Hubris envious as Law School Reform releases report

Creative Canberran – first, thanks for mentioning our report, I appreciate the posting. But I am horrified to see how my words have been interpreted! This is my fault, clearly I have not articulated the intention behind both my words and the report clearly enough.

First – re privilege: If you read the report, or indeed the rest of the foreword, I hope that it will be clearer that I am certainly NOT saying that law SHOULD be something only available to the privileged! Indeed that is something that the report critiques. But the reality, sadly, is that people with high SES, private school backgrounds (a category to which, by the way, I do not personally belong) are a disproportionate majority in law schools. My point is that with this unearned privilege there should come a sense of responsibility.

Second – re ‘feeling important’: this is a reference to the educational philosopher John Dewey, who argued that what motivates humans is not the desire to be ‘happy’, but the desire to feel important. Importance does not necessitate a feeling of superiority. My point was that, like all humans, law students want to feel purposeful. That need for purpose/importance/whatever you want to call it is something that our institutions play a significant role in shaping. When our institutions tell us that we should channel that desire to ‘matter’ into a hollow, externally motivated idea of success then I think that is where the desire to feel ‘important’ can manifest into the kind of unpleasant superiority complex/elitist positioning that you seem to refer to.

I hope that clarifies and I will take these comments on board when we have our next print round – hopefully will be able to do an edit that makes the intention clearer.

Cheers
Melanie Poole

alaninoz said :

“Many are driven by altruistic desires to change the world, not a need to be important. And most embrace socio-economic diversity in the ranks, not believing it to be a place for the privileged only.”

And I assume this is meant to be a serious comment too. I don’t know which is more risible.

A totally serious comment. Not universally applicable, but still true. Many law students undertake work for community organisations on a volunteer basis.

It appears that the writer is disappointed to have gone into law school and emerged as a lawyer.

“Many are driven by altruistic desires to change the world, not a need to be important. And most embrace socio-economic diversity in the ranks, not believing it to be a place for the privileged only.”

And I assume this is meant to be a serious comment too. I don’t know which is more risible.