Part of the Problem: We Have Never Been Woke

We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite

by Musa Al-Gharbi

Musa Al-Gharbi persuasively argues that elites (those that already have access to wealth and high status) use cultural means to maintain their own status while claiming to speak for and protect those who are disadvantaged, while not actually doing anything meaningful to better the lives of those they claim to defend. In fact, many elites take actions that actively maintain the status quo or live in such a way to cause additional suffering to those more disadvantaged.

The reading level is a little challenging. (It is written for college graduates, and even more those with terminal degrees.) I decided not to actually assign it in any of the high school courses for my kids, but I am encouraging all my kids to read it while they are in college.

It's a fascinating book that challenged me in many ways. Highly recommended to anyone who has a college degree and works in a job that doesn't require manual labor.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliates links. I checked this book out from the library.

The Last Acceptable Prejudice: The Tyranny of Merit

The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?

by Michael J. Sandel

In this book, Dr. Sandel argues that meritocracy (the idea that we can "go as far as our talents and hard work will take us") has failed. More importantly, he argues persuasively that such an ideal is flawed even if it could be implemented perfectly.

In fact, there is less economic mobility in the United States than in many other countries. Economic advantages and disadvantages carry over from one generation to the next more frequently than in Germany, Spain, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. (pp. 75-76)

Later, he writes, "By these measures, the American dream is alive and well and living in Copenhagen."

If our talents are gifts for which we are indebted--whether to the genetic lottery or to God--then it is a mistake and a conceit to assume we deserve the benefits that flow from them. (p. 123) 

I find myself overwhelmed at the thought of addressing everything in this book. You can read an excellent summary and review of it in The Guardian (better than the one in the New York Times). Briefly, a meritocracy leads to two main devastating effects: 1) those who fail to earn a decent living are forced to believe it is their own fault (though it's usually not), and 2) those who succeed erroneously believe success is based entirely on their own efforts and therefore denigrate (subconsciously or consciously), those who are not as successful.

Moreover, the elites are unembarrassed by their prejudice. They may denounce racism and sexism but are unapologetic about their negative attitudes toward the less-educated. (pp. 95-96)

The book criticizes both sides of the political debates in the United States (also the UK and Europe), but its focus is on liberals, not because Sandel agrees with conservatives, but because he blames the liberal elite for the series of attitudes and policies that led to the development of a populist uprising that has (so far) elected Trump in 2016 (and fought for him after the election in 2020) and voted in favor of Brexit. 

Sandel describes a professional and wealthy class that responds to arguments with a subtle but substantial bias against anyone who is less academically educated. I have seen that bias myself, essentially throughout the mainstream media, but also directly from friends on social media, but I think it extends just as much to those who profess a religious belief, even if they hold graduate degrees. Although Sandel briefly mentions faith occasionally (and even approvingly cites Church documents and Papal speeches or letters), he rarely links religious beliefs with this prejudice.

If you read mainstream news articles about abortion, the pro-life position is always presented as if those who hold it are ill-educated. This is a dangerous discrimination. Eventually people stop believing anything they read from those sources. The reasons are two-fold: 1) If they're so wrong about abortion, why should I believe them about anything?, but more pertinent to the book,  2)Why should I listen to anyone who obviously thinks I'm an idiot? I think this leads directly to the difficulty in open discussions of medical practices and the best ways to safeguard our own health and that of those around us. I see this repeatedly in discussions around vaccines and everything Covid related. It doesn't matter who is right if no one will believe a single word anyone else says.

In many ways, this book brings together many of the ideas and thoughts that have been coalescing in my mind for years, not all of which are shared in this blog: the struggles of the working class, the search for a consistent life ethic, frustration at the failure of the higher education system to live up to my ideal of education, the denigration of the dignity of work, and the fractures I feel keenly between many of my family and friends. The clash in 2020 of the pandemic and an intense presidential election forced these misgivings into my daily life--and not just on social media. It suddenly felt like no one could even agree on the most basic truths, and no source of information was universally trusted.

