Sad, But Very True Mike Rappaport

Arnold Kling writes:

Academiclife is very much oriented toward the pecking order, with an incessantfocus on ranking individuals, departments, and institutions. Onceprofessors have attained high status within the academic pecking order,they sometimes lose track of the fact that there are other areas ofskill and wisdom in society. They cannot understand why they shouldrespect or even be forced to listen to the opinion of anyone who doesnot share their exalted status. Their contempt applies to professors atless prestigious institutions, and even more so to businessmen andother non-academics.

And, sadly, most people do this, whatever their place in the pecking order.