Somebody told you, and you hold it as an article of faith, that higher education is an unassailable good. This notion is so dear to you that when I question it you become angry. Good. Good, I say. Are not those the very things which we should question? I say college education, since the war, has become so a matter of course, and such a fashionable necessity, for those either of or aspiring to to the new vast middle class, that we espouse it, as a matter of right, and have ceased to ask, "What is it good for?" {Pause}
The speaker challenges the widely held belief that higher education is inherently beneficial. This belief is so deeply ingrained that questioning it provokes anger. The speaker encourages this reaction, suggesting that it is important to scrutinize things that people hold as sacrosanct.
The sentiment emphasizes that since the war, college education has become a trend, particularly among the emerging middle class, leading to its acceptance as a given rather than a debated topic. This has resulted in a lack of critical examination regarding the true value and purpose of higher education.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
