Douglas Todd: ‘Best and brightest’ slogan popular with leaders who don’t get its satirical edge

Good critique of the indiscriminate use of the term the “best and brightest” in relation to immigration and Canadian values. Obviously, we do not want the “worst and dumbest” but the definition of what is the “best and brightest” in real world terms is hard to measure :

Most Canadian are aware that students who score the highest marks are not necessarily the “best.” How many times have you heard about doctors, academics, MBAs or psychiatrists who have no people skills, vision, collegiality or insight?

And what about the central value of the world’s major religions? Christianity, Islam and Sikhism, to name three, do not teach that society should focus on privileging “the best and the brightest.” Instead, along with most secular philosophies, they stand for upholding the dignity and value of all.

Instead of Canadian officials in government and public education using the language of universal worth, they are reverting to buzzwords to tell us to bestow even more status on the “best and brightest.”

There will always be a need for talent spotting to keep the wheels of society churning, but the growing proclivity in Canada for “best and brightest” sloganeering runs the danger of careering into elitism.

Let’s not forget the Vietnam era, when the phrase was most often used to expose pretense, deception and a lack of common sense.

Douglas Todd: ‘Best and brightest’ slogan popular with leaders who don’t get its satirical edge.