I think I'm going to assign this book to my children when they are seniors in high school, as part of a government credit.

I often felt unsettled while reading this book. Even though I had read and thought much about these topics, this book in particular made me question my own prejudices. I encourage everyone to read this book, and then tell me what you think about it! I found myself constantly asking myself, What would [friend/family] think about this? The chapter on Success Ethics is a bit dense, but the rest is remarkably readable.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop are affiliate links. I checked this book out from our public library.

July 2014 Book Reports

God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah by Joanne Williamson will be a history read-aloud for us next year. There are a few battle scenes that might be a little scary for the girls (who will be 6 and 8) but I think they'll be alright if I talk through them. This book is excellent and I'm looking forward to reading it with the kids. (purchased copy, I believe I bought this directly from Bethlehem Books. They have great sales so if you are interested in their books request their emails or follow them on facebook.)

Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a classic. It was interesting to think about how it would have been like to read it when it was first published and contemplating what it might have to say to us today. (I don't have any great insights to share; it was just thought-provoking.) (playaway from the library)

Still Life with Dirty Dishes: poems
by Ramona McCallum is a book of poetry by a Kansas poet with young children. A great many of the poems seemed to reflect my own life and I enjoyed the book tremendously. The title poem is still my favorite. You can read it online here. (library copy, purchased after I requested it)

The Smart Martha's Guide for Busy Moms by Tami Kiser (inter-library loan)

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton surfaced in my searches for books set in Africa for First Son to read this upcoming year. I read it myself in eighth grade but couldn't remember much of it, so I thought I'd refresh my memory even though it's not one I would ask him to read. It's heartbreakingly beautiful. I listened to most of it and loved the reader's interpretation in the the audio version. (audio CD from the library, library copy for the chapters on one of the discs which wouldn't play for me)

Burning for Revenge by John Marsden, the fifth book in the Tomorrow series, which I'm reviewing for another website. (library copy)

The Idea of a University by Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman (Kansas Dad's copy from a library sale, which I managed to almost destroy)

Champion: A Legend Novel by Marie Lu is the third book in the Legend trilogy. It managed to be better than the second book and a much better ending than the Divergent series. I read this to review on another site. (library copy)

Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde was predictable, but sweet, a nice book to read over the summer. (borrowed for free from Kindle Owners' Lending Library, since replaced by Kindle Unlimited, which is not free)

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig (a review for Blogging for Books)

The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson (library copy)

A Little Way of Homeschooling by Suzie Andres (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Open Mind, Faithful Heart by Pope Francis (January 2014) 
• The Education Of Catholic Girls by Janet Erskine Stuart (February 2014)
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (February 2014)
• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller (April 2014)
• A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup (July 2014)
• 101 Famous Poems ed. by Roy Cook (July 2014)
• The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story by Craig G. Bartholomew and Matthew W. Goheen (July 2014)
• Genesis: The Book of Origins by Albert Mary Joseph Shamon (July 2014)

Book Review: The Idea of a University

The Idea of A University by Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman

I spent months slowly reading this book. It was a pleasure to read, with plenty of small quips and carefully explained and defended ideas. It's the kind of book that rewards the careful reader and deserves a measured approach. I usually read only one or two sections at a time, sometimes only three pages.

As I read this book, I thought carefully about the kind of university education I want my children to have, and therefore the kind of education we should provide, the kind of environment we should create, to foster the love of learning and of the faith we desire for our children.

I'm not sure this post qualifies as a review as much as simply a statement that I finally finished the book. You can browse my quote tag for excerpts I wanted to share, but this post has my favorite.

Quote: The Idea of a University (Seventh Discourse)

Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman in the seventh discourse of The Idea of a University, in part two:

Now this is what some great men are very slow to allow; they insist that Education should be confined to some particular and narrow end, and should issue in some definite work, which can be weighed and measured. They argue as if every thing, as well as every person, had its price; and that where there has been a great outlay, they have a right to expect a return in kind. This they call making Education and Instruction "useful," and "Utility" becomes their watchword.

