328 SPECIALPROVIDENCE"Youwouldifyourfatherweremyfather,"18 saidthepresidential
scion.Fewoftoday'spamperedoffspringoftheneo-elitecouldmakea
similarclaim.
TodaythesonsandthedaughtersofinfluentialAmericansaremore
likelytospendtheirsummersworkingasinternsatprestigiousmedia
companiesthandoingphysical labor, oreven workingas waitersor
check-outclerks.
There is no needto romanticizethe bygone eraofprivilegeand
noblesseoblige. (Acheson,forexample,was not notedfor hiscommon
touch.)Still,theoldtraditionofdoingmanuallaboramongtheworking
classes,plustheexperienceoftwoworldwarsandconscriptionfrom
1940 through 1973 (witha gapofafew monthsin1947-48),19gave
previousgenerationsoftheforeignpolicyelitea moreintuitiveunder-
standingoftheirfellowAmericansthanthatpossessedbymanyoftheir
neo-elitesuccessors.Thisproblemisgettingworseastimegoesby;each
newgenerationofthe neo-elite is fartherfrom itsrootsamong the
Americanpeople.Notonlydidtheoldergenerationsharetheexperi-
encesofconscriptionandwar,butvastsocialmobilityinthepost-1945
UnitedStates brought millionsofformerly blue-collarfamilies into
themiddleclass. Wheretoday'sprofessorsandprofessionals areoften
second-generationmiddleanduppermiddleclass,thepostwargenera-
tionofintellectualsoftenhadstrongblue-collarroots.
PerhapstherarestthingintheUnitedStatestodayistofinda well-
educated youngAmericanwho sees earning the respect ofordinary
Americansonanordinaryjobasthenecessaryfoundationtoa strongper-
sonalcharacterandvaluablecareer. PlentyofyoungAmericans study
abroad,preciselytoacquirea sympatheticunderstandingofpeopledif-
ferentfromthemselves,butfewventurefromthecitadelsofprivilegeto
learnabourtheirfellowcitizensathome:Tibet,yes;~eoria,no.
Westillseesomeslumming-volunteerworkamongeconomically
disadvantagedsubculturesconsideredpicturesqueorfashionableinsome
way-butthereisalmostnosenseinoureducationalsystemoramong
theparentsoftheneo-elite thatlivingandworkingonequalterms
amongordinarymiddle-andlower-middle-classAmericansis animpor-
tantandnecessarypartofa first-classeducation.Itisthereforenotsur-
prising thatwhen the neo-elite comes to thinkabout the national
interest,ithasproblemsunderstandingtheviews,values,andpriorities
ofnon-eliteAmericans,andevengreaterdifficultyincommunicatingits
ownviewstogeneralaudiences.