On Fri, 28 May 2010, Dennis Perrin wrote:
> Harvard isn't filled with altruists. The majority of Harvard people
> I've encountered have been real assholes -- smug, condescending,
> clannish. Especially its comedians. Yalies are generally much nicer --
> haughty, but approachable.
Well that certainly seems to vary with era (or perhaps profession?), if we can generalize at all. In the (wonderful) documentary _Harvard Beats Yale 29-29_, Yale was the home of smug condescension, Harvard of the more likeable and often working class types. And for some reason I've met a handful of recent Harvard graduates in the last couple of years and been struck by what unusually nice kids they've been. FWIW it seems almost a tic with them as soon as the name of their school comes up to say how crappy it is and how going there is nothing to be proud of. Maybe they'll change when they grow up.
Michael