In part five:

"Good" indeed means one thing, and "useful" means another; but I lay it down as a principle, which will save us a great deal of anxiety, that, though the useful is not always good, the good is always useful. Good is not only good, but reproductive of good; this is one of its attributes; nothing is excellent, beautiful, perfect, desirable for its own sake, but it overflows, and spread the likeness of itself all around it.

In part six:

I say that a cultivated intellect, because it is a good in itself, brings with it a power and a grace to every work and occupation which it undertakes, and enables us to be more useful, and to a greater number.

Part ten of Discourse VII is a single paragraph, and my favorite paragraph so far in the whole book. I will quote only a small portion of it, but it is worth seeking out. Here, Bl. John Cardinal Newman is speaking not of the goal of a Liberal Education, but the result of a Liberal Education:

But a University training is the great ordinary means to a great but ordinary end...it teaches him to see things as they are, to go right o the point, to disentangle a skein of thought, to detect what is sophistical, and to discard what is irrelevant. It prepares him to fill any post with credit, and to master any subject with facility. It shows him how to accommodate himself to others, how to throw himself into their state of mind, how to bring before them his own, how to influence them, how to come to an understanding with them, how to bear with them. He is at home in any society, he has common ground with every class; he knows when to speak and when to be silent; he is able to converse, he is able to listen; he can as a question pertinently, and gain a lesson seasonably, when he has nothing to impart himself; he is ever ready, yet never in the way; he is a pleasant companion, and a comrade you can depend upon; he knows when to be serious and when to trifle, and he has a sure tact which enables him to trifle with gracefulness and to be serious with effect.

Quote: The Idea of a University (Sixth Discourse)

Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman in the sixth discourse of The Idea of a University, in part one:

I say, a University, taken in its bare idea, and before we view it as an instrument of the Church, has this object and this mission; it contemplates neither moral impression nor mechanical production; it professes to exercise the mind neither in art nor in duty; its function is intellectual culture; here it may leave its scholars, and it has done its work when it has done as much as this. It educates the intellect to reason well in all matters, to reach out towards truth, and to grasp it.

In part five:

Now from these instances, to which many more might be added, it is plain, first, that the communication of knowledge certainly is either a condition or the means of that sense of enlargement or enlightenment, of which at this day we hear so much in certain quarters: this cannot be denied; but next, it is equally plain, that such communication is not the whole of the process. The enlargement consists not merely in the passive reception into the mind of a number of ideas hitherto unknown to it, but in the mind's energetic and simultaneous action upon and towards and among those new ideas which are rushing in upon it. It is the action of a formative power, reducing to order and meaning the matter of our acquirements; it is a making the objects of our knowledge subjectively our own, or, to use a familiar word, it is a digestion of what we receive, into the substance of our previous state of thought; and without this no enlargement is said to follow. There is no enlargement, unless there be a comparison of ideas one with another, as they come before the mind, and a systematizing of them. We feel our minds to be growing and expanding then, when we not only learn, but refer what we learn to what we know already. it is not the mere addition to our knowledge that is the illumination; but the locomotion, the movement onwards, of that mental centre, to which both what we know, and what we are learning, the accumulating mass of our acquirements, gravitates.

In part eight:

A thorough knowledge of one science and a superficial acquaintance with many, are not the same thing; a smattering of a hundred things or a memory for detail, is not a philosophical or comprehensive view. Recreations are not education; accomplishments are not education. Do not say, the people must be educated, when, after all, you only mean, amused, refreshed, soothed, put into good spirits and good humour, or kept from vicious excesses.

