A few weeks ago, I attended a public lecture by Charles Murray at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. The room was filled with DC interns eager to hear Murray talk about his book Coming Apart, which explores the cultural differences that have increased the disconnect between lower and upper-class white Americans. Though I was skeptical of some of Murray’s more controversial ideas, such as his belief that the U.S. should eliminate internships and the SAT, I took away some valuable lessons that I think most Cornellians would appreciate.
Murray’s bold statements accurately describe the vast majority of well-educated America. Murray highlighted that unlike in previous decades, in recent years, high-I.Q. Americans now dominate elite colleges, marry each other, and often live near each other in over-educated cities like DC. Members of this upper-class send their children to schools with children from other upper-class families. They watch shows like Downton Abbey and Mad Men, not Judge Judy or Oprah. They physically and culturally isolate themselves from the rest of society.
Why should the upper-class connect with the rest of society? Murray argues that individuals who disconnect themselves from the lifestyles of other classes will end up making rash generalizations about the rest of Americans, whom they barely know. Murray criticized the often arrogant good intentions of the upper-class. He pointed out that people of the upper-class often claim that they know what is best for society, and think they know what is best for the vast majority of America. Often these well-educated Americans believe that the rest of society is not capable of making informed judgments about diets, politics, family or jobs. For example, many are quick to label the Tea Party as ignorant white hicks without taking the time to actually talk to Tea Party members and understand their perspectives.
If you are interested in public policy, politics, or law, you definitely must understand different perspectives in order to make the best policy decisions. The next generation of well-educated politicians and leaders will be far more capable of making wise decisions if they attempt to relate to and connect with the community. Underlying elitism is separating the classes faster than income inequality. Murray rests blame on both upper-class liberal and conservative individuals for this underlying elitism. He also suggests some ideas for the next generation of well-educated leaders to reduce this dissonance.
He told the group of interns to spend two years in a foreign country. He said they should earn $2,000 of their own money, and book a one way plane ticket abroad. He suggested that they pick countries where they would be in the minority. (Sorry Downton Abbey fans, England does not count.) In addition, he said they should not speak the languages of their countries of choice, and should attempt to learn them while there.
Bottom line: get out of your comfort zone. By learning to cope and adjust to new surroundings, you will gain confidence in yourself and become more in tune with the lives of individuals different from you.
If spending two years in Kuala Lumpur is not your thing, Murray has some reasonable solutions. He proposes that individuals of the upper class and lower classes engage in a community. They should talk to each other and know each other’s needs. In such an ideal society, individuals would be slow to generalize about each other and quick to bring their community together. That is not to say that the upper-class must give up their lifestyles. (You can still watch Downton Abbey.) After all, Murray himself is not afraid to embrace upper-class culture. He even left the lecture early to attend Don Giovanni with his wife. Instead, the next generation of well-educated individuals should be conscious of this gap between the upper and lower classes, and should take the initiative to connect with people unlike themselves. So maybe, when you graduate, you should move into a neighborhood where at least some of your neighbors are not your best friends from Cornell.
Caroline Emberton is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, spending the semester in the Cornell in Washington program. She can be reached at cme67@cornell.edu.