Natural Aristocracy

I've been missing Pacific Standard magazine since it stopped its print publication. I see their tweets with articles and appreciate they're still doing the work, but it's not the same as sitting down with the magazine, at least for me.

But I did take the time to read this article, How overconfidence among the upper classes is hampering social mobility.

Middle class "people are socialized to differentiate themselves from others, to express what they think and feel, and to confidently express their ideas and opinions, even when they lack accurate knowledge..." while "working-class people are socialized to embrace the values of humility, authenticity, and knowing your place in the hierarchy."

As a result,

people who occupy a higher place in the socio-economic hierarchy often believe, without evidence, that they are more capable than their lower-class counterparts. Crucially, this overconfidence can be misinterpreted by prospective employers to indicate higher competence, giving middle- and upper-class people a significant advantage in terms of hiring and, presumably, promotion.

There's a big measure of Dunning-Kruger in this upper-class over-confidence, but it appears the incompetence never catches up with our clueless cousins, cusioned by their class (and other forms of) privilege.