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[quote=Anonymous]Both. That's the whole point. The inclusion language and the cutthroat behavior come from the same place. These people have learned that the most effective way to secure competitive advantage for their children is to do it while loudly caring about others.

Think about it from first principles. If you were going to dedicate your entire adult life to funneling your offspring into the ruling class, would you announce that? Or would you join the diversity committee, cry at the MLK assembly, and quietly make sure little Atticus or Waverly has the right internship, the right therapist, the right college counselor, and the right letter of recommendation from the right person you met at the right gala?

The ones who seem nice are the ones who've mastered the form. The ones who seem cutthroat are just less polished. Same destination.

You asked which is reality and which is fiction. The niceness is real. The concern for social justice is real. The cutthroat ambition is real. The sincerity is the only fiction, and not because these people are lying exactly. They've lived inside the story so long they can no longer tell the difference between what they believe and what it's useful to believe.

Which, if you think about it, is the most frightening option of all.[/quote]

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