Remember all the times your teacher told you how special you were? Remember all the ego strokes delivered by well-meaning adults, certain enough compliments and praise would keep you from using crack, having kids and needing condoms? Eh, turns out it did no good. No wonder you’re such a fuck up.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.