Free PDF In Defense of Elitism, by William A., III HENRY
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In Defense of Elitism, by William A., III HENRY
Free PDF In Defense of Elitism, by William A., III HENRY
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In Defense of Elitism
- Sales Rank: #9341345 in Books
- Published on: 1995
- Binding: Hardcover
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Even more relevant today
By Brian E. Wright
It’s been twenty-plus years since this book was written, and each of Henry’s examples could easily be updated with current (and more extreme) examples of the American leveling phenomenon. He suggests that this trend began after WWII, but one can look back to the early 1800’s when Alexis de Tocqueville identified extreme egalitarianism as the overarching ethos explaining much of the American character.
Consider these observations from Vol. 1 of Democracy in America:
“There is, in fact, a manly and lawful passion for equality that incites men to wish all to be powerful and honored. This passion tends to elevate the humble to the rank of the great; but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom. Not that those nations whose social condition is democratic naturally despise liberty; on the contrary, they have an instinctive love of it. But liberty is not the chief and constant object of their desires; equality is their idol: they make rapid and sudden efforts to obtain liberty and, if they miss their aim, resign themselves to their disappointment; but nothing can satisfy them without equality, and they would rather perish than lose it.“
…And from Vol. II:
“Political liberty bestows exalted pleasures from time to time upon a certain number of citizens. Equality every day confers a number of small enjoyments on every man. The charms of equality are every instant felt and are within the reach of all; the noblest hearts are not insensible to them, and the most vulgar souls exult in them. The passion that equality creates must therefore be at once strong and general. Men cannot enjoy political liberty unpurchased by some sacrifices, and they never obtain it without great exertions. But the pleasures of equality are self-proffered; each of the petty incidents of life seems to occasion them, and in order to taste them, nothing is required but to live."
"I think that democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom; left to themselves, they will seek it, cherish it, and view any privation of it with regret. But for equality their passion is ardent, insatiable, incessant, invincible; they call for equality in freedom; and if they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery. They will endure poverty, servitude, barbarism, but they will not endure aristocracy."
"This is true at all times, and especially in our own day. All men and all powers seeking to cope with this irresistible passion will be overthrown and destroyed by it. In our age freedom cannot be established without it, and despotism itself cannot reign without its support.”
In Defense of Elitism is a thoughtful and engaging reflection on what may be the inevitable development of democratic egalitarianism.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Great book explaining the root causes of inequality.
By G. Perkins
An excellent book explaining inequality in the US today. There are no answers, but the book does explain the causes of rapid wage growth in many sectors of the US economy as a result of modern "winner take all" economic systems.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
An Informal, But Cogent, Case for Elitism and Standards
By Kevin Currie-Knight
"Ibsen, in "The Wild Duck,"says that every human being survives because of some vital lie. So, perhaps, does every nation. Our vital lie is egalitarianism." (p. 31, hardcover edition)
William Henry's book sounds like what it is. A compact, 200 page, defense of elitism. What does Henry mean by elitism? Rather than define elitism in a question-begging and perjorative way, as "championing of the eilite", Henry thinks of elitism in a more real way. By elitism, he means the belief that not all are equal in ability, talent, intelligence, or any other trait that our egalitarian world wishes we were all equals in.
Henry defends elitism in, and bemonas the egalitarianization of, four main areas: schooling, affirmative action, feminism, and the nature v nurture debate. In all of these areas, Henry rightly points out that the egalitarian impulse has won the day. Schools lower their standards so that no one is left behind (even those who should be at least left back a grade). Affirmative action has told us that the color of one's skin is more important than credentials, education, or effort. Feminism has made a majority into a minority, giving female workers long maternity leaves, more flexible time off, and other things that are never granted to male counterparts. Lastly, our hatred of elitism has made it impossible to even have a discussion about where nature meets nurture, let along construct policy with such information in mind.
I agree with the great majority of things in this book. As a teacher, I see every day how much less our kids are expected to do than they should be. I see the mindset of the administration that any kid can do anything if we teach them the right way (meanwhile, many teachers know that this is only true to a VERY SMALL degree). As a teacher in a 97% black school, I also see the "soft bigotry of lowered expectations" that was put largely into place by affirmative action policies that tell students that being black is enough to get handed what you want.
Where I do part ways ideationally with Henry is on the chapter regarding feminism. Some of the points are valid (women tend to get paid less because, statistically, they take more time off and are willing to work less hours). Henry, though, seems dismissive of the obvious retort: women are generally the ones shouldering the majority of housework and family raising responsibilities. To this, he suggests that maybe women do this because they want to. (He he.) Not ONCE does Henry suggest that men could raise the kids or do the house cleaning. He seems very dismissive of the idea, and I find it baffling that such a smart man seems so bound to traditional roles, where the husband earns the bread while the woman raises the kiddies and wields the vacum.
And I understand that any book championing elitism is going to seem abrasive to some. But while I agree with the majority of Henry's points, there are times where he sounds abrasive to even myself. One of Henry's criteria for what is or is not a superior culture, for instance, is how successful that nation has been in conquest of other nations. In another gem, Henry rhetorically asks, "What... does mentally retarded mean if not 'stupid'"? (Yikes? Are perjoratives necessary there?) He spends several pages berating American Sign Language citing as a reason that it is not as complex as English. (Stats?)
Slnce I agree with so much in Henry's book, I am only deducting a star for these disagreements. Another star is deducted for the ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSABLE (!!!) omission of endnones and bibliography. Yes, this book is quite informal - more like an impromptu speech than a treatise, - but when one cites statistics and gives direct quotes, one makes citations necessary. It is ironic that a man defending elitism and standards managed to break one of the rules that would give you an automatic zero on any high-school or college paper.
Anyhow, I still give the book three stars because, as dated as it is by now, these points are as much alive today as they were then (with the possible exceptioin of feminism, which has gradually lost a bit of its radicalism over the past decaade). Elitists and egalitarians alike should read it.
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