Elites Vs the Common Folk

[VetLegion]

How egalitarian is your country? I could look up Gini indexes to see roughly how wealth is distributed but I am not interested in bland numbers only.

I want to know whether you have an elite, what are its characteristics, how do they differentiate themselves from the common people, what occupations do they hold, how do they spend time, can you enter this elite or is it closed (as in you can only be born into it), how do you recognize a member, is there tension between elite and the rest of the society and lastly, are you a part of this elite?

No need to answer all that, just give me your thoughts on the issue.

[rah]

Lots of elites in the US
the Wealthy
the famous
the powerful

You can't always recognize them.
And no, I don't qualify.

[VetLegion]

Isn't playing golf one of the elites' trademarks?

[Riesstiu IV]

I would say my nation is very egalitarian. As I ride my gold plated carriage pulled by four Hanoverian Stallions, I notice that the peasants toiling in my fields seem to enjoy themselves.

[Arrian]

You can add in influential thinkers and writers who are neither wealthy nor powerful. Some members of the media, academics, religious leaders...

As for their interaction with the common people, it's complicated. It all depends on how they are perceived. There is substantial anti-intellectualism in this country. Anyone perceived as snooty about their intelligence/education will be classified as elitist and be spat upon by a significant portion of the population (see: the "Obama's an elitist" meme).

Other elites can manage to be popular with the common people. Fabulously wealthy performers (athletes, musicians, comics, actors...) for instance. Various politicians with both wealth and power have pulled it off, largely by "speaking the language." Bush the younger, for instance, is (or was) considered to be "just a regular type 'o guy" - which was a plus for lots of people. He's far from the only example, but he's an obvious, current one.

-Arrian

[rah]

Yes, so what's you point.

These guys are golfers but they aren't exactly part of the elite.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Riesstiu IV
I would say my nation is very egalitarian. As I ride my gold plated carriage pulled by four Hanoverian Stallions, I notice that the peasants toiling in my fields seem to enjoy themselves.

I like the way the annoint your carriage with manure as you pass by.

[rah]

Originally posted by Arrian
You can add in influential thinkers and writers who are neither wealthy nor powerful. Some members of the media, academics, religious leaders...

I'd classify them as part of the famous group.

[VetLegion]

Right, Croatia. In communism the elites were the Communist Party members, the military and the various aparatchiks. They didn't engage in much conspicuous consumption, but they held political and economic power and definitely enjoyed a higher standard of living than the common folk. These elites weren't closed as in they generally didn't live separately from the rest of the population, you could advance to enter them (though being politically obedient and kissing butt) and though they tended to live in good apartments they didn't live in gated separate communities or the like.

The new elites are slowly forming. Based not on politics any more, they are more money-based. But people's attitudes are still relatively egalitarian, so the elites aren't very conspicuos, the wealthy don't show off their way the way they do in Latin America or Russia.

I, of course, am not part of the elite.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by rah
Yes, so what's you point.

These guys are golfers but they aren't exactly part of the elite.

I thought you would be younger but Ming is just like I imagined.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by rah
Lots of elites in the US
the Wealthy
the famous
the powerful

You can't always recognize them.
And no, I don't qualify.

OK, you could say that there are many elites if you look at it from occupational viewpoint.

But we could define the elite along these lines: when the city mayor/governor/president holds a party, who gets called?

[rah]

Originally posted by VetLegion


I thought you would be younger but Ming is just like I imagined.

those guys aren't twins.

[Heraclitus]

Slovenia is still for the most part a rather egalitarian society.

[VetLegion]

I'm waiting for one of the Brits to post, or perhaps aneeshm

[Patroklos]

There is substantial anti-intellectualism in this country. Anyone perceived as snooty about their intelligence/education will be classified as elitist and be spat upon by a significant portion of the population (see: the "Obama's an elitist" meme).

Thats not anti-intellectualism, thats anti snootyism

It is possible to be an intellectual and not a snob.