The most important point about ousted Harvard University President Claudine Gay's plagiarism is not that she was fired (or allowed to resign), but rather that she received the highest honor in the job, the most prestigious in higher education. Despite having a job, his academic performance is so poor.
Gay has never published an article, even a plagiarized one, that is truly important or that significantly advances scholarship. She didn't get the job because of her ability, but because it ticked her boxes. In this respect, she is not an anomaly, but a representative of an educational system that rewards mediocrity.
These experts are neither smart nor skilled. They hold credentials from institutions that value box-checking over merit.
All of our elites are like this. These are people who got jobs because they ticked a box, not because they accomplished something great or meaningful. That is the purpose of today's elite universities. It is about giving qualifications that show false merit rather than relying on real excellence.
This is why we should scoff at public health experts who urge young children to wear masks in schools to stop the spread of respiratory viruses. These public health experts are neither wise nor skilled. They have credentials from institutions that value box-checking over merit.
This is why we've heard from multiple business leaders that they want more immigration to pay their workers, yet mass immigration has no effect on raising working-class wages or on housing prices. This is a reason why economists who say this should be ignored. Wages are low. These economists are neither smart nor skilled. They hold credentials from institutions that value box-checking over merit.
This is why we laugh at foreign policy experts who say we should send all of our weapons to wars that have little to do with wars in Eastern Europe, while making all of our steel, cell phones, and medicine in East Asia. This is a good reason. our core national interest. These foreign policy experts are neither wise nor skilled. They hold credentials from institutions that value box-checking over merit.
This is why we should despise lawyers who argue that Donald Trump committed a “riot” and should be removed from the ballot. They have no special legal knowledge. They are political hacks masquerading as lawyers, neither intelligent nor skilled. They hold credentials from institutions that value box-checking over merit.
This is why we should question doctors who prescribe experimental drugs to gender-confused children. These doctors are neither smart nor skilled. They hold credentials from institutions that value box-checking over merit.
The real story at Harvard is this, not the firing of Claudine Gay. In other words, you are ruled by thousands of equally mediocre people. Their power relies on tax incentives from the federal government, a DEI bureaucracy backed by Joe Biden's Justice Department, and the tacit consent of millions of Americans.
We say we withdraw that consent and all the goodwill that comes with it.
Editor's note: A version of this article was originally published as post On X (old Twitter).
