Planet Loser": "If you actually want to know why people persist in going to grad school, or trying to be screenwriters or musicians or professional athletes or actors — or, if we’re getting really real about it, journalists and writers, the kind that write for The Atlantic — it’s because our culture insists relentlessly that certain kinds of work have intellectual and aesthetic value, that they are a way to be a Somebody, and also that you never, ever give up on your dreams. There is no message that we deliver to children and adolescents more relentlessly than that they should pursue their dreams with manic focus and unflagging persistence, no matter how hard and often they fail, and that they will be assured of eventual victory. Never, never, never give up. Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right! If you believe it, you can achieve it. Go to a middle school sometime. Look at the posters on the wall. It’s like a one-party state, propaganda of the most ubiquitous and intense variety. When I was a long-term sub at my local junior high I was amazed; it was like some sort of totalitarian reeducation camp, with the purpose being to indoctrinate in all who passed through the doors that failure stems always and only from a lack of nerve." http://fredrikdeboer.com/2016/04/24/planet-loser/ http://fredrikdeboer.com/2016/04/24/planet-loser/

Chinjut 10y ago
Yes! This is the best, most on-the-mark account of the matter I've ever read. (Granted, I've read it before, but I'll say it again). Amazing how few people writing about the issue see, or at least note, this basic insight.
alpineidyll3 10y ago
So do you think that a 20 year old deterministically absorbs the values of their culture? Don't be so paternalistic. College students are not children; they are not your students. The value of a PhD is not high because the life of a PhD is desirable. Academia provides a (flawed) society with a permanence and thoughtfulness that competes with non academic america. Leisure and camaraderie is everywhere. It provides a sense of identity which is hard to find, so supply is high and price is low. Within the cult there are bad actors who misrepresent their value, and selfishly collect rewards. Nothings perfect.
- Chinjut 10y ago
  Not just 20 year olds but everyone is affected by, and can't help but absorb a great deal of, the values of their culture. That's what it means to call it their culture.
tgamba 10y ago
The problem is the focus on worldy success, not the pursuit of a dream. Artists, writers and musicians who pursue their passion consistently over the years are no longer concerned with 'making it'; the endeavour becomes the stuff of their life. I am not a famous musician or writer, but practicing music and writing has made me a better coder and a better person and kept me out of a great deal of trouble.

Chinjut 10y ago

Yes! This is the best, most on-the-mark account of the matter I've ever read. (Granted, I've read it before, but I'll say it again). Amazing how few people writing about the issue see, or at least note, this basic insight.

alpineidyll3 10y ago

So do you think that a 20 year old deterministically absorbs the values of their culture? Don't be so paternalistic. College students are not children; they are not your students. The value of a PhD is not high because the life of a PhD is desirable. Academia provides a (flawed) society with a permanence and thoughtfulness that competes with non academic america. Leisure and camaraderie is everywhere. It provides a sense of identity which is hard to find, so supply is high and price is low. Within the cult there are bad actors who misrepresent their value, and selfishly collect rewards. Nothings perfect.

Chinjut 10y ago
Not just 20 year olds but everyone is affected by, and can't help but absorb a great deal of, the values of their culture. That's what it means to call it their culture.

tgamba 10y ago

The problem is the focus on worldy success, not the pursuit of a dream. Artists, writers and musicians who pursue their passion consistently over the years are no longer concerned with 'making it'; the endeavour becomes the stuff of their life. I am not a famous musician or writer, but practicing music and writing has made me a better coder and a better person and kept me out of a great deal of trouble.