Quote: The Idea of a University (Fifth Discourse)

Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman in the fifth discourse of The Idea of a University, in part one:

It is a great point then to enlarge the range of studies which a University professes, even for the sake of the students; and, though they cannot pursue every subject which is open to them, they will be the gainers by living among those and under those who represent the whole circle. This I conceive to be the advantage of a seat of universal learning, considered as a place of education. An assemblage of learned men, zealous for their own sciences, and rivals of each other, are brought, by familiar intercourse and for the sake of intellectual peace, to adjust together the claims and relations of their respective subjects of investigation. They learn to respect, to consult, to aid each other. Thus is created a pure and clear atmosphere of thought, which the student also breathes, though in his own case he only pursues a few sciences out of the multitude....A habit of mind is formed which lasts through life, of which the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation, and wisdom; or what in a former Discourse I have ventured to call a philosophical habit.

In part two:

Knowledge is capable of being its own end. Such is the constitution of the human mind, that any kind of knowledge, if it be really such, is its own reward. And if this is true of all knowledge, it is true also of that special Philosophy, which I have made to consist in a comprehensive view of truth in all is branches, of the relations of science to science, of their mutual bearings, and their respective values. What the worth of such an acquirement is, compared with other objects which we seek,--wealth or power or honour or the conveniences and comforts of life, I do not profess here to discuss; but I would maintain, and mean to show, that it is an object, in its own nature so really and undeniably good, as to be the compensation of a great deal of thought in the compassing, and a great deal of trouble in the attaining.

In part six:

We are instructed, for instance, in manual exercises, in the fine and useful arts, in trades, and in ways of business; for these are methods, which have little or no effect upon the mind itself, are contained in rules committed to memory, to tradition, or to use, and bear upon an end external to themselves. But education is a higher word; it implies an action upon our mental nature, and the formation of a character; it is something individual and permanent, and is commonly spoken of in connexion with religion and virtue. When, then, we speak of the communication of Knowledge as being Education, we thereby really imply that that Knowledge is a state or condition of mind; and since cultivation of mind is surely worth seeking for its own sake, we are thus brought once more to the conclusion, which the word "Liberal" and the word "Philosophy" have already suggested, that there is a Knowledge, which is desirable, though nothing come of it, as being of itself a treasure, and a sufficient remuneration of years of labour.

In part nine:

Surely it is very intelligible to say, and that is what I say here, that Liberal Education, viewed in itself, is simply the cultivation of the intellect, as such, and its object is nothing more or less than intellectual excellence. Every thing has its own perfection, be it higher or lower in the scale of things; and the perfection of one is not the perfection of another. Things animate, inanimate, visible, invisible, all are good in their kind, and have a best of themselves, which is an object of pursuit.

Quote: The Idea of a University

Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman in the fourth discourse of The Idea of a University, in part seven:

We are not living in an age of wealth and loyalty, of pomp and stateliness, of time-honoured establishments, of pilgrimage and penance, of hermitages and convents in the wild, and of fervent populations supplying the want of education by love, and apprehending in form and symbol what they cannot read in books. Our rules and our rubrics have been altered now to meet the times, and hence an obsolete discipline may be a present heresy.

In part eight:

Many men there are, who, devoted to one particular subject of thought, and making its principles the measure of all things, become enemies to Revealed Religion before they know it, and, only as time proceeds, are aware of their own state of mind. These, if they are writers or lecturers, while in this state of unconscious or semi-concious unbelief, scatter infidel principles under the garb and colour of Christianity; and this, simply because they have made their own science, whatever is is, Political Economy, or Geology, or Astronomy, to the neglect of Theology, the centre of all truth, and view every part or the chief parts of knowledge as if developed from it, and to be tested and determined by its principles.

In part twelve:

I am not denying, I am granting, I am assuming, that there is reason and truth in the "leading ideas," as they are called, and "large views" of scientific men; I only say that, though they speak truth, they do not speak the whole truth; that they speak a narrow truth, and think it a broad truth; that their deductions must be compared with other truths, which are acknowledged to be truths, in order to verify, complete, and correct them. They say what is true, exceptis excipiendis; what is true, but requires guarding; true, but must not be ridden too hard, or made what is called a hobby; true, but not the measure of all things; true, but if thus inordinately, extravagantly, ruinously carried out, in spite of other sciences, in spite of Theology, sure to become but a great bubble, and to burst.