Pretty interesting thesis, that the whole way in which college is organized, as a consumption good where all needs are provided for and students are shielded from all discomfort, is what produces a socialist mindset once they get out of that environment.
The usual assumption is that professors are indoctrinating students, but that’s too simple. The campus itself is a powerful factor.
When students arrive in college, they encounter a vague sense of freedom. What they often do not realize is how controlled their campus experience is. Universities operate as a closed economy: centrally administered, collectively resourced, carefully controlled by administrators who hope their plans aid retention efforts.
Over the past several decades, the college campus has morphed into a comprehensive residential and lifestyle provider.
And the cost is hidden from them until they enter the mean real world that makes them pay it back.
Still, it’s actually an interesting case for having more giant lifestyle bundles available on the market.
What did you mean by this?
People enjoy the college experience.
Usually, it’s the going to class part they like least, so what if someone just dropped that part of the bundle?
Cruises are one example, but maybe the space is underexplored.
Do you think that the vague promise that you're doing something useful / ethical / moral / pro-social with your time is part of what makes them willing to pay the enormous sums required to fund the 4-year lifestyle experience?
I'm not normally one to lean on behavioral/psychological explanations... but I do think people have a deep need to feel that they are doing "the right thing"
Sure, but learnin’ ain’t the only valuable pursuit.