Rehab for “elitist?” Not Necessarily a Great Idea

02Jun08

I heartily support the idea of reinstating intelligence and knowledge as something to cherish rather than denigrate, but I do have a few caveats about a new site which is setting out to do just that. In its sidebar, Carnival of the Elitist Bastards publishes its battle cry:

“It’s time we stop letting our culture celebrate willful ignorance and start promoting genius instead.

“We’ll celebrate our cerebrums, jerk the sledgehammer out of the hands wielding it against us, and kick anti-elitists to the curb. We’ll delve into the delightful varieties of elitist and elite pleasures. We’ll wax philosophical and hold up the elite of our societies for praise.”

First, even if this is meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, I question whether “taking back” the word “elite” is a worthwhile endeavor. In the US it started out with a built-in handicap, the historic taint of money and privilege, and it is now so heavily loaded down with misunderstanding and contempt that I doubt it can ever be rehabilitated. Trying to rescue “elite” and “elitism” has some similarity to Don Quixote’s quest. If Cervantes accomplished nothing else, he contributed “quixotic” and “tilting at windmills” to the language.

Second, the promotion of genius as a counterpoint to ignorance has a few significant flaws. The opposite of ignorance is knowledge, not genius, and such an error will surely come to the gleeful notice of detractors. But more important, genius is a very rare quality, and the mere possession of intelligence and knowledge doesn’t necessarily result in genius. Making that claim for a broad group of (self-identified) people will simply reinforce the antagonism and resentment which now exist. I’m perfectly willing to advocate the destruction of an education system which destroys intelligence and ensures ignorance, but I can’t promote self-aggrandizement. The first carnival is, by and large, a fine collection of thoughtful and well-written blog posts, but the mothership could use an overhaul before it sets out to sea again.

Filed under: Intelligence   |  
Tags: elitism, elitists, Intelligence