Are You an elitist?

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   savvydatingposted 10 years ago

   Are You an elitist?
   
   Do we see ourselves clearly? How so... or not?
   Elitist: The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources... and ...a person who believes that a system or society should be ruled or dominated by an elite.
   I have observed that elitist come from all segments of society, at least in America. How so?
   
   

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   moonfrothposted 10 years ago

   Surely the issue is much more layered and complex than as presented.  For example, I think evey person who is over a certain age and is a citizen, should be able to vote for the people that are going to manage their money, their values etc.  And then, withiut so much as a blush, I'l say that I think tough decisions with far-reaching effects should be dealt with ONLY by highly intelligent, qualified people who have proven expertise in that field.  I also think that neurosurgeons, nuclear physicists, and medical inventors are more valuable than garbage collectors, labourers,and storeclerks.  It comes down to the impact that their work has on the largest number of people.  Dr. Salk was a more valuable human being than the person who cleaned the lab after hours. Okay, now I've dug this monster hole for myself, I also assert without a blush or sense of contradiction, the person that cleans the great doctor's toilrt may be an absolute king or queen in the eyes of his/her family, and I embrace that value.  But don't learn Spanish from your housekeeper........

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      savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Moonfroth, my elitist friend, who among all the intelligent elitists are best able to manage corporations, publishing houses, governments or anything else?  Intelligence is one thing, capability is another. What good is a toilet if it doesn't flush?

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      moonfrothposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Totally agree!   
      Raw intelli.is no qualif. for anything....but it IS a starting point.  Who would you want--the top grad, or the lowest?  Both are MDs.

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      savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Choices are not always either, or. Each worker brings value to a society. The MD is as reliant on his plumber as is the plumber on his doctor. Both individuals make important contributions. One cannot live comfortably without the other.

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      moonfrothposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's glib, Savvy!  If you had to choose--all doctors disappear, or all plumbers disappear--which would it be?  Yes, both make valuable contributions, but not EQUAL contributions.  Most people would coose a triple bypass over home sanitation.

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      savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What good is a triple bypass if you are up to your ankles in feces?  I'm not being glib, moonfroth... just looking at the big picture. You brought up voting, which was not my focus, but the current U.S. President is intelligent & elitist & in

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      moonfrothposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      savvy -I think you need to narrow the topic.  i'm an elitist IN SOME SITUTIONS and totallyI egalitarian in others.  If others share that view, wouldn't it be interesting to find out what flips us from one view to the other ?
      r last cmmr

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      savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      moonfroth, even here, we run into elitists (you are not one of them) who suppress the voices of those who disagree with them by running to HP & getting them banned, simply because the other defended themselves.. politely, I might add. So not cool

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      moonfrothposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      HP's willingness to listen to these puling cowards is a main reason I've left HP,except for you & 4 others & 2 poets.

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      savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, moonfroth. I like you too...for your support, straightforward critiques and great wit. I know you would not stoop to such nonsense as these others do.  I'll never understand why HP listens to them. Have you found another site?

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       gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Moonfroth, intelligent answer.  I totally agree.  Elitist is a coin word that the poor/less educated/less successful use to wrongly describe those who are wealthier/more educated/more successful..  It is a word loaded with envy and contentious.

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       savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I respectfully disagree, GM. The definition of elitist: a person who believes that a system or society should be ruled or dominated by an elite. Maybe elitists think we're jealous, but that has more to do with their "perceived superiority."

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       moonfrothposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       SAVVY -- Another site?  Yes.  My former poetry network was Linkedin.   I'm now co-administrator of our new forum on YUKU,  Takes 60 sec to join.  Worth checking out.  YUKU.com  The staff CARE & very helpful.

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       savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks moonfroth. I just checked out a religion forum at your site. Whoa! Some smart people you got there. Don't know if I can keep up, but I sure can learn & appreciate.

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       moonfrothposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       You csn keep up--and unlike any other network I've been on, YUKU Help is  back with answers within a few hours, never more tn eight, and they're personable human BEINGS who actually want to help.

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   gmwilliamsposted 10 years ago

   
   
   In my estimation, the word "elitist" is a word used by the less successful to express envy and jealousy of those who are more successful.  it seems that people who are educated, affluent, and successful are the subject of envy of those who are less educated, less affluent, and less successful.  It is called the crab in the barrel mentality.  When many people see others becoming more successful(in their eyes), they see this as an affront and threat to them.  They begin to see the more successful person as uppity and conceited.  They want the person to be the same as they are.
   
   There are always going to be people who will have more in terms of education, looks, intelligence, and many other variables than other people.  That is an undeniable fact of life.  There are some people who are quite uncomfortable with this.  They insist that everyone should be alike and feel that those who elect to have and be more to be threatening.  Affluent, highly educated, and successful people are sometimes seen as a threat to others.  There are many people who are quite comfortable with averageness and mediocrity and inculcate that premise to their children.  They believe in the AVERAGE and COMMON person, believe that those who go beyond that parameter to have something inherently wrong with them. 
   
   To such people, being above average is deemed quite suspect.  Those who are considered to be above average are considered to be pariahs.  In some schools, smart and high achieving children are oftentimes derived.  They are considered to be nerds or geeks, their intellectual gifts are derided instead of praised.  There is also envy of the highly successful and affluent with the belief that they have achieved their means in a surreptitious way.  There is so much envy of the affluent and successful, not taking into account the sacrifices and the hard work that was part of that affluence and success. 
   
   Many people have the mindset that to be highly successful and affluent is part of the so-called elitist mindset which it is not.  I see elitist as a coin word which highly driven and successful people are called by those who are not.  In addition to that, people who are born into more advantageous circumstances are also thought to be elitist by some many people.  Elitist is a just a prejudicial word that the poorer among us use to describe the richer among us.

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      savvydatingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hello gmwilliams. Interesting.answer. I have a hard time relating to your premise as I applaud success and feel no jealousy for those who have it. An elitist tends to believe they know best...Obama, for example, who has an elitist mentality..

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