--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...[I]t doesn't take an advanced degree…" description: "\"“...[I]t doesn't take an advanced degree to figure out that this education talk is less a strategy for mitigating inequality than it is a way of ration..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/thomas-frank-4078_education_i-t-doesn-t-take-an-advanced-degree-to-f_3143276.jpg" --- # ...\[I\]t doesn't take an advanced degree to figure out that… ![“...[I]t doesn't take an advanced degree to figure out that this education talk is less a strategy for mitigating inequality than it is a way of rationalizing it. To attribute economic results to school years finished and SAT scores achieved is to remove matters from the realm of, well, economics…” quote by Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/thomas-frank-4078_education_i-t-doesn-t-take-an-advanced-degree-to-f_3143276.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/thomas-frank-4078_education_i-t-doesn-t-take-an-advanced-degree-to-f_3143276.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/thomas-frank-4078_education_i-t-doesn-t-take-an-advanced-degree-to-f_3143276.jpg) > ““...\[I\]t doesn't take an advanced degree to figure out that this education talk is less a strategy for mitigating inequality than it is a way of rationalizing it. To attribute economic results to school years finished and SAT scores achieved is to remove matters from the realm of, well, economics and to relocate them to the provinces of personal striving and individual intelligence. From this perspective, wages aren't what they are because one party (management) has a certain amount of power over the other (workers); wages are like that because the god of the market, being surpassingly fair, rewards those who show talent and gumption. Good people are those who get a gold star from their teacher in elementary school, a fat acceptance letter from a good college, and a good life when they graduate. All because they are the best. Those who don't pay attention in high school get to spend their days picking up discarded cans by the side of the road. Both outcomes are our own doing.”” [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education is framed as meritocracy, masking structural power imbalances and blaming individuals for inequality. **In simple terms:** Education is presented as fair, but it hides power dynamics and blames people for outcomes. Key Takeaway Recognize systemic factors beyond personal effort. Themes education inequality meritocracy power economics Mood critical analytical Type sociopolitical critical When to use this quote - policy analysis - social advocacy - academic research - public discourse Key Concepts structural inequality meritocratic myth social stratification Questions to Reflect On - How do power structures shape educational outcomes? - What policies could address systemic inequality? A Different Perspective It oversimplifies complex economic forces to individual traits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-talk-3479589/) [Elementary school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-school/) [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Inequality Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality-way-5610271/) [Mitigating Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mitigating-inequality-3974262/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) [Perspective Wages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective-wages-5610272/) [Wages Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages-aren-5610270/) ## Related quotes > [If progressives were interested in mitigating inequality, they would support the dynamism of free markets to allow the merit of ideas, products and services…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/if-progressives-were-interested-in-mitigating-inequality-they-would/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [When we talk about public education, we don't worry about a district. 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To attribute economic results to school years finished and SAT scores achieved is to remove matters from the realm of, well, economics and to relocate them to the provinces of personal striving and individual intelligence. From this perspective, wages aren't what they are because one party (management) has a certain amount of power over the other (workers); wages are like that because the god of the market, being surpassingly fair, rewards those who show talent and gumption. Good people are those who get a gold star from their teacher in elementary school, a fat acceptance letter from a good college, and a good life when they graduate. All because they are the best. Those who don't pay attention in high school get to spend their days picking up discarded cans by the side of the road. 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