The Straight, White, Middle-Class Man Needs to Be Dethroned

[garbon]

The fact that they are, on average, not extremely well educated (at least in terms of degrees, if not schools), suggests we are having an old boy network of rich frat boys who do not necessarily represent a lot in terms of intellectual capacity.

I don't know why you would equate lack of an advanced degree with lack of intellectual capacity. If you are already making the monies, no need to get the degree which acts a signifier to get you the monies.

[Jacob]

The fact that they are, on average, not extremely well educated (at least in terms of degrees, if not schools), suggests we are having an old boy network of rich frat boys who do not necessarily represent a lot in terms of intellectual capacity.

Alternately, it suggests that being "well educated" is not nearly as big an asset as is commonly portrayed.

I'm pretty sure there's an old boys network going on in upper level corporate management, but I don't think it can be concluded from the level of education the members have.

[alfred russel]

What about the height, which is clearly higher than the average populace? "Tall people having more authority" or rather a bias to select people from affluent backgrounds (which correlates with good health/above average height)?

If you are associating above average height with good health and affluence, then you should probably associate it with intelligence as well.

[Barrister]

I thought the connection between height and being successful in all sorts of things was well documented.

[MadImmortalMan]

Fortune 500 CEOs is one such sample.  If it was the same as a random sample of the population it would be ~50% female and ~5% gay.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that it would not be the same as a random sample of the population because CEOs are an extreme outlier. You would expect the math to work such that the outlier population has a skewed membership with small minorities like gays being a far smaller percentage than they are in the population.

[frunk]

I guess the point I was trying to make is that it would not be the same as a random sample of the population because CEOs are an extreme outlier. You would expect the math to work such that the outlier population has a skewed membership with small minorities like gays being a far smaller percentage than they are in the population.

Being an extreme outlier isn't necessarily indicative of anything.  If I looked at the population of left-handed, near-sighted midgets I wouldn't necessarily expect it to skew male/female or gay/straight.  It might, but that would indicate there was an underlying cause for it, not just merely being an outlier.

[Martinus]

I thought the connection between height and being successful in all sorts of things was well documented.

Yes, but is this causation or correlation? People who are well nutritioned throughout their childhood are usually taller. This could be a correlate to affluent background.

[Ideologue]

The fact that they are, on average, not extremely well educated (at least in terms of degrees, if not schools), suggests we are having an old boy network of rich frat boys who do not necessarily represent a lot in terms of intellectual capacity.

Alternately, it suggests that being "well educated" is not nearly as big an asset as is commonly portrayed.

Oh, noooooo.  That can't possibly be the case.

[Malthus]

The fact that they are, on average, not extremely well educated (at least in terms of degrees, if not schools), suggests we are having an old boy network of rich frat boys who do not necessarily represent a lot in terms of intellectual capacity.

Alternately, it suggests that being "well educated" is not nearly as big an asset as is commonly portrayed.

Oh, noooooo.  That can't possibly be the case.

Well, there is an exception for law degrees. Those are a guarantee of success and high status. 

[Ideologue]

Go jump at a window.  It's okay!  The glass is unbreakable.

[Malthus]

Go jump at a window.  It's okay!  The glass is unbreakable.

One of the two great legends of Toronto law.

[Ender]

Peter is right.

[Barrister]

Go jump at a window.  It's okay!  The glass is unbreakable.

One of the two great legends of Toronto law.

And the other?

[Malthus]

Go jump at a window.  It's okay!  The glass is unbreakable.

One of the two great legends of Toronto law.

And the other?

The night of the Torys merger party - the night Torys did *not* become Tory Haythe. 

[Valmy]

Here's an interesting page with statistics of CEOs:

http://www.statisticbrain.com/ceo-statistics/

Apparently the median age for Fortune 500 CEOs is 55.

Only 12 out of Fortune 500 CEOs are female. 

52% declare themselves as Republican, 2% as Democrat, 17% as Independent and 29% declined to respond (aka Nazi).

Average height is 6'.

So apparently, CEOs are tall old male Republicans. The author was not that far off the mark - he should have said "tall" instead of "middle class".

Again I would be interested to see the stats on the VPs and people on their way up.  This older generation was playing under the old rules.  Only looking at the head people does not tell the whole story, only what the story was twenty or thirty years ago.