The undergraduate degree is a coming of age ritual for the middle-to-upper classes, and it's not even doing that anymore. Especially since it was a coming of age ritual for young men, who are now less than half of undergraduates, not for women. Men NEED coming-of-age rituals. Women just need to have their coming-of-age recognized and connected to childbearing / rearing, whether individual women DECIDE to have children or not (with the usual "not all women" stipulation). But the social default should be women having children.
We're in a time of transition, where colleges / universities as they currently exist are being replaced, and the woke don't even realize it. They no longer work, either as institutions for teaching knowledge/skills, or institutions for coming-of-age rituals. And frankly, it's easier for me to see their replacements for actual teaching (maker-spaces / various on-line learning places / local in-person meeting places) than replacements for the "coming of age" rituals for men.
Debt slavery, thieves of the young’s most valuable learning time , indoctrination in antisocial habits, ruining the vulnerable for years, dens of vice, all to produce unusable people with few if any skills.
No, Bruce, you're still on the right track.
The undergraduate degree is a coming of age ritual for the middle-to-upper classes, and it's not even doing that anymore. Especially since it was a coming of age ritual for young men, who are now less than half of undergraduates, not for women. Men NEED coming-of-age rituals. Women just need to have their coming-of-age recognized and connected to childbearing / rearing, whether individual women DECIDE to have children or not (with the usual "not all women" stipulation). But the social default should be women having children.
We're in a time of transition, where colleges / universities as they currently exist are being replaced, and the woke don't even realize it. They no longer work, either as institutions for teaching knowledge/skills, or institutions for coming-of-age rituals. And frankly, it's easier for me to see their replacements for actual teaching (maker-spaces / various on-line learning places / local in-person meeting places) than replacements for the "coming of age" rituals for men.
Tell my student loan creditors this.
🔥 it all
Debt slavery, thieves of the young’s most valuable learning time , indoctrination in antisocial habits, ruining the vulnerable for years, dens of vice, all to produce unusable people with few if any skills.
What’s not to like?
Perhaps we were too quick to dismiss Robert Bly.
Enjoyed this thoughtful response, thanks Bruce