The Prestigious Decline of Prestige

There is an article in this morning's New York Times bemoaning the the loss of status and glamor of the professions in the areas of medicine and law. It's hard to remember, but there actually was a time when people went into those professions with motives other than monetary, notoriety, or prestige. But in a world that has elevated the profession of being a Gabor sister to the luminary heights of Paris Hilton, anything is possible.

But let me the second, if not the first to say that Prestige, while ailing is not dead.

Prestige has become a commodity that is bought, not earned. From our glorious leader in the White House, to Paris Hilton, to surgically replicated lemmings scurrying from one over-priced boutique to another on Oak Street here in Chicago, the trappings of the aristocracy, class, and prestige have become mass marketed and stocked on the shelves of a Wal-mart near you!

Of course, these trappings have always been for sale. And the truly aristocratic in every society has laughed themselves silly at the bourgeoisie who have purchased them and spotlighted the pricetags for all the world to see. But only in the dawn of the twenty-first century has the traditional aristocracy begun to believe that such prestige can be purchased, thus driving up the demand and price.

I think that is why America seems ready to take a chance on an untried commodity such as Barak Obama. In the Democratic party we have a brilliant example of true aristocracy, and faux aristocracy. To be plain, real aristocracy is not something that may be inherited, but it truly is earned. Paris Hilton comes from an aristocratic background, but has done nothing to earn her aristocracy. Obama comes from a modest background, but his accomplishments have earned him that aristocratic air. And Hillary Clinton, even with her list of accomplishments, spotlights her dime-store aristocracy every time she parses an issue, afraid to take an unequivocated stand on any issue.

A true aristocratic air is not one that takes a condescending view of the rest of the world. A true aristocratic air works toward accomplishment, acknowledges that success, but does not take it for granted. It is not achieved through a prescribed plan of grammar school, high school, college, business school, law school, money. And once achieved, it does not feel the need to proclaim that success to the world, nor demand accolades for it.

One of the great founding principals of the United States of America was that there was no recognized aristocracy. But the plan wasn't to level society to the basest elements, rather to elevate the entire society to the level of the aristocracy. And that elevation was not intended through commerce, but through grueling hard work and achievement.

Now, however, wealth has accumulated in this country and has become hereditary. Even with her status as virtually disinherited, Paris Hilton will share in a $69 million dollar estate. And with her share, she will do nothing of any note except buy the trinkets that other people tell her are "hot." How many people could build a successful life from one-tenth of one percent of that much money?

The fact of the matter today is that becoming a lawyer, or to a lesser degree a doctor, has lost status in our society is because there's no real risk in achieving success. Even a mediocre lawyer is going to earn more than the most innovative artist. The difficulty and struggle in the legal and medical worlds are mapped out and people who enter them at twenty-five have a reasonable idea of what their life is going to look like at forty. That's safe, and safe doesn't deserve prestige. Those professions have sold out. Thirty years ago prestigious law schools could afford to be selective about its students because they were funded by public and private grants. Harvard and Yale could not take any new law students if they did not find anyone worthy. Now they are profit centers needing to generate tuition dollars and placing a secondary emphasis upon the building of our national character. And medical profession has quite simply lost community respect because it sold its soul to insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Yes, both professions demand hard work, but both professions also are famously aware of the rewards they feel their entitled to. Entitlement is the ugly antithesis of the aristocratic, and entitlement is what the new Ugly American marinates in. Entitlement demands recognition. Prestige is given.

The New York Times article says that the new areas of prestige are found in the creative areas, because that is where autonomy can still be found. That's where the prospecting spirit still lives, where it's possible to strike it rich because of the ability to build something from nothing, born from achievement and hard work.

As a concept, prestige still exists and for those who truly want to earn the real thing instead of buying the cheap knock off, it can be had through moxy, zest, and plain and simple hard work, and true trail blazing.

When was the last time you met a trail-blazing doctor?