You are too smart to understand this code word . . .

[DeadElephant_ORG]

"Elitist"

The use of the term "elitist" is brilliant "dog-whistle politics": It's a diss on intelligent people put in a way that only stupid people get. If you think that being "elite" corresponds to high social and economic class, you didn't hear the whistle. If that were correct, it would be impossible for Hillary to call Barack elitist, and George W. would surely be the paragon of elitism. For such a bright person, you are being really f-cking dense about this!

It has often been remarked about George W. that he is markedly "incurious". That's a euphemism for his determined idiocy - for his refusal to use his considerable intelligence. His incuriosity makes him acceptable to those who are not bright - he's a "good guy to have a beer with" because he won't make the voters feel self-conscious about how stupid they are.

So, what's the true meaning of "elitist"? A person who regards themselves as reasonably bright. If you think you're bright, you will want other bright people to respect your opinions and beliefs as based on facts and sound reasoning. That makes you "elitist".

But if you think that you are NOT bright, you will avoid reasoned discussions that are likely to expose your incapacity. You will not like people who are smarter than you. You will not respect facts over beliefs - science over religious faith. You will dismiss global warming and the age of the earth as theories no better than your own guesses, or what your preacher, or your radio talk-show host tells you. You will be ripe for manipulation, and transparent pandering. You'll know what "elitist" means, and you'll resent the elitist candidate. You'll hear the whistle.

Of course democracy is supposed to be government of, by, and for the people. That means ALL the people, without regard to race, gender, or intelligence. But that doesn't mean that our nation will best be served by unintelligent - or by anti-intelligent - leadership. Whether they can bring themselves to acknowlege it or not, stupid people will be better off if they elect a leader who is as smart as possible - certainly smarter than they are.

If we are ever to put the Bush years behind us, we will have to break the taboo against calling stupidity stupid.

[baldguy]

1. If someone is smart, they are part of the elite.

If they only THINK they're smart - and therefor better than everyone else - they are elitist.

If they happen to be black, then they're an uppity n*gg*r.

[Bake]

77. Let me guess ... you're an Obama supporter

Because Obots are the only --THE ONLY - ones using the "uppity N" term. You'd all just LOVE for Hillary supporters to use it (strangely, though, we don't ...).
Just keep making race the central issue. It'll burn you badly.

Bake

[KSinTX]

2. Believe "what your preacher, or your radio talk-show host tells you"

Priceless! Well put.

[AllentownJake]

3. When did having someone intelligent

in charge become a bad thing? Seriously are we voting for a leader of fucking class President.

[Muttocracy]

5. 1980? and again in 2000? nt

[anigbrowl]

10. In fairness, it's not (obviously) that great if you're stupid

Of course, when stupidity is the policy of the day, society accelerates towards hell in a handbasket, but the stupid people don't feel disenfranchised, exploited, or abused. Whereas when it's all about brainpower, a lot of amsrt people tend to be terminally snobby towads the less smart. I'm a terrible snob at times, as is probably blindingly obvious.

Also, ever since Nixon it hasn't been good strategy for a republican to act crafty, even if s/he is. People still refer to Nixon as 'Tricky Dick', and not in a fond way. The fact that he was indeed very intelligent is not regarded as a positive. I actually think Nixon was a rather better president than he is given credit for, despite his crooked behavior...but meantime, people in the GOP are well aware that goofy sells. Reagan and Bush are both masters of the 'down home' vibe; George H. W. Bush was seen as aloof and lacking in feeling, and only earned a single term (despite being exceedingly clever).

[gristy]

4. Prof.George Lakeoff will tell you everything you need to know about how the Republicans use language

Framing the issues: UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics

By Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter | 27 October 2003

BERKELEY – With Republicans controlling the Senate, the House, and the White House and enjoying a large margin of victory for California Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, it's clear that the Democratic Party is in crisis. George Lakoff, a UC Berkeley professor of linguistics and cognitive science, thinks he knows why. Conservatives have spent decades defining their ideas, carefully choosing the language with which to present them, and building an infrastructure to communicate them, says Lakoff.

more: http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml

[DeadElephant_ORG]

7. I'm a huge Lakoff fan. n/t

He's local to me here in Berkeley. Wish I could get him to check out www.DeadElephant.ORG

[truedelphi]

75. Kuhl site. n/t

[DeadElephant_ORG]

76. Thanks ! Spread the word ! ('tis the season...)

www.DeadElephant.ORG

[JVS]

17. Is that a latte he's drinking? Classic!

[futureliveshere]

80. Wow... thats a great site, very informative.

[Vinca]

6. "Elitism" is a hallmark of basic, Republican politicking.

It's as if there are 2 Democratic parties operating in this election and I don't recognize Hillary's.

