Though I agree with your sentiment, I would point out as a side note that a rational "selfish" person would certainly not want to get rid of barriers that protect their position :)

I do think the point I was trying to make needs making .. there are a lot of smart kids currently trapped in bad high school situations. Their plight deserves attention as well. Actually, I think these problems are far more related than it may seem at first glance. The correct answer to pg's question "how to get 13 year old girls interested in hacking" likely kills two birds with one stone.