David Brooks: Today’s elite is more talented and open but lacks a self-conscious leadership code. The language of meritocracy (how to succeed) has eclipsed the language of morality (how to be virtuous). Wall Street firms, for example, now hire on the basis of youth and brains, not experience and character. Most of their problems can be traced to this.
If you read the e-mails from the Libor scandal you get the same sensation you get from reading the e-mails in so many recent scandals: these people are brats; they have no sense that they are guardians for an institution the world depends on; they have no consciousness of their larger social role…..
via Why Our Elites Stink – NYTimes.com.
Comment:~ The first thing we need to teach college students is ethics.
This lack of ethics is becoming evident everywhere. Oz gov’t now pushing adverts for basic manners and decency, compassion and consideration! This was the responsibility of the parent in the past.I think that David Brooks is quite right to point out that it is lack of character that is permeating the young business exec of today and lets not forget the politicians: I was shocked by the blatant expenses scandal involving British politicians. Are we all ending up liars?
I can not see gov’t successfully taking on this role.Big business is unethical; evidenced by Glaxo Smith Kline’s recent fine of $3 billion for fraud that they admitted to! What did they make out of the fraud to be able to pay this fine and will it prevent a future attempt. I doubt if they have learnt any morals or ethics as a result. Attempted fraud of a similar nature in China results in hanging of the CEO’s: this may be a better deterrent but materialism will still temp especially those without moral or ethical values. I think that the GFC was a fraud and many of those involved knew that they were selling products that were unaffordable to those buying them. No-one has even been punished for this (to my knowledge) and here they are at the Libor manipulation already!
Further breaches of ethics by companies must include Nestles who have bought Jenny Craig weight watches when they are the biggest producers of processed foods. It is clear that diets like Jenny Craig’s do little for weight loss but it is an $800 billion global industry. Nestles know this.
And then you have to include the Roman Catholic Church and probably the other churches as well who are all about ethics and morality and yet they are responsible for much vile child abuse which they do not admit to, do little about and less to rectify.
I do not think it is even possible today to choose an applicant for a position if that person has less qualifications than another on the basis that you wish to benefit from superior “upbringing” Would think that the person with the better qualifications could claim discrimination?
I know the World is changing and we ought to be changing with it but I think we need to sit back and start questioning where this is going to take us.
I agree. And the decay in moral/ethical values is being accelerated by technology/media. The problem is: how do we push back?