Q: What’s the appeal, then, of that homeless-to-Harvard kind of narrative?

A: Well, because it’s the embodiment of the American Dream, which we’d like to believe is still in good shape. But it’s not.

It’s the same reason people play the lottery. People have a wildly unrealistic idea of their chances of winning. This notion that a kid can go to Harvard: The chances that it’s going to be your kid are infinitesimal. It’s easier to set up a lottery that gives people the illusion that they have a chance, and that doesn’t cost me or you any money, than to make the kinds of commitments in terms of taxation that are actually going to hurt, that are going to take money out of affluent people’s pockets, to create a system where people really do have a decent chance.