[Exilednight]

72. There's been two Democratic parties operating since the Clinton years. The DLC and the Progressives

DLC= Hillary Clinton and rethugery.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

97. and this DIVORCE we're in the middle of has been coming for a LONG TIME. n/t

[monmouth]

8. I want someone to be much, much smarter than I am, someone far more

articulate than I am, someone as reasonably as good looking as I am (I have no humility)(sarcasm)and someone far more honest than me to be my President.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

9. no sh#t . . !

and I can't comprehend anyone wanting a President as limited as they themselves are.

[OHdem10]

11. No, NO, NO. You are partially correct. When used in Campaigns

it is a little different from the Dictionary Meaning of Elite.

The general idea is someone impressed with their own abilities, their
own education--often believe they have only the right(correct) ideas
(and it shows). Then add to that comments such as our "elite" media
make about the Gas Tax Holiday. It is only 30 dollars--to an anchor
this may be less than pocket change, but to thousands and thousands
of Americans, they feel lucky to have 30 dollars to spend.


Elitism becomes an attitude. They are suspected of looking down on
others or considering themselves a little better than others especially
of those who have less means.

A lot of it is cultural differences. John Kerry is a decent human being
He was cast as an eliti not because of wealth.

[Brundle_Fly]

12. mortgage payment $1400/MONTH

mortgage payments $1400/month
Insurance payment $3500/annum
Property Tax $2400/annum
Groceries $400/ month

30 dollars off 3 months of gas is a great deal.

right.

Lets go buy 1/2 a textbook.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

43. Are you trying

to sell that bridge in this thread? That a gas tax holiday will rescue Amerika?

You must be kidding.

John Kerry won the popular vote. He should have been sitting in the oval office.

[Uncle Joe]

13. I believe this is a tactic used to separate the American People

from their best potential leadership.

Throughout history, intellectuals have been a target of fascist regimes just so they don't awaken their people to the catastrophes of autocratic rule or foolhardy policies. This is why Socrates was forced to drink hemlock poison in spite of being correct in warning Athens against going to war, they ultimately blamed their failure on him.

I believe the Republican Party's agenda is to dumb down the American People in order to make it easier for them to rule. They own most of the corporate media and I believe this is their weapon of choice in order to accomplish this goal.

Some people might say they're not demonizing elite but rather elitism, I say this is subliminal Orwellian B.S.

I'll never forget the response from my dear sweet ex-wife, when I told her not to vote for Bush; he was incompetent, she said "don't worry, he can hire smart people to work for him". I believe Einstein's Theory of Relativity comes in to play here, if your *IQ is 60 someone with a 90 is going to be a f*#%ing genius or at the very least you may not have a clue as to when you're being **conned by corruption.

* Obligatory disclaimer, I don't believe IQ is the end all of determining intelligence.

** Second obligatory disclaimer, This is in no way stating that Bush can't be both incompetent and corrupt on his own.

Thanks for the thread, DeadElephant_Org.:thumbsup:

[Jed Dilligan]

14. Anti-intellectualism is a hallmark of Anglo-Saxon culture.

I hope that, as we become less Anglo-Saxon, we begin to develop the respect for intellectuals that you find in other countries.

[BlooInBloo]

62. Nah. Stupidophilia is almost exclusively an American trait.

[Jed Dilligan]

65. Read Orwell's "Such, Such Were the Joys."

Especially among the upper class, "braininess" is deeply frowned upon in England, too.

[JuniperLea]

82. You mean the England where the Anglo-Saxons came home to roost? eom

[JuniperLea]

81. Ummm... the Anglo-Saxon culture has a long history of holding intelligence high

I'm not sure what you are basing your statement on, but if you'll notice, they had a hand in building a lot of European countries that hold intelligence in very, very high regard.

[Jed Dilligan]

84. I'm talking about the modern Anglo-Saxon countries

Britain, the U.S.A., and to a lesser extent Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The latter have stronger Celtic influence.

I don't know what country you grew up in if you think Americans or English people in general have any respect for intellectuals.

[JuniperLea]

85. Born and raised in So California

Perhaps my perspective is skewed because I'm a member of Mensa and that is our main thrust. If you really want to see what people think of intelligence, post something like that last sentence on a public message board and see how poorly the poster is treated;)

Still, I think the "dumbing down" of America is a relatively new phenomenon. When I was a kid, everyone I knew was concerned with getting degrees and going to ivy league colleges. We were happy to seek out the confidence, consideration and consultation of people who were brighter than ourselves. Every boss I've every had said they ran their business well because they hired very intelligent people, most of whom were smarter than themselves.

[Jed Dilligan]

86. It sounds like you went to better schools that

self-selected smart kids. I don't think the tortures that smart kids endure in public school are anything new. Thuggish and athletic kids generally prey on "nerds" and "geeks." I went through it and my parents went through it and George Orwell went through it. If anything I feel like the computer boom has turned that around somewhat and it's better now than when I was a kid.

