We have a phrase to describe what happens when rankings
have to be created without any meaningful criteria. We say
that the situation degenerates into a popularity
contest. And that’s exactly what happens in most American
schools. Instead of depending on some real test, one’s
rank depends mostly on one’s ability to increase one’s
rank. It’s like the court of Louis XIV. There is no
external opponent, so the kids become one another’s
opponents.
You may be thinking of Paul Graham. In “Why Nerds are Unpopular” he says:
Thank you. That’s it. No wonder I couldn’t find it by searching on Gladwell.