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OK, I don't quite understand.
I personally would rather have the country administered by people who are highly educated, well read, and have an understanding of history and other cultures.
Seems like this is what folks are meaning by "elitist". Why is this a bad thing?
OK, I don't quite understand.
I personally would rather have the country administered by people who are highly educated, well read, and have an understanding of history and other cultures.
Seems like this is what folks are meaning by "elitist". Why is this a bad thing?
You got me! I sure can't figure it out! I have ALWAYS wanted my president to be the smartest person in the room. It would be SO good not to have to cringe in shame everytime the president opens his mouth, wouldn't it?
Good points....I personally view an elitist as a very smart individual who is articulate, well read and versed in foreign affairs, yet has those ever so annoying habits of:
a) talkin' just like plain folks do (although most 'plain foks' donot talk that way)
b) feels that their superior education and intelligence entitles them to an 'act as I say, not as I do' type of relationship with the public they are supposed to lead. A fine example of this would be Al Gore pointing his finger at the soccer mom for driving a trailblazer while he flies his very own private jet. Or, another great example would be politicians who decry wealth all the while they are raking it in.
and finally c) a true elitist holds in low regard anyone who is in anyway different from them.
You got me! I sure can't figure it out! I have ALWAYS wanted my president to be the smartest person in the room. It would be SO good not to have to cringe in shame everytime the president opens his mouth, wouldn't it?
We're on a losing streak in that department:
Johnson: liar. Warmonger. Mah fello merkins.
Nixon: paranoid liar.
Ford: clumsy fool.
Carter: cowardly fool.
Reagan: senile actor.
Bush I: total worm.
Clinton: draft-dodging liar.
Bush II: please...
Johnson: liar. Warmonger. Mah fello merkins.
Nixon: paranoid liar.
Ford: clumsy fool.
Carter: cowardly fool.
Reagan: senile actor.
Bush I: total worm.
Clinton: draft-dodging liar.
Bush II: please...
Most of above fits. We had a chance to get Bill Bradley on the DEM ticket in 2000, and John McCain on the GOP. Instead of that great match up, we got Gore and Bush, i.e., TweedleDumb vs TweedleDee. In 2000 I voted for Nader to show my contempt for both parties.
I guess it would depend on your status or position as to how you identify with the term. It's why the interviewer for a position sits behind a desk, for instance. It's why a speaker in a forum is elevated on a stage, for instance.
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 elitist
n : someone who believes in rule by an elite group [ant: egalitarian]
WordNet (r) 1.7
egalitarian
adj : favoring social equality; "a classless society" [syn: classless]
n : a person who believes in the equality of all people [syn: equalitarian]
[ant: elitist]
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 equalitarian n : a person who believes in the equality of all people [syn: egalitarian] [ant: elitist]
My personal definition of an elitist is one who has illusions of grandeur, that they can look down their nose at everyone else, and never think anything of it. Politicians of renown come to mind.
OK, I don't quite understand.
I personally would rather have the country administered by people who are highly educated, well read, and have an understanding of history and other cultures.
Seems like this is what folks are meaning by "elitist". Why is this a bad thing?
But that isn't what an elitist is. An elitist is someone who believes that the ignorant hoi polloi ought to be ruled by their betters. It's a fundamentally anti-American sentiment.
Just because someone is well-educated, well-read, and has a good grasp of history doesn't necessarily make that person an elitist.
OK, I don't quite understand.
I personally would rather have the country administered by people who are highly educated, well read, and have an understanding of history and other cultures.
Seems like this is what folks are meaning by "elitist". Why is this a bad thing?
It's not always about being the smartest, it also has to do w/knowing how to lead, how to interact well w/others, how to compromise, etc. Sure, I'd love to have a smart president, but just because they're smart doesn't mean they can relate well to the masses. Now THAT is something that I look forward to.
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