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Orwell said it best: an idea so stupid only an academic would take it seriously.

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When my son went to MIT for his masters' degrees (at least they are useful for his work), a friend said to me (as if this was the most-important priority for me) "Wow, think of all the important friends that you will make because of this." ugh

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ThatтАЩs the reason why people want to go to Harvard or Yale. ItтАЩs not what you know itтАЩs who you know. ItтАЩs very sensible to make friends in high places. The people who understand this are the richer ones.

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I worked for a Wunderkind in the early days of the internet. He was getting big contracts from major companies to build their first websites. I asked how he managed to get these contracts. His answer:

"It's who you know and who you blow."

Later I found out that he came from a very well-connected family which set up these contracts through his father. It really wasn't his own doing.

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But this type of person is so shameless they play it like it was all their own doing.

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Yes and there are a lot of people such as that.

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Yes, he is shameless exactly like that.

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lol heтАЩs probably shameless because he figures there is nothing wrong with being smart enough to make friends in high places.

On the other hand, he could go to College only to just smoke pot and drink and waste his life instead of making important friends. I know which I prefer for my own family.

Everybody is pretty much the sum of the five people he hangs around most. You could make friends with a bunch of losers who hold you back or intelligent, ambitious people who want to work hard for their family. ItтАЩs up to the individual.

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I have to give credit to the fact that my son is very driven, nobody is perfect, but he knows what he wants. I will not take credit for that any more than I will take blame for anything my children do wrong. That could sound very harsh or it could sound as if I give them credit where it is due.

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Agreed. Everyone is responsible only for his or her own actions.

No one is responsible for the actions of anyone else.

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That's the kind of story that marxists use as ammunition, to prove there's a cabal of rich people who keep the rest of us from getting ahead. They are probably partially right, though their "solutions" are just about changing the membership of the cabal.

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Yes, they're partially right, though opportunities for the plebeians in the US are better than in most places.

Our problem is not capitalism, but corporate control over Congress.

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BWA-hahahaha. No kittying.

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Consider being truly happy, your definition of richer may change .

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That's one of the most important reasons to go to a school like that. Those contacts are infinitely more important than anything he'll learn there. You can learn the same material at home for free. You're paying for the social connections, mentors and future colleagues.

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In his case, we all paid for it. He is an EDO (engineering duty officer) for the U.S. Navy.

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God bless. And thanks for raising someone who wants to serve his country.

тЭдя╕ПЁЯЗ║ЁЯЗ╕

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like!

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yep, bad cattitude's work today resonates with that statement:

https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/subverting-human-flourishing

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I see his posts and everything else stops until I read them

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His words flow over me like a refreshing stream when I am hot and parched.

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