I Hate Elitism Part 1
From dKosopedia
I can't stand elitism.
Anti Elitism Haiku
Aristocracy, I can't stand Oligarchy, nor much Hierarchy.
We don't have to argue about what a word means. We can consider the argument using each reasonable definition of the term.Usually, if someone is called an elitist or aristocrat, the assumption is they themselves are adopting the role and or habits of the elites. But the broadest meaning of elitism is "one who believes in elitism". "You, Sir, YOU, are elitist!", the assumption is that the person so accused is accused of believing themselves to be of the elite. But in the broad sense the slave that worships his master is also an elitist, one that acknowledges their own lowly place thereby. Damn, I hate those bastards more than the elite, by far. What a bunch of self loathing pricks. You know who you are.
This even more obnoxious type doesn't argue they are of the elite. They may even readily admit they are not and never will be. They may even truly believe what they say and not just be kissing up to their masters. It's hard to imagine one that doesn't at least fantasize about being in the elite themselves but I believe even that is not only possible but common. "Everything with it's place, and everything in it", or some such nonsense like that.
But in all cases, if you believe in elitism then you are an elitist. A King worshiping peasant is an aristocrat himself, politically. Of course he doesn't have to think in those terms, having handed over his rights to himself already. A sad thing about representative democracy is it works really well for this sort of elitist. All you need is a meritocracy to plug your stratum into and your are set to roll claiming the shelter democratic freedom until the bell breaks from ringing.
It can be a meritocracy based on... economic scoring, or moving a ball on a field, or looks, or artistic skill, or analysis, or communication skills, sex, whatever, just get your system, pretend it proves merit and you are ready to go with elitism, even in democracy. And dare I worry, especially in a democracy? Nah.
Ok, that's it. That's my one point on elitism so far, part I.
But One More Thing:1
"Egads!" cry the masses, "how will bosses fire underperforming employees?", "ban blog miscreants?". They cry also "but I like some people better than others!" "I trust people, these trusted people form my elite"! Mere semantics, my friend.
Just because a person can fire you does not mean they are really better than you. They may seek a complete and metaphysical justification about how firing you was God's will, but that's a bit pathetic really.
And still, even the most open minded tend to reiterate in the face of my loathful condemnations on elitism, if they are honest with me, "pyrrho... I know one thing is better than another, though I share sympathies with your hate for elitism I won't deny that I see one thing as better than another".
Yes, that's relativistic, we each have our own ranking of things, one better than the other. REO Speedwagon to me is crap, Bob Marley semi-divine. It's not that one ranking has to be more valid than another in general, before God, these rankings are themselves ranked once more by individuals. We need not find the best and -adopt- it... we have our own innately, we create it. When it fails to please, we alter it.
We don't need a way to determine that ours is fundamentally better, we are instead figuring out which suits, and every conflict can be figured out through the relationships between people and things. We don't need a way to justify putting the criminal away based on the criminal's value system, him ranking of things from fantastic to crap. We merely use OUR frame, our ranking, and indeed we have a common frame of civil peace that does value the criminal very lowly indeed, as a cost and a disvalue. Can we justify that? yes, easily, we know being robbed doesn't suit us.
That sounds dangerous without the anchor of absolute certainty, without God, but it works out in the end since that's all we're doing at the moment anyway. You can't lose the anchor you never really had to begin with, there has to be another explanation, and it must be what we're really using.
We are responsible for at least one ranking, our personal one, that's all there is to it. If it doesn't serve us well we modify it.
A value system in general is really no different than simple culinary decisions. You get to decide what you consider the "best food", but when Auntie Dora comes over, you take into account what her favorite foods are and depending on your feelings for her, you craft a third ranking of foods featuring those you value highly together (you both love Grandma's pudding desert).
But if you're a real dear, you just make her what she likes, she changed your diapers after all.
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