I did go to school in SoCal for a little while when I was in 3rd grade. The kids were much nicer and more respectful of intelligence than I was used to up here--but then again, a lot of them were Jewish or Mexican rather than WASP.

[JuniperLea]

89. Naw, I went to my neighborhood schools

I did get thrown into "enrichment" programs without being told why, though. That was a little unnerving. I got "beat up" in school plenty, which did lead to not putting my hand up to answer questions. It was rough. Still, I recognized it as jealousy at a very early age... "You're just jealous because you CAN'T put your hand up and answer every question yourself!" Feisty helps:) My eldest son is now a chemical engineer... he ignored the ribbing quite nicely, thanking everyone who ever called him a nerd or a geek. I told him once that I expected he would end up like "Doc" in Back to the Future, with a big old house that was one massive scientific experiment... he glowed, smiled, and said, "We can only hope!"

Family helped me most, but I think the schools dropped the ball... and they are still dropping the ball.

[reddconsole]

94. Agreed

We had Kennedy and Nixon while I was growing up, two highly intelligent men. Then came Reagan and the Bushes.

[knight_of_the_star]

104. What is your basis for that statement?

I'm fairly certain that to anyone not trained in the specifics Anglo-Saxon culture of England prior to 1066 looks anti-intellectual, but then you run into things like Anglo-Saxon kings sponsoring Irish-founded monasteries that were major repositories of books, scholarship, and learning of their time.

And saying England and America are Anglo-Saxon nations is both ahistorical and inaccurate.

[Jed Dilligan]

106. It's what my high school history teacher called them

It's increasingly inaccurate, but not ahistorical.

[knight_of_the_star]

109. No it is ahistorical

Because modern English and Americans don't consider themselves by and large Anglo-Saxons.

[Jed Dilligan]

110. The ruling classes of both countries are WASPs.

And the language of business, government, etc. remains predominantly English in both places. It was common not long ago (especially in the WWII era) to refer to the US and Britain as Anglo-Saxon nations, to promote the common origins of their (majority) people and cement nationalistic bonds. Non-Anglo-Saxons faced discrimination in America until the mid-twentieth century, when the threat of an end to segregation caused the "White" coalition identity to come together.

And I think there is a direct lineage from the warlike barbarians who raped my ancestors' land to the people who run the UK and the USA today.

[NashVegas]

15. "Elitist" Is Not a Diss On Intelligent People

It's a diss on people who are less intelligent than they think they are; people who place so much priority on their intellectual or social prowess that they think they'll become infected if they associate with the lower classes.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

18. And the RW, which is full of people just like you describe,

Has been painting our candidates that way for decades.

Now HRC is doing it to her Democratic opponent.

[NashVegas]

20. Gosh, Quelle Horror

How dare she try to use a winning tactic.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

21. That's funny, last I checked she was behind in delgates

Hence, losing.

[NashVegas]

22. It Did Well Enough in PA

But then BO kind of set himself up for that.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

23. Aaaaand she still ended up behind him in delegates.

Still losing. :hi:

[DeadElephant_ORG]

93. "How dare she use a winning tactic?" Thanks for clarifying YOUR principles for us. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

19. There seems to me a fair amount of words in the dictionary to describe those people

that wouldn't tarnish a virtuous word, ie; arrogant, out of touch, deluded, selfish, condescending, snobbish.

No, I believe the growing sciences of mass psychology, sociology and marketing/advertising combined with one way mass communication ie; television/radio has given double meaning to many uses of the English Language. They know exactly which bell to ring to make any Pavlov's dog slobber at the mouth and I don't believe anyone is totally immune.

[davidpdx]

36. Which is why it's so strange Clinton and her supporters paint

Obama and his supporters as elitists. By the way I like how you explained that, very clear.

[NashVegas]

63. I Don't Know If Obama Is An Elitist, But the Marketing Doesn't Help

Dissing rural PA people the way he did in SF, of all places, hurt his cause in that regard. That bowling score of 37 or whatever? Sure he was seen in a bowling alley but bowling well is a sign you could be a redneck and so even many people who do go for family activities or to yuck it up, doing poorly is the point. "Hey look! Obama went bowling, and he really sucks!" the media hipsters are happy to tell us.

Meanwhile, Clinton owns her own ball, and she got the press to make sure people knew it. Implication: not afraid to be seen with rednecks.

[TBF]

87. We should definitely require high bowling scores from our presidents.

And if you think Hillary has her own bowling ball (that was not bought by the campaign the day before), then I have some land in the Atlantic ocean to sell you.

