The Organization Kid

The Organization Kid.

      Recently I have read the article, which is entitled as “The Organization Kid”. The author of this article is David Brooks. It was published in the “Atlantic Monthly”, in April, 2000. This very article focuses readers’ attention on the lifestyle  of the so-called American meritocratic elite. This designation, that the author has invented, implies hard-working and super-accomplished students of Princeton and other American competitive universities of today.

   At the very beginning, I would like to provide you with some definition of the word “meritocracy”. According to the vocabulary definition, meritocracy is a social system that gives power and high social positions to people with the most ability. That’s why meritocracy can be called “perfect pattern of state structure”. Unfortunately, nowadays this pattern is not widely- spread and popular in various countries around the world. For instance, in Russia, as well as in lots of other states, social system is based on corruption; good positions are obtained through personal connections and ties, and no way accomplished and honest-minded person can climb the ladder of success in such kind of society.

   And now I would like to return to the young achievers of Princeton university. According to the article, their daily schedule seems to look like a session of Future Workaholics of America. These students are engaged in permanent concentrated study, various sports, resident-adviser duty and prayers sessions. Sometimes, these diligent students  hardly have time to get around to sleeping or meeting with their best friends. But nowhere did the author find any real unhappiness with this very state of affairs. On the contrary, these young and ambitious students know very well, that the end justifies the means. And their ultimate goal is to get their successful public careers to be on the track. They are perfectly aware, that modern America is abound in advantageous job offers and such opportunity lures them.

   But, still, there are plenty of things, Princeton students have to ignore almost completely, just because they are too hard pressed for time. One of them is following national politics or participating in crusades. Even some biological needs get forced out. These industrious students can’t devote much effort and time to dating. Generally, they  schedule time for serious relations when their career are on track and they are close to gaining their goals.

   And now I would like to describe briefly system  of values of meritocratic elite. What are they like, these american workaholics? They are certainly not money-mad, just completely career-conscious. They are inclined to reach their goal by any means available. Any useful activity, whether it is stydying, sports,  or community service is considered by them as a means for self-development, resume-building and enrichment.

   One more characteristic feature of these responsible people is that they are extremely respectful of authority. They can be called conformists, because they are not into any kind of protesting, but in their opinion, they are just reasonable. But not only Princeton students, the majority of young American people in 1997 seemed to defer to authority figures and share their parents general values and opinions.  At this time, students aged twelve to nineteen appeared to be more conscious and sensible in comparison to our time. For instance,  they were well aware of such vital issues, facing America, as violation of the laws by average Americans and politicians, human selfishness, lack of respect towards authorities and courts that tend to protect criminals rights.

   In conclusion, I’d like to add some words about Organization kid. Who are they?  These future leaders are definitely not revolutionaries or dark cynics, quite opposite, they are convinced admirers of authority. They are eager to explore the world around them and to climb the ladder of success.