Elitism
Elitism is a belief or attitude that
elites — a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, wealth, specialised training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below) — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are best fit to govern. Elitism may also be used to convey a less rational and more purely arrogant sense of entitlement to better treatment owing to wealth, social standing, etc. Stemming mostly from this usage, elitism has highly negative connotations and is often used pejoratively as conveying disregard for the public (non-elites) or arrogance. In its political and sociological sense, elitism sees an elite as occupying a special position of authority or
privilege in a group, set apart from the majority of people who do not match up with his or her abilities or attributes.
For the converse of "elitism" see "
anti-elitism" and "
populism".
Attributes that identify an elite vary; personal achievement may not be essential. Attributes of elites include:
* High level of
political influence * Membership in powerful
cliques and desirable clubs
* High level of
academic qualifications* High level of
experience in a given field (
achieved status)
* High
intelligence* High natural abilities such as
athletic abilities
* High
creativity* Good
taste, since "taste" is defined by the elite
* Claimed innate qualities, abilities, or other
ascribed status.
Commonly, large amounts of personal
wealth, often assessed as the reward of elite qualities by those who are impressed by it, are insufficient on their own, as every
nouveau riche can attest.
The term
elitism is also used to refer to situations where a group of people who claim to possess high abilities or simple an
in-group or
cadre conspire to give themselves extra privileges at the expense of all other people. This form of elitism may be described as
discrimination.
Less commonly,
elitism may also refer to situations where an elite is given both special privileges and special responsibilities, in the hope that this arrangement will benefit all people.
At times elitism is closely related to
social class and stratification. People within a higher social class are usually known as the "social elite".
The term "elitism" or the title "elitist" can be used resentfully by a person who is not a member of an elite, or is a member but resents their position or uses it in a condescending or cynical manner in order to ridicule or criticise practices which discriminate on the basis of ability or attributes. Often, accusing someone of being an "elitist" is a
pejorative remark meant to imply that the person in question does not in fact belong to an elite, but is merely a hanger-on. Elitism can be seen as encouraging the exclusion of large numbers of people from positions of privilege or power. Thus, many anti-elitists seek the social equality of
Egalitarianism,
Populism,
Socialism, or
Communism. They may also support
affirmative action,
social security,
luxury tax, and increasingly high
progressive tax for the wealthiest members of society. All of these measures seek to reduce the gap of power between the elites and non-elites.
Main article: Academic elitism
Elitism in the context of
education is the practice of concentrating attention on or allocating funding to the
students who rank highest in a particular field of endeavour, the other students being deemed less worthy of attention.
Elitism in education could be based upon learning ability, knowledge, or other abilities.
*
Aristocracy*
Classism*
High culture and
popular culture*
Meritocracy*
Social class*
Tall poppy syndrome
