If beauty is deemed the most important factor in determining personal worth in this culture, what is in second place?
It is intelligence as expressed in scholastic aptitude. When the bearing of a firstborn child is approaching, his parents pray that he will be normal-- that is, "average." But from that moment on, average will simply not suffice. These parents’ child must excel. He must succeed. He must triumph. He must be the first of his age to talk or walk or ride a bicycle. He must earn a perfect report card and amaze his teachers with his wit and wisdom. He must do well in Little League, and later he must be a track star or the valedictorian of his senior class. His sister must be a cheerleader or the senior-class president or the best pupil in her advanced-placement class.