Two recent news items.  
1. Research finds that the 'best' companies only recruit from the 'top' universities, which are very largely attended by children of the privileged.  Bright children from under-privileged backgrounds aren't getting a look in.  
2. Women authors are under-represented in winning top book awards.

I'm thinking that so few people get to win top awards or get the top jobs, by definition,, that it would be better for society generally to shift emphasis away from the importance of achieving either.  Presumably, sending your children to expensive private schooling does carry some advantage... otherwise why pay for it? I went to a rough, tough comprehensive where surviving socially seemed much more important than doing well in exams.  I have no doubt I would have done a lot better at school if the game being played there was 'academic achievement'.  'Top' companies are rarely created in order to facilitate social mobility - its not part of their remit.  They must save time by going straight to the top universities, even though they may miss out on some bright commoners.   To be concerned that the top jobs are equally available to all is to acquiesce to the aspiration of Capitalism.  Well, what I mean is... its not a very Buddhist stance, for example.   'Working class children are far less likely to take up meditation' would be a more intriguing headline to me, given I believe that establishing a meditation habit is perhaps more likely to lead to a happy life than, say, getting a 'top' job.  It is probably a whole lot more achievable also.  High social status and economic wealth are sought after by very many people, it seems.  We should not expect those in possession of those things to give them up easily - we should try to want them less for ourselves, and/or stop complaining, and/or have a revolution.

I have a similar feeling about women winning book prizes.  It may be that the balance of power is still held by men in the  literary world.  It may be that male-to-male competition in the ancestral environment led to a generally increased competitiveness in male psychology, leading them to generally win more prizes.   It may be a variety of these and other factors.  Either way, what we might do as individuals is just not take prizes so seriously, or suggest that we do away with such prizes.  

Sat in a dutch university cafe, trying to make sense my research notes, I look up to see several other aspiring academics, similarly engrossed in the contemplation of darks marks on a light ground several centimetres from their faces.  We will be the people said to know most about the world, those that spend hours per day engaging with abstractions of it.

the one million women campaign sounds interesting.  Given that wealth generation and status enhancement are activities closely connected with environmental degradation, but also assumed by men to be attractive to women - the one million women might effectively help save the planet by refusing to sleep with wealthy or high-status men; ideally by always choosing the poorest and lowest status men.  Of course, if it is true that indicator's of a man's ability and inclination to provide resources and protection are indeed attractive to women - this may not be so easy.  Perhaps a first tentative step would be to refuse to sleep with men who own 4 wheel drive vehicles...?  Or refuse the gift of expensive and useless jewelry - accompanied by a genuine look of disgust.   Men are seemingly so rigidly driven my sexual opportunity that I am quite sure such steps would have an impact. 

I'm one week in to this summer school and how refreshing and slightly bizarre it is to stumble into this highly concentrated community of Gamers with Brains.  Really, who'd have thunk it....?   phd students and professors from around the world with a shared passion for playing games, who combine being very down to earth, super-friendly and extremely well-read and articulate.  Yesterday I had a five-hour conversation with Argentinian Federico on the relation of evolutionary psychology and post-structuralism to the study of fine art and gaming.  I am not alone!