[Justitia]

99. The only balls she's carrying around in her bag are Bill's. -eom

[TahitiNut]

16. It's the Anti-Intellectualism of Fascism

It has been used in right-wing fascist insurgencies for 100 years. It was used by the Red Guard. It was used by the Nazis in Germany and Mussolini's Fascista in Italy and by Batista in Cuba. It's the 'dog whistle' blown by the pridefully and arrogantly ignorant to elevate the 'common sense' fo Bigotry against Jews and other minorities. I'ts the politics of hatred ... most often effective to mobilize the economically oppressed BY those who are part of the oppression. It's one of the more despicable kinds of blame-mongering.

[eppur_se_muova]

33. EEP. You reminded me of that horrendous quote by a German Nazi ...

"When someone talks to me about culture, I show him my gun!"

[prairierose]

34. Thanks for saying this Tahitinut...

this is what the rw has been doing for over 30 years. The politics of hatred and division bore fruit with the election of reagen and again with the selection of *. They have been making fun of intellectuals for so long that no one wants to be known as smart anymore. Kids in school see no use for education, no use for knowledge of English or math or science. Thus we find ourselves in a culture of stupidity and greed that is eating our citizens and has allowed the criminals the rape the Treasury and sell the assets.

[TahitiNut]

50. "Faith" is superior to Knowledge.

The 'test' of one's Faith is how it withstands the evil assaults of knowledge - inconvenient facts. Thus we have Creationists and Dittoheads ... people ALREADY immune to knowledge. In Cheney/Bush/Neocon/CLC Amerika, STUPID is a Virtue!! Knowledge is "elitism."

[DeadElephant_ORG]

53. ah... that was really well put! thank you. n/t

[dchill]

61. "...immune to knowledge."

And Rush Limbaugh et al is their vaccine? "STUPID is a Virtue!! Knowledge is 'elitism.'" Yes, obviously true, or Dubya would not be president. Now, in 2008, we have spin and momentum trying to "smear" simple math.

[Overseas]

57. Well said ! Grandpa Reagan used it well

Reagan used the faith-based governing style, with lovely "morning in America" scripts and Grandpa talks covering up the funding of death squads ("freedom fighters"), trading arms with our enemies and other destructive maneuvers. Further media consolidation has allowed the fostering of the anti-intellectual style over the subsequent decades.

[phrigndumass]

24. K/R

[Uncle Joe]

25. Mass brain washing works in reverse as well ie "greed is good"

The original definition of greed in the dictionary- excessive desire for acquiring or having; desire for more than one needs or deserves; greediness; avarice; cupidity.

Today, you will have some people defend greed as necessary for our economy without regard to greed's effect on poverty, ignorance, crime, war and the ultimate threat against humanity itself from global warming climate change.

I believe our current economic system for which greed is praised and intelligence subliminally slammed is doing 90mph down a cul de sac as a result, fasten your seat belts.

[unblock]

26. there's more to it than just anti-intellectualism

you're right that anti-intellectualism is a part of it, but that's not all.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

27. I'm listening...

[unblock]

29. well,

- others have mentioned a racial aspect. there's nothing inherently racial about calling someone an elitist, e.g., they used it on kerry and gore and dukakis. but it takes on an additional layering when used against a black man. think "uppity".

- it serves to mock, which is a key component of republican rhetoric. pointing a finger and laughing at someone is a very effective (if slimey) way to make it uncool to be on their side. it puts a fence under the voter and makes them fear they will be mocked as well for siding with the one who's already being mocked. you touched on this; my point is that this is a far more general thing than just anti-intellectualism. it's a whole host of ways in which they divide, tease, taunt, mock, humiliate, etc. e.g., implying the other guy is weak or effeminate or possibly gay or wears earth tones or looks silly in a helmet or whatever.

- it serves to shift the frame of the debate. again, you touched on this, but it's not just about being on the side of the not-so-smart. republicans know they're on the losing side of every issue. their party is based on the idea that power should be given to those who pay the most for it, which is almost inherently against the will of the majority. so they refuse to accept that the election should be decided based on policy matters rationally discussed. instead, they shift it to something where they have an advantage: most fundamentally, brands and images, which can essentially be bought. it's only thanks to 8 years of shrub that they're having trouble in this department. from their perspective, shrub's not incompetent because of all the policy damage he's done; he's incompetent because of the damage he's done to the image of republicans and the republican party.

[CreekDog]

28. "Elitist"=white people who support civil and economic rights for black people

"Hollywood" liberals = same thing as above except "Jewish"

i hate dogwhistle politics.

[BlooInBloo]

31. "New York liberal" is the term I learned for that about a year ago.

[BlooInBloo]

30. But that's how Americans reinforce their stupidity - by casting out all smart people....

That's why, for example, engineering, math, and sciences jobs are largely filled by foreigners or recent immigrants.

Or WATB DUers who speak in terms of "should of...", etc. - and then bitch at "spelling nazis" when corrected.

Nobody loves stupidity like Americans, and nobody will fight harder to save it.

