Comments Posted By Gail
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ELITISM AND THE ELITIST ELITES WHO THINK THEY'RE THE ELITE
If we are going to discuss the "elite" and "elitists", we need to know what these words mean.
World Book Dictionary, 1988
elite: "1. the choice or distinguished part; those thought of as the best people"
elitism: "1. rule or government by an elite"
elitist: "1. of, having to do with or favoring elitism"
The key phrase is "those thought of as the best people". You see "thought of" not "who think themselves to be". We do expect our leaders to be elite, but we make the decision. The self appointed elite are noxious in the extreme.
Here is an example. As a computer programmer, I can readily identify the most elite programmers very easily. They are the least self-important. They do not consider themselves elite; it's a bit of a paradox, but very true. These real geniuses are more interested in learning from others, in expanding their knowledge and awareness than in convincing others of their abilities. They are not interested in getting agreement or in being listened to, they are interested in listening. They listen to and respect neophytes, who, unburdened by a lot of experience and fixed ideas, can often come up with very innovative solutions, even if they're not geniuses themselves.
A real elite individual is universally recognized and has the ability to recognize and admire others' virtues. He or she is genuinely self confident and does not require a lot of admireation to re-inforce that certainty of his own abilities.
People who appear to consider themselves to be the elite, like Obama, are genuinely certain of their own superiority, and of others' inferiority. Those who others recognize as truly elite tend to consider others to be their equals. They don't need to look down on others to feel good about themselves. They feel good about other people, and it is contagious.
The people we most admire are the genuine elite, the unmistakable superior person. The most significant characteristic of such a person is the their innate appreciation and respect for others.
In this quality, Obama and Hillary are both sadly lacking, and that is what keeps them out of the league or the truly elite. Democrats do not seem to get this and fall for the pseudo-elites every time.
McCain tells people that he graduated near the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. He does not aggrandize himself. Now, the simple fact is that anyone who gets into and is graduated from Annapolis is inherently elite...these folks are the best our country has to offer. So here's a guy who wasn't at the top of his class, so how did he achieve so much? He must listen to an awful lot of very smart people and be bright enough to understand them. And most importantly, he's not too important to listen to others, hence his town hall meetings. He likes those small venues because it gives him the opportunity to listen to what the public has to say as much as to share what he has to say.
Do we want an elite in the White House, you bet we do. And we can tell the difference between the pseudo elite and the real thing. The American people believe in themselves and so do our leaders.
Best regards,
Comment Posted By Gail On 17.04.2008 @ 17:14
Gail
