Tag: Elitism

It’s Those Damn Elitists!

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Political Theory

Now where have you heard that statement?  Think back…..Obama is an elitist……the Dems are elitists because they appeal to academics and intellectuals……Elitists to the right, elitists to the Left……..your opponent must be an elitist because he does Not agree with you…..in other words elitist is a term used to denigrate an opponent…apparently it is more acceptable than calling him a bastard….

I have heard the term used many times by the Radical Right….they are truly concerned about the taking over of our government by people that think or have obtained some degree of wisdom…..and we realize that we cannot allow that to happen….elitists must be fought at every level or we will lose our beloved country……(Yes….Sarcasm)

Since it is used so much you would think that the definition would be readily available…..it is not!  But allow me to assist anyone who wants to learn about the term……

Societal power is concentrated in elite groups who control resources of key social institutions and are not accountable to the masses, origins of societal power lie in control of social organizations, regardless of how (un)democratic a society maybe, Elites hold the bulk of power; use all and any means to retain power, power becomes end in itself.

To my way of thinking there are two schools of elitism……the first and let us call it the classical school is a way of dealing with society or government…..the thought is that it is impractical for ALL individuals to be part of the governing process, thus it is inevitable that a small group of people will be permitted to make the decisions for everyone…this type of elite becomes entrenched and vertically impossible to remove from the seat of power….The state cannot be anything other than an organ of a minority that will necessarily rule in its own interests…….the Arab leaders of today’s protests comes to mind as an example…..

Then there is the second school and I will be damned if I can think of a good name for it…..but it is where all decisions for society fall onto the shoulders of a collage of the three sectors of the society…..corporate, military and political…..I guess the “power elite” would be a good name for the marriage of the three….the ruling minority uses its access to control the decisions made in the name of the people….and most times is at odds with the true concern of the people they rule……

I guess the best example for this is the United States….

The accusations that have been leveled by some in the talk radio genre are truly correct….but most times NOT for the reason they claim…..because a person is educated does not make them one of the elite….just knowledgeable.

Professor’s Political Classroom

I am really weary of the term being used…..just what is an elitist?

Elitist! Elitist? Who Is The Elitist? (A History Lesson)

Have you heard this term used recently? Oh yeah, Clinton and McCain have thrown it around like Mardi Gras beads. But what does it, the term, really mean? That will depend on who you are and where you are. Right now, the use of the term elitist is nothing more than a media buzzword or a political talking point. No where do any of these so-called people of the people bother to explain what they are talking about. I will attempt to give the reader a little background on the term, elitist.

Remember ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy? Back in the early days of Greek political discussions, the Sophists, most notably Thrasymachus termed those who were the strongest in society as elitists—the rulers—who control education and socialization through legislation and enforcement. But, like everyone else, they are self-interested. Hence they make laws and conventions that are in their own interests, not those of their weaker subjects. It is these conventions that largely determine their subject’s conceptions of justice and other virtues. By being trained, through civics class, to follow and obey, subjects are unwittingly adopting an ideology, a code of values and behavior that serves not their own interests but rather those of their rulers.

To put this more simply, The state is nothing more than an organ of a ruling minority. That the majority (meaning you) is permanently incapable of governing themselves because they lack the capacity to govern. The masses are manipulated by the power elite, because they are passive. Why the people are considered passive? Easy one—1) they do not have a clear concept of what they want from the state, 2) the people are incapable of objectively assessing and interpreting facts, 3) the people are irrational in their reasoning process.

A political inequality is a mechanism by which society ensures that the important positions are filled by most qualified people. And those positions are filled by an uninformed public that votes these elitists into position of power, never to see them relinquish it. These people live by a code that says that their needs to be a certain amount of social, economic and political inequality for the society to function properly. These beliefs make truly participatory democracy impossibility. Why? Power should never be diffused to the will of the people.

Now, Clinton and McCain have called Obama an elitist……thinking……an elitist calling an elitist an elitist…how silly! Clinton is an elitist, after 35 years of power and control, she could be nothing else. McCain is the same story. Now for Obama, he cannot be considered an all out elitist but when a leader emerges from the masses, then he will do any and everything to avoid returning to that position. He will most likely, once transformed into an elitist, become transformed into a jealous guardian of his own privilege once he obtains power.

Someone once called this election season as “the silly season” and on that point I agree. I hope that this short history lesson helps you to understand what an elitist is and that everyone involved in politics is just that. They are from the get go or the morph into one after they attain power and influence. The American voter has no real choice when voting…..they vote for elitist A or elitist B…that is one reason that very little changes from one elected president to another.

I just wanted to let my readers know just what is meant by the use of the term elitist….I await your comments…..