[Jackpine Radical]

54. You shud'ent of sayd that.

[chitty]

32. I think it should be

mandatory that everyone watches the movie "Idiocracy" at least twice.

The irony is unrelenting.

[Lord Helmet]

35. it's really weird that a Democrat is calling another Democrat that

[AdHocSolver]

37. There is no special value to the right-wing using the term "elitist" except that it works well in...

focus groups.

The ad agencies test out terms in focus groups just as they do in marketing soap or cereal. They pick a term that is "neutral" for most people to begin with, and that is easy to pronounce and easy to spell.

Actually, they pick several such terms to experiment with. Then they attach a meaning and emotional significance to this term in an ad campaign and try it out in focus groups consisting of the target audience. They then run with whatever works best. This is purely a Pavlovian technique. Trying to decipher what inner meaning this term has to different people is a meaningless exercise.

Another example of this technique that seems to work very well is the use of the term "free trade". This is supposed to conjure up "freedom", "free will", "democracy" -- everything good and wholesome. Yet it is a meaningless term. There is NO "free trade".

NAFTA, the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank are all agreements by corporate cartels to stifle competition and any true free trade. Yet the corporations talk about how wonderful "free trade" is for the people. It is all marketing bovine manure. It is a term used to cut off discussion of the fact that we need import quotas, customs duties, and environmental and safety regulations applied to all imports sold in the U.S. to promote manufacturing jobs in this country. Only then can we reduce the trade deficit, reduce foreign debt, stabilize the value of the dollar, reduce inflation, and put people back to work in family supporting jobs.

As soon as anyone talks about this issue, the right-wing starts accusing that person of being against "free trade". The stranglehold the multinational corporations have on this country will never be eliminated until the myth of "free trade" is buried once and for all. It is all Pavlovian, folks.

And, so is "elitist". If you spend time trying to figure out what it refers to and what nuances apply to it, then you have drunk the kool-aid. It is purely a meaningless marketing term developed by the right-wing to evoke a negative response against whomever it is applied.

Lakoff's terminology about "framing the issues" is "elitist" overkill. What the right-wing does in the political arena is to use the same simple Pavlovian techniques that are used to sell soap and cereal.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

55. Your arguement was so intellectual and elitist that I refuse even to try to understand it

[TygrBright]

38. I don't think you're wrong, exactly. But I do think it's simpler than that...

"Elitist" is the code word for "Someone who thinks they're better than you."

Intelligence is only one measure of "better," and it's the perennial frontrunner, especially when the accusers are GOPpies, who've gotten where they are by a determined effort to destroy public education, critical thinking, and any form of national dialogue more meaningful than who's going to get booted off this week's reality teevee show.

The actual code is more sophisticated. What the 'hearers of the dog whistle' (love the phrasing...) ACTUALLY hear is the emphasis on THINKS in "Someone who thinks they're better than you." The next level of unspoken subtext is "of course, me and you know that you're just as smart, maybe even smarter, because you know about REAL STUFF, not just pencil-neck geekitude wonkulation, so of course you're right to be pissed off about this person thinking they're better than you..."

Sad. It's really sad.

And until we go back to teaching critical thinking as a key skill from a very early age, it won't change.

regretfully,
Bright

[DeadElephant_ORG]

56. "...not just pencil-neck geekitude wonkulation..." no THAT is a memorable phrase. n/t

[unc70]

73. There is another crucial component, at least here in NC

There are also a bunch of things involving "respect", rooted in family, community, traditions, a wariness of outsiders whether smooth-talkers trying to take advantage of you, and resistance to anything perceived as being forced up them -- even things they might gladly have done if asked politely.

It is really bad manners and shows a lack of respect to point out the obvious. All the candidates are richer and smarter than nearly any of us, but they should not tell us how they will solve our problems before they politely inquire what they might be. (We use a lot of subjunctive and passive tenses around these parts.)

This weekend at the gas pump I heard two guys at nearby pumps joking about the gas tax, that it would be a lot more than $30 for them, no way it would and was just pandering -- "But at least this time they're pandering to us."

[Raine]

39. Thought provoking...

THANKS for posting this. :thumbsup:

[Prophet 451]

40. K, R and bravo

I've been trying to think of how to phrase my infuriation with the "elitist" canard for a few days, you did it better than I could.

The irony, of course, is that the heartland volk who use this term very often really do think they're better than everyone else. More authentically American, hospitible, salt-of-the-earth with callouses on their hands which makes them better than the "elitists". It seems to be a culture defined by masses: Shopping at Wal*mart, drinking coffee from Starbucks; the land of manufactured Americanism as espoused by Ma and Pa Kent. Disagree with that or even choose not to embrace it and you're an "elitist".

Ben Elton's "Blind Faith" covers the "elitism" arguement very well.

[TygrBright]

74. You bring up a very good point and one that has been irritating me...

...for some time, now.

