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> Elite schools transmute money into merit. Eh, I don't know. Those schools transmute money into networks for sure, but the degree they do it for merit seems d

> Elite schools transmute money into merit. Eh, I don't know. Those schools transmute money into networks for sure, but the degree they do it for merit seems drastically less, perhaps it's even initially a negative at first. I mean, the lazy rich kid who got into Yale because of daddy is such a well-established stereotype now that it's almost the default expectation. :)

kelseyfrog 3y ago
The point of laundering is sneaking in just enough bad with the good that it's more difficult/expensive to sort it out again than it is to accept that it's good and doesn't damage the brand. The reputation of elite institutions is a product of them mixing in just enough bad[sons and daughters of the elite[1]] with the meritorious[high student performers] that it's not worth it for us to sort it out ourselves and doesn't damage the reputation of the institution. The lazy rich kid to you, may be the perfect candidate to a VP hiring for an influential role. I'd be hasty to generalize your own perspective to those who are filling those seats. I brought up merit laundering for a reason: offering free public institutions reduces the merit pool for elite institutions in a way that reduces their efficacy in laundering merit. The meritorious care far less about the reputation of elite institutions than the elite do. After all, the launderers gain more from cleaning the dirty money than they do from dirtying the clean.
- dbrueck 3y ago
  > The lazy rich kid to you, may be the perfect candidate to a VP hiring for an influential role. If the candidate is perfect because of the skills, work ethic, etc. then they by definition have merit, so that's not the type we're talking about. > I'd be hasty to generalize your own perspective to those who are filling those seats. I'm not. :) > The meritorious care far less about the reputation of elite institutions than the elite do. Yes, that's what I've been saying from the get-go.
  - kelseyfrog 3y ago
    > If the candidate is perfect because of the skills, work ethic, etc. then they by definition have merit, so that's not the type we're talking about. I mean like that "nobody got fired for choosing IBM"-type perfect fit.

kelseyfrog 3y ago

The point of laundering is sneaking in just enough bad with the good that it's more difficult/expensive to sort it out again than it is to accept that it's good and doesn't damage the brand. The reputation of elite institutions is a product of them mixing in just enough bad[sons and daughters of the elite[1]] with the meritorious[high student performers] that it's not worth it for us to sort it out ourselves and doesn't damage the reputation of the institution. The lazy rich kid to you, may be the perfect candidate to a VP hiring for an influential role. I'd be hasty to generalize your own perspective to those who are filling those seats. I brought up merit laundering for a reason: offering free public institutions reduces the merit pool for elite institutions in a way that reduces their efficacy in laundering merit. The meritorious care far less about the reputation of elite institutions than the elite do. After all, the launderers gain more from cleaning the dirty money than they do from dirtying the clean.

dbrueck 3y ago
> The lazy rich kid to you, may be the perfect candidate to a VP hiring for an influential role. If the candidate is perfect because of the skills, work ethic, etc. then they by definition have merit, so that's not the type we're talking about. > I'd be hasty to generalize your own perspective to those who are filling those seats. I'm not. :) > The meritorious care far less about the reputation of elite institutions than the elite do. Yes, that's what I've been saying from the get-go.
- kelseyfrog 3y ago
  > If the candidate is perfect because of the skills, work ethic, etc. then they by definition have merit, so that's not the type we're talking about. I mean like that "nobody got fired for choosing IBM"-type perfect fit.