The Blindness of Elites

Walter Kirn’s journey from a midwestern childhood to the elite institutions of Princeton and Oxford set the stage for his career as a writer and a critic of American meritocracy. During his Oxford days in the mid-1980s, Kirn encountered the literary titan Jorge Luis Borges, who famously revised Shakespeare’s speeches to "improve" them. This encounter imparted a pivotal lesson Kirn would carry throughout his life: no authority, not even the most revered, is beyond question.

Kirn’s own career evolved within the cultural elite; he authored novels like Up in the Air—which was adapted into a major film—and contributed to prominent magazines. Yet, from inside these influential circles, he grew disillusioned with the class that shapes narratives and wields power. His 2009 memoir, Lost in the Meritocracy, chronicles the struggle of a middle-class kid striving to fit into an Ivy League-dominated ruling class and his ultimate refusal to conform. Now living in Livingston, Montana, for over three decades, Kirn embodies a counter-elite posture, sympathizing with Americans from "unimportant" places whom he believes mainstream media and coastal institutions often dismiss as irrelevant.

He challenges what he sees as self-satisfied liberal establishments that fail to grasp the frustrations driving populist movements. Kirn views the rise of Donald Trump not as an aberration but as a raw expression of American anger from people who feel betrayed by "noblesse, no oblige" elites. While many have labeled him a conservative or a Trump apologist, Kirn and his allies describe his politics as "old-school liberal," committed to free thought and the questioning of orthodoxy. He positions himself as "anti-anti-Trump," arguing that the response to Trump from established powers poses a greater threat to civil liberties than Trump himself.

Kirn’s critique extends to what he views as the corrosive blindness of entrenched power, arguing that those governing America suffer from a detachment and self-righteousness that fosters public distrust. His public confrontations, sometimes veering into conspiratorial territory, reflect this fury, whether he is lashing out at media institutions or accusing academic gatekeepers of silencing dissent. He insists on the necessity of "freedom"—not merely in a libertarian sense, but the freedom to challenge stale ideas and resist pleasing powerful interests.

His experiences reporting on everything from eschatological cults in Montana to the struggles of deindustrialized towns inform his literary mission: to amplify the voices of forgotten Americans. Through projects like the print-only broadsheet County Highway, Kirn seeks to expand the nation's journalistic gaze beyond cosmopolitan centers to the stories of people and places often overlooked. His goal is to foster an unruly American literature that mirrors the nation’s vast contradictions. Like Borges revising Shakespeare, Kirn aims to revise America’s dominant narratives, unmasking the complacency of elites while validating the grievances of populism. He is a defiant contrarian who remains a part of the elite world he critiques, a "charismatic class traitor" whose rebellion lies in the affirmation of dissent and the perpetual questioning of authority.

WORDS TO BE NOTED-                                                                                                                           

1. Meritocracy (noun) 👑: A system or society where power and advancement are based on individual ability, talent, and achievement, rather than on social class or wealth.

2. Contrarian (noun) 🔄: A person who takes an opposing view, especially one who rejects the majority opinion.

3. Elite (noun) 🎩: A select group that is superior in terms of ability, social status, or wealth to the rest of a group or society.

4. Populist (adjective/noun) 🗣️: Relating to or representing the interests of ordinary people, often in opposition to the established elite.

5. Eschatological (adjective) ⏳: Relating to the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.

6. Gatekeepers (noun) 🚧: People or institutions that control access to something, such as media exposure, political power, or social acceptance.

7. Bromides (noun) 💤: Trite, unoriginal, or commonplace remarks, typically intended to soothe or placate.

8. Quixotic (adjective) ⚔️: Exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical.

9. Nihilistic (adjective) ⚫: Rejecting all religious and moral principles, often with the belief that life is meaningless.

10. Infallible (adjective) ✅: Incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.

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Paragraph Summaries

Paragraph 1: The Formative Encounter
Walter Kirn, a writer and critic educated at Princeton and Oxford, had a pivotal experience in the mid-1980s when he met the author Jorge Luis Borges. Borges revealed that he playfully "revised" Shakespeare's work, which taught Kirn a lasting lesson: no authority is absolute or beyond question. This moment shaped his future critical perspective.

Paragraph 2: A Career Inside and Against the Elite
Kirn built a successful career, writing for major magazines and authoring the novel Up in the Air, which was adapted into a hit film. However, his 2009 memoir, Lost in the Meritocracy, details his disillusionment with the elite class he was a part of, describing his journey as a middle-class kid who ultimately chose not to conform to their world.

Paragraph 3: The Counter-Elite Stance
Having lived in Montana for over 30 years, Kirn has adopted a "counter-elite" identity. He sympathizes with Americans from what he calls "unimportant places," whose frustrations he believes are ignored by mainstream liberal establishments. He interprets the rise of Donald Trump as a valid expression of anger from people who feel abandoned by an elite class that offers no real support (noblesse, no oblige).

Paragraph 4: A Rebel with a Cause
While often perceived as an apologist for Donald Trump, Kirn’s critique is aimed more broadly at the "corrosive blindness" of entrenched power. He argues that the self-righteousness of the ruling class fuels public distrust and division. His often aggressive public statements reflect his fury at institutions and academic "gatekeepers" he believes are silencing dissent.

Paragraph 5: Defending a Lost Liberalism
Kirn resists being labeled a conservative, instead describing his political stance as "old-school liberal"—one committed to free thought and challenging orthodox beliefs. He argues for freedom beyond simple rights, emphasizing the need to question stale ideas ("bromides") and resist powerful interests. In his view, a degree of paranoia can be a rational response to institutional deceit.