The "heartland" of American has long moved away from the vaseline-on-the-lens shot of the sunrise over rolling farmland, with the silo on the horizon, and the workworn-looking middleaged guy in overalls piling into the 15-year-old pickup truck to head into the little Main Street diner to handshake the candidate and listen earnestly to her/his soothing babble about "values." Hasn't been there for DECADES.

The percentage of Americans who live that image is tiny and getting tinier every year. Yet the percentage who idealize that image, who are deferential to that imaginary utopia and all it putatively 'stands for' seems to hold steady or even gain every year. WTF is up with that???

If you go by demographics, your basic American "heartland" is the diverse billions who live in the urban-suburban megalopoli on the coasts, plus a couple of central congloms like Chiwalkee and Fort Dallaston. The teeming, striving billions whose "heartland" roads aren't placid rural two-laners but slashing eight- and ten- and twelve-lane interstates where they nevertheless spend hours at a slow crawl every day, trying to get back and forth from a cobbled-together, barely-held-onto cheap-labor income that keeps them teetering on the edge of the abyss. The countless people in every skin shade whose breakfast doesn't involve telling Flo whether they want cheese on their grits or ketchup on their home fries, but telling Lupe or Tranh which combo number they want from the dollar menu.

Yet we persist in this weird self-identification with, and mythologizing of, and consequent reverse-elitist snobbery about the "plain folks" who are vanishing as fast as the black-footed ferret. Whose lives and values, appealing as they may be, have as much real relevance to the problems and issues of someone living in suburban Baltimore, or downtown Oakland, or inner-ring Miami as "CSI" has to real law enforcement.

bewilderedly,
Bright

[annabanana]

92. great post!. . Thanks. . . . .n/t

[myrna minx]

41. K&R n/t

[Umbram]

42. Anti-intellectualism is now part of the Clinton platform.

At first, I thought that her supporters were just a tad on the slow side, but now I see they are just roleplaying. Good work all!

[nichomachus]

44. "Real Americans:" Stupid and damn proud of it n/t

[cjsmom]

45. ridicule everyone who disagrees with you

and you still won't get their vote.

[nichomachus]

47. I'm not running for anything -- don't need votes

but thanks for your concern. I was making a comment about the state of America being dumbed down in general.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

58. There's a serious question to be asked: Can a truely progressive Democratic Party...

remain true to it's values while seeking the votes of those who are willfully stupid?

[Enrique]

46. elitists can be dumb

[Stinky The Clown]

48. Telephone for Mr Lakoff ................. Calling George Lakoff ..............

http://www.old-time.com/commercials/1950's/Johnny.jpg

[DeadElephant_ORG]

60. your image broke. I'm curious. Please repost. n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

78. It was a picture of Johnny Roventini

The bellhop from the (now ancient) Philip Morris radio and teevee commercials where he is going through a hotel lobby calling "Call for Philiiiiiiiip MOOOOOOOOOOOOrrrrrriiiii-iiiiissss"

[beezlebum]

49. elitist is as elitist does

elitist "one who believes that certain groups or classes deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived social, intellectual, or financial superiority; control, rule, domination by such groups or classes; sense of entitlement enjoyed by such groups or classes..."

most definitely a code word.

to be elite (smart, wealthy, sociable) is one thing, but to believe your status implies that you deserve superior treatment and lifestyle is elitism- a more dangerous form of snobbery. it means that, in order that you might have more than everyone else, you will work to ensure that the wealthy don't have to pay more taxes, so they can have MORE money, and have MORE swimming pools, and have MORE bedrooms in their 8 bedroom 6 baths mansions, and have MORE hummers and porches to add to their collections, more their luxury condos in dubai, while the lower/middle classes make up the difference in payments for war, having less and less, struggling to pay the light bill, being threatened with foreclosure, saving every drop of milk because you don't get paid until friday, and the kids need breakfast everyday, because your job doesn't pay enough to meet the demands of "cost of living." the LESS the rest of the populations has, the MORE the 1% have, and you, as an elitist, want it to stay that way. it means that you think it's okay for others to suffer and struggle and starve while you bask in the sun, which you think you should own. you deserve it.

this is the elitism which plagues us here in the US. and it is often projected onto the very people who most outright reject it. it is alarming when you talk to a bushie, and they tell you that it's elitist to value education and the educated, and in the same breath ask you why you hate infallible and saintly rich people when you fight for the welfare of the poor. .

k/r

[Prophet 451]

88. By that definition...

...it is the heartland "volk" who are measurably elitist. Perhaps not financially but in terms of their self-percieved social, intellectual and moral superiority to the "elitists", every comment made by the heartlands toward the city dwellers literally drips with resentment toward those they regard as their cultural inferiors. As for domination and rule by such groups, it can't have escaped anyone's notice that all politicians, especially Republicans, have made great efforts for years now to identify themselves with the heartland.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

98. "every comment made by the heartlands literally drips with resentment toward cultural inferiors"

"every comment made by the heartlands toward the city dwellers literally drips with resentment toward those they regard as their cultural inferiors."

