What IS an "elitist"

[MikeMangum]

For anyone who's ever used that term, and believe me I'll be using the forum search function and calling you out.

What is an "elitist"?

Elitist: noun

1. Someone who thinks that they are smart enough that they should be able to make core choices about your life for you.

2. Someone who thinks that they are deserving of special treatment and rights because they are, in their own opinion, (smart | rich | compassionate | a great artiste).

 

[a_unique_person]

For anyone who's ever used that term, and believe me I'll be using the forum search function and calling you out.

What is an "elitist"?

Me. I am 733T

 

[brodski]

Elitist: noun

1. Someone who thinks that they are smart enough that they should be able to make core choices about your life for you.

2. Someone who thinks that they are deserving of special treatment and rights because they are, in their own opinion, (smart | rich | compassionate | a great artiste).

So we're back to right wing social conservatives again then?

They fit your definition but they don't fit with the way in which elitist is currently used in US political discourse.

 

[AvalonXQ]

Who do you think is more of an elitist, George W. Bush or Barack H. Obama? and more importantly why?

Obama, because I never heard W make a comment like this:



ETA: But in terms of their policies, both acted to grow and extend government control, and neither acted as a free-market conservative (believing that individuals, not government, should run themselves).

 

[plumjam]

Whenever I hear someone talk in derogatory/patronising terms about the general public, I smell an elitist at work.
e.g. 'the public will never accept this', 'the people must be protected from the truth', 'the public cannot understand such complexities'...etc. etc..
Not wanting to hold referendums on sovereignty issues, or holding the referendum again and again until the public finally give you the result you wanted, ..that I would class as elitism.

 

[cwalner]

Obama, because I never heard W make a comment like this:



ETA: But in terms of their policies, both acted to grow and extend government control, and neither acted as a free-market conservative (believing that individuals, not government, should run themselves).

I can't view videos at work, so will have to wait to comment until later, or if you could type in the statement of Obama's from the video that you think is elitist

 

[AvalonXQ]

I can't view videos at work, so will have to wait to comment until later, or if you could type in the statement of Obama's from the video that you think is elitist

It's Obama's famous "clinging to guns and religion" comment. You can find plenty of background info on it.
Sorry for not indicating what it was; I dislike it when others do that with linked videos.

 

[cwalner]

It's Obama's famous "clinging to guns and religion" comment. You can find plenty of background info on it.
Sorry for not indicating what it was; I dislike it when others do that with linked videos.

Fair enough, that was a very arrogant comment of Obama's and while I don't agree with the severity of what that comment means about him being elitist, I can see your point.

For me, I guess I see elitism as a sense of entitlement and being above the rules. In the case of GWB this is most exemplified in his getting National Guard duty during Vietnam compared to his Hawkish stance as POTUS. To a lesser degree, the attitude that his cocaine use was a youthful indescrection in contrast to the escalation of the war on drugs during his administration, specifically using federal enforcement to override state Medical Marijuana laws.

By no means is this attitude exclusive to conservaties or Republicans. One need only look at Kennedy and Chappaquidick or Clinton deciding that he could lie under oath because the truth would have (and eventually did) embarrased him and his family to see obvious examples of this type of elitism on the left.

I just have not yet seen this above the law attitude from Obama.

 

[AvalonXQ]

For me, I guess I see elitism as a sense of entitlement and being above the rules. In the case of GWB this is most exemplified in his getting National Guard duty during Vietnam compared to his Hawkish stance as POTUS. To a lesser degree, the attitude that his cocaine use was a youthful indescrection in contrast to the escalation of the war on drugs during his administration, specifically using federal enforcement to override state Medical Marijuana laws.

I agree that this is hypocritical, and that hypocrisy CAN underlie elitism. But I really don't see the same sort of elitist attitude from W as we see very consistently in Obama's patronizing and arrogant attitude.
However, the idea that both of those guys were pretty elitist doesn't really disturb my sensibilities either.

 

[Dr Adequate]

It's Obama's famous "clinging to guns and religion" comment. You can find plenty of background info on it.

You can. So willfully misinterpreting it seems rather pointless, not that that stopped anyone.