#42 Brotherhood (Not Bureaucracies) · What the Ivy League Used to Get Right

The Ivy League was never perfect.

But it used to produce loyalty, grit, and real leadership — forged through brotherhood, not bureaucracy.

Today? The final clubs, eating clubs, and secret societies that once shaped generations have been sidelined… replaced by curated cohorts, DEI offices, and a fear of unfiltered conversation.

Jim Detjen — Army veteran, Harvard dad (x2), and cultural strategist — unpacks what the Ivy League used to stand for, what it’s become, and why the rest of America should care.

Inspired by Lucca Ruggieri’s essay, “Brotherhood, Not Bureaucracies,” published at The American Mind.

Includes dry wit, personal stories, a shoutout to Legally Blonde, and one brutal question:

Can you engineer belonging… or does it have to be earned?

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Read and reflect at Gaslight360.com/clarity