I really had not thought of that. How is it any less "elitist" to be a fundamentalist Christian who believes that atheists and gays are damned by God?

[ekwhite]

51. An interesting argument

Obama is obviously well educated and quite intelligent, and it shows. So it is possible that the 'elitist' theme is all about his intelligence. I would still argue that the elitist theme is a coded term for 'uppity.' A black man who is Harvard educated and well spoken must be an 'elitist' after all, despite the lack of financial advantages.

[lumberjack_jeff]

52. They didn't vote for Bush because he's an idiot.

They voted for him despite it. Working class voters voted for him (like Clinton, who is certainly not "incurious") because his campaign didn't give off the vibe that the "low information voters" were the subjects of an anthropological study.

http://www.slate.com/id/2190378/

Call it what you want; elitism, condescension, pretentiousness, smugness - it's a very real thing, we dismiss it as a RW dog-whistle at our peril.

[psychmommy]

66. considering the disastrous last 8 years.

i would want the exact opposite of what we have right now. even if i was a low info voter. i would realize this crap doesn't work, let's try something different. i don't want people swigging whiskey in the wh. i want someone smarter than me who may be able to dig me out of this cesspool that i am in.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

59. Agnew used "effete intellectuals", Nixon "the silent majority". Same shit from the same people.

[George II]

64. I've yet to find a single republican or rightwinger who can define "elitist",...

....even though they use that term repeatedly.

[ElboRuum]

68. That's because the dog-whistle...

...is supposed to engender a gut, almost subliminal reaction, just like dogs can't help but bark when they hear one.

[knixphan]

67. Kick for 'RAISE the lowest-common-denominator'

[scheming daemons]

69. Nobody should have a problem with calling stupid people "stupid"....

....we can't let the incurious overwhelm those of us that have a clue.

That's how we ended up with Dubya.


If you're stupid, you NEED to be shouted down.

[paparush]

70. How the F#CK can Hillary or McCain even TRY to play this card?

McCain is married to a friggin BILLIONARE fer cryin out loud..

Hillary is a former First Lady and proud owner of $120+MILLION dollars earned since 2000..

How either of these can get any traction calling anyone else on the planet is beyond me.

Let all the sheeple say "Baaaaaah! Baaaaaaaah! Elitist! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

[DeadElephant_ORG]

71. you're not hearing the whistle. Money has nothing to do with the "elitist" card. n/t

[IntravenousDemilo]

100. Small correction:

The Clintons' $120+ million was not "earned", it was "collected". Nobody really earns that kind of money; there's no amount of actual work you could do in ten lifetimes to earn that much, and to claim otherwise only denigrates and cheapens the labour of people who slave for years doing all the work and end up with next to nothing. Somewhere down the line, somebody was exploited, someone was cheated. Scratch any rich man and you'll find a thief, I can guarantee you that.

[paparush]

108. Couldn't agree more and thank you for pointing that out.

[xxqqqzme]

79. If your dog has a name but your truck doesn't -

you're an elitist - Bill Maher

[Ian_rd]

83. But what about States Rights?

"Perhaps the best example of racially-loaded terminology popular among candidates using the southern strategy was "states' rights." Before being exposed for what it was, this phrase was perhaps harmless and unnoticeable to northerners. But to the South "states' rights" is clear language meaning their right to be free from the meddling of outsiders and the federal government in affairs such as racial desegregation and black voter registration, not to mention being a reference by name to Strom Thurmond's rebellious and failed political party."

http://www.ianswatson.com/article_marriage_rocks.shtml

So sue me. I linked to myself. :P

[DWilliamsamh]

90. The kernel of your post is one of the premises of Idiocracy

Being an elitist (read: intelligent) is stupid, and reading is "gay." I fear that if we don't break the grip of the stupid (yes I said it: the stupid as in Anti-intellectual, superstitious idiots looking for daddy's to take care of their fear) on this country and SOON, we are all doomed.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

91. takes courage to put it into words, doesn't it? "THE STUPID" n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

96. It's courageous to tell DU that people are dumb? Really? n/t

[IntravenousDemilo]

101. Breaking the grip of the stupid on the country could be quickly achieved...

...by reserving the right to vote for people who can pass an intelligence test.

[Bensthename]

95. According to Hillary even financial experts are elitists.

[McCamy Taylor]

102. Elitism also equals being unable or unwilling to speak to people in a language they understand.

There is a reason that southern politicians do better in presidential elections that Democrats from other parts of the country. People in the south, no matter how much money they make or how much education they get are taught how to talk to everybody. Conversation is an important social skill. You are expected to make yourself understood and pleasant to everyone you meet. You would never dream of calling someone stupid because they do not understand you. You are stupid because you are not telling it in a way that gets your meaning across.

