Fermat’s last theorem

was reading David Brooks‘ opinion on Elena Kagan
what interested me more is the undertone of the article on the strategic ‘Organization Kids’
i mean in general..what’s wrong with ‘playing your cards right’ / being down to earth / hving a well-planned life track?
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“About a decade ago, one began to notice a profusion of Organization Kids at elite college campuses. These were bright students who had been formed by the meritocratic system placed in front of them. They had great grades, perfect teacher recommendations, broad extracurricular interests, admirable self-confidence and winning personalities.”

“If they had any flaw, it was that they often had a professional and strategic attitude toward life. (!?= =) They were not intellectual risk-takers. They regarded professors as bosses to be pleased rather than authorities to be challenged. As one admissions director told me at the time, they were prudential rather than poetic.”

“Yet she also is apparently prudential, deliberate and cautious. She does not seem to be one who leaps into a fray when the consequences might be unpredictable. “She was one of the most strategic people I’ve ever met, and that’s true across lots of aspects of her life,” John Palfrey, a Harvard law professor, told The Times. “She is very effective at playing her cards in every setting I’ve seen.””

“..She’s shown relatively little interest in coming up with new theories or influencing public debate.”

“…in essence, campaigning for this position all of her life”