Hmmmm
I think elitism is good. We ought to be encouraging people to aim high. The problem arises when it's impossible, or next to impossible, for kids with a poor choice of parent to break into the elite.

I'd rather have fewer people in university, none of whom has to worry about debt because they get a grant, than more people generating debt - not least because that's a recipe for bright working-class kids to have dropped out after a year while their dumb middle-class flatmates stay on.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 4 Feb 2009, 10:35, 1 reply)

Yes and no.
I'd rather have fewer people in university - the loss of the grant system was a great tragedy, and we're at risk of seeing the degree become worthless. I get as annoyed as the next man when I see the proportion of Oxbridge attendees who've just farted their way out of public school and onto a degree course, forsaking some genuine talent whose parents couldn't stump up the fees.

However, what also riles me is middle-class parents, like those I've just described, sweating and driving kids who really aren't that bright and would benefit far more from a proper childhood.
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 4 Feb 2009, 10:40, closed)