Ronald Reagan, as an actor, did not have to be from the South, but most of the others that we have had since the advent of TV have spent many years in the south.

So, "elitist" can also be a piss poor communicator. Someone who does not know how to teach or tell or get a message across. Obama writes best sellers, so he can do it. Clinton lived in the south for years and is from an Irish family so she can do it. McCain has brain damage, so good luck with that.

It probably cost Bush Sr. his election. The next actor who runs will win.

[McCamy Taylor]

103. Elitism also equals being unable or unwilling to speak to people in a language they understand.

There is a reason that southern politicians do better in presidential elections that Democrats from other parts of the country. People in the south, no matter how much money they make or how much education they get are taught how to talk to everybody. Conversation is an important social skill. You are expected to make yourself understood and pleasant to everyone you meet. You would never dream of calling someone stupid because they do not understand you. You are stupid because you are not telling it in a way that gets your meaning across.

Ronald Reagan, as an actor, did not have to be from the South, but most of the others that we have had since the advent of TV have spent many years in the south.

So, "elitist" can also be a piss poor communicator. Someone who does not know how to teach or tell or get a message across. Obama writes best sellers, so he can do it. Clinton lived in the south for years and is from an Irish family so she can do it. McCain has brain damage, so good luck with that.

It probably cost Bush Sr. his election. The next actor who runs will win.

[jonestonesusa]

107. You make good points - I agree with them, mostly.

I think there are some distinctions between conversation that is polite, sincere, and interpersonal, and more sophisticated discussions of policy. The fact is that most Americans, I would venture, are not sufficiently prepared to engage in sustained, specific conversation about challenging political issues, nor is there consistent respect for people of high educational attainment, leaving a space for the MSM and calculating politicians to pretend to be populists, like Reagan. This is why elitist works as a focus group term turned against Democrats whose policies are better for low income people than Republican policies - because there are deficits in how well all Americans are informed about politics, and in mass culture at least, people are often resistant to the suggestion that this knowledge deficit exists.

All the bashing of wimps, schoolboys, nerds, etc. is a part of this - it is sexist as well as anti-intellectual.

Being from an African American background, it is unfortunate that some of this affects our community as well, and I have seen changes over time in the intensity of the anti-intellectual sentiment. As a "smart" kid, I received a lot of reinforcement from teachers and peers on high achievement, along with some teasing and testing of my ability to defend myself. However, as a whole, the community affirmed the importance of intellectual work and in fact, no one in the community got higher respect from all social segments than people of accomplishment who stayed in the community to work for change. I don't think that all of this has changed, since even when I have spoken as a guest in a prison or a school, I still feel strong appreciation for both my educational attainment and my willingness to stay connected to the community. But I don't always see that reflected in the snarky MSM attitude toward, for instance, Obama's education - attended Harvard, stayed close to the community, accomplished a great deal as a professor of constitutional law and a civil rights lawyer, but due to the pervasive anti-intellectualism in American culture and calculated fake populism, he's criticized because he eats arugala or because he has a big house. Same with Rev. Wright. It's selective, disingenuous outrage that deployed by the HC campaign at its convenience, and is especially convincing to people of any ethnicity who haven't acknowledged their subconscious racism, because it's a way that they can criticize Obama and feel that the criticism is legitimate: according to them, Obama hasn't earned anything, doesn't have legitimate merit based on his accomplishments, and he's a latte-drinking snob, like his supporters.

Enough - I'm ready for a latte myself!

[ruby slippers]

105. I prefer to banty the term....Illuminist....because that is what Hillary is...

she belongs to the Illuminati....

[rasputin1952]

111. I've been an "elitist" for many years...and I am also in favor

od "class warfare".

I am neither wealthy, nor am I of what some might call "elite" status", but I am far from being average in intellect, and I know idiots when I see them. The "war" the RW comes up w/through abstract uses of the language is almost laughable, until one sees that damage is done, simply because many are ignorant and allow themselves to be drawn into the foolishness.

I recall when Novak made a big deal about "class warfare", and someone finally said, "yes, it is class warfare, and you are in the class that is going to lose...and you know it". He never brought it up again...:D

[DeadElephant_ORG]

112. Yes. Yes. "class warfare" is now evil. But class-ism by the super rich is sanctioned by God ! n/t

[rasputin1952]

113. Amazing isn't it?

I love taking these people on, once confronted, they fold every time.

There was a 20 yo up at the college who was talking up the war, all I did was ask him why he was still here...he turned a beautiful shade of red, and made a flimsy excuse. I then said if he all of the answers, he should just go over and win the damn thing, then he could come back as a hero, and have the gov't pay for his education.

He left the stage.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

114. heh ... how very satisfying. n/t