But aren't we ALL elitists in some way?

[canis_lupus]

Years ago when I was working at a medical school I answered a phone call from a woman who had gotten the medical campus mixed up with the nearby university campus. She asked what number she had to call for Yo Yo Ma. I have to admit I'd never heard of the Japanese musician, a fact she picked up on from my "excuse me?" response. She heaved an audible sigh as if bemoaning the fact that I must be a hopeless culture illiterate and explained as you would to a "slow" kindergarten that he was a Japanese musician who would be preforming in concert and she would appreciate it if I could connect her with the number where she could purchase tickets.

I explained that she needed to call the main campus for cultural events ... then added a zinger as payback for her hauty attitude: "We're more concerned with teaching future physicians how to save lives on this campus."

Damn, that felt good! I had turned the tables of the caller's pretentiousness. And since I worked where they taught future doctors to save lives I was, by extension, participating in saving lives instead of dressing up like a stuffed shirt to go see some musician apparently named after a children's toy. My elitism trumped hers.

The point is, aren't we all a little elitist about our own lives and interests? Conversly, when someone has skills superior to ours in some area, we're likely to downplay the significance of those skills.

For instance, I'm a writer by profession. I love putting sentences together and finding just the right word to fall into place like a jigsaw puzzle piece. So it's a personal affront when I get an e-mail from a friend who lapses into text message-speak or can't tell the difference between the uses of there, their and they're. Thank heavens for people who can't spell because without them I'd not have many opportunities to feel superior ... or to be among the literate elite.

Conversely, I grew up in a rural community where hunting was a big part of the culture. I was never very good at it and after shaking so badly that the deer I was aiming at from 30 feet away escaped unscathed, I gave up any pretense of wanting to hunt. I just wasn't any good at it, so it was easy to think of hunting as something that lacked importance in my life. Who cares if he shot, field dressed and brought home a 10-point buck, I would think. Besides, I bet he couldn't identify a spilt infinitive if it bit him on the ass.

All the finger-pointing and labels of "elitist" in the campaign are pretty much meaningless. We're all elitists of one stripe or another. We all tend to look down our noses when we encounter someone who doesn't share our interests or is inept at our particular skills.

[JI7]

1. Yo Yo Ma is American and ethnically Chinese, not Japanese

so she is a moron.

[elleng]

2. Of course we are!

Our political system is SO f'd!

[GrandmaJones7]

3. Speak for yourself! - and, Hillary is NOT an elitist! NTXT

[cliffordu]

8. ROFLMAO

That's pretty good. You are quite the comedian!!!!


:rofl:

[futureliveshere]

4. Well said... K&R

:hi:

edited for friendly wave

[grantcart]

5. Sorry too busy to respond to this kind of post

(k and r)

[A-Schwarzenegger]

6. Well!

Humph.

[CoffeeCat]

7. If anyone called me an elitist....

I would simply put down my brie and my glass of Pinot, and then challenge
them to a game of chess.

If they continued with their condescending, puerile behavior, I would simply hop
in my Land Rover and flatten them like a crisply-folded Burberry shirt.

Elitist? HA!

Go Bama!

[zalinda]

9. You are right, but it is not very nice to point it out

to the people who you feel superior to. I don't feel superior to anyone, really, but I'm sure some Obama supporters would not agree with that statement. Wait, there is a group whom I look down on and that is those people who beg by the side of the road. I didn't always have this problem until I noticed this one guy doing it for almost 5 years now, and he wears better clothes than I wear. That just pisses me off, I'm not sure if I feel superior to him.......so I don't know.

zalinda

[PerfectSage]

10. Yes, that's why I look down on Hillary Clinton. She's an inept politician and an elitist asshole..

[5thGenDemocrat]

11. To paraphrase a guy I once heard

"If by 'elitist,' you mean I'm not the dumbest son-of-a-bitch in the room, then I'm an elitist."
John
And, considering George Bush is in the same room, well, it goes without saying.

[Raejeanowl]

12. Is "Spilt (sic) Infinitive" A Trap? n/t

I wouldn't know one (without a style guide) if it bit me in the ass, either, but the more picturesque typos do jump off the page, don't they?

Personally, I don't associate "elitism" with interest and skills. I see it more as a class, culture, professional and educational achievement, wealth and prosperity sort of instant judgment. Snobbery, rather than healthy pride in what you stand for and what you (can) do.

I think when you smack someone back in the face with their own affectations and smug superiority, you're just playing their upsmanship game. It's not always possible to teach others lessons in humility, but I find it easier to feel the victor if I try to come from that valuation myself. When I do, I guess that makes me a moral elitist?

If I'm not expressing my mild disagreement with you all that well, I won't cry over spilt infinitives.

[Muttocracy]

13. spelling elitist! ;->

[Raejeanowl]

14. I'm Waiting For Someone To Mention The Edit I Needed

I originally planned a "no text" comment, and then went on to make text remarks. But I overlooked deleting the "n/t."

BUSTED!!!!!

[Muttocracy]

15. I saw but deferred... nt

[ORDem]

16. Oh yes. I'm a legend in my own mind!

:silly:

[dchill]

17. I'm sure there's a lot of truth in your hypothesis...

(trying for elitist terminology) - but I have to say that where I grew up, I never even heard the word. We referred to them folks as "stuck up."