The Elitist Spiral

In early 2010, I went to Westfield State College to see Greg Mortenson. I had never heard of Westfield State College – a local college not known outside central Massachusetts, though with a large enrollment, as I discovered. About 20% of the 2,000 people who came to listen to Greg were students at the college. Greg asked how many of them were first generation college students (a part of Greg’s grand plan), and to my amazement, about 2/3rd of hands went up. The place was up in roar and full of cheer as we celebrated these young men and women who were the first ever in their entire family to go to college. It was a very special moment for 2 girls sitting next to me as they realized what a great accomplishment it was for them.

It was an incredible and emotional moment. Here I was - from an elite college - sitting in the midst of what I (and many of us) consider a 4th tier college. The students and everybody around here can’t be that smart. They don’t work hard enough. Their life can’t be that exciting. They are almost at the bottom of the pyramid. We don’t even know – or care to know – that they exist.

There are a large number of people in United States (and 100 times more in the world) for whom even a rudimentary education is like conquering Mount Everest. For many of them, attending Westfield State College is far more difficult – and a much greater achievement – than many children of the Elite attending Harvard.

We are very proud of those who attend Elite colleges. Graduates of Elite colleges tend to be well off, share their wealth with their Elite alma mater, so they can churn out more Elite graduates. Graduates from Harvard and MIT donate time and money to these Elite institutions. They get a lot of news and lots of praise. How about those who are first in their family to attend Westfield State College?

The Elite breed the Elite, and the spiral continues. At a macro level, the Elitist spiral is huge, and firmly embedded in the society. I should know, because I have been a part of one.

Happily, this spiral has leaks. Recently, Deshpande foundation announced $5M for the Merrimack Valley (not an Elite community) improvement. Bill Gates broke out of this spiral long ago. And there are thousands of others who quietly give their time and money for the upliftment of others.

To be sure, Elite helping Elite is not wrong. It is a necessity for continuing improvement of the society. But, as the Elite venture more and more outside the Elitist spiral, the society has a chance to get better and better.