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Yesterday we linked to IvyGate's report on the launch party for swanky new Harvard mag 02138. Being Ivy Leaguers themselves, they reported that the event had its moments of absurdity but, overall, was decent, drunken fun. The Observer's account, however, makes us wonder if anything held in a room full of Harvard alums could actually be tolerable:

The message is that Harvard and its alumni are some sort of superhuman brand, out to save the world and wear expensive clothes while doing it. Becoming the brand takes time, and lots of money.

"They're smart and often unhappy," said Josh Barkan, a Yale graduate. Barkan is a fiction writer ("I wrote a story collection called Before Hiroshima—put that in, maybe I'll sell some books") who taught the required Harvard freshman expository-writing class.

"They feel they have to live up to hype," Barkan said. "Harvard chooses people who are specialized in one thing, so they're not well-rounded. But they learn fast and work their ass off."

And after all that hard work, what does one get? The chance to buy some more expensive clothes. Isn't the circle of privileged life beautiful?

"Harvard Is Everywhere": 02138 Launch Party [Media Mob]
Earlier: Bill O'Reilly Graces 02138 Party With His Presence