A Meretricious Meritocracy | 3 of 5

Class Consciousness.

This is the third of five posts relating to the modern American meritocracy. The first examines the rise of the postwar meritocracy. The second considers ‘the bureaucratization of everything.’ The third reviews the class consciousness of the professional managerial elite. The fourth surveys the ongoing corruption of the professions. The final installment focuses on the reserve army of the over-credentialed that serves as the praetorian guard for our oligarchy. This series diagnoses American national challenges. Recommendations for reform will be presented in future installments.

This is who we are. —MSNBC Tagline

The professional managerial class carries its prefabricated political and cultural views from the campus into their lives and work.

Members of the meritocratic elite recognize themselves in one another. They gather in urban and suburban areas on the coasts. They connect through social media, finding affinity groups that reinforce their viewpoints.

There are many couples where both partners have college or post-graduate degrees. Many have careers in adjacent and related fields. Judges may have spouses who are private sector lawyers or advocates at NGOs. Government employees may have spouses or exes who engage in lobbying or contracting.

Congressional staff may be in relationships with journalists. Employees in finance may have companions or fellow alumni in academia or regulatory agencies. Bureaucrats in institutional ratings organizations may have links to their counterparts in corporations reliant on their recommendations.

The ”old school tie” that proclaimed and sustained the elites of the early twentieth century was cast aside by the new meritocracy. In its place, something far more extensive and enmeshing has emerged.