OK, here is my definition of what an "Elite" is - Granite Grok

OK, here is my definition of what an “Elite” is

I love these meaningless labels you people employ to scare people. “Elite” why not “effete” why not “European minded”? Does an “elite” have lots of money, or is an “elite” just overeducated? Can you be a capitalist and an “elite” or are they mutually exclusive? Do you have to have travelled abroad to be an “elite” or can you be house bound and be elite as well? Please, go ahead and define an elite for me. Is Warren Buffet an “elite”? The Koch brothers support the NYC Ballet and Opera. That sounds pretty elite to me. Are they the “elite”?

-jklml

I normally just let these things stay in the comment area, but I’ve decided to break my informal guideline.  The above is the comment left on my post here pontificating that the Davos Elitist founder wants to scrap capitalism.  He demanded I give him a definition, so I have:

For the most part, we use “Elite” in two different ways.  When talking about people that just exude excellence in what they do (e.g., Navy Seals, top rated artists, pundits like Krauthammer and Steyn), they are at the elite levels of what they do.

Then there are those we categorize as “Elitists” as they believe they know better how to live our lives than we do – and have no problem in either telling us or mandating that their rules / statutes / laws be followed so as to compel us to live their idea of “perfection instead of just letting us choose for ourselves.  They make the mistake of believing they are “helping” us – rather, they are just taking our freedom to succeed or fail from us.

The Kochs are in that first group – having succeeded very well in the commercial sector.  It would surprise you that I would put George Soros, their [ideological] counterpart, in that same group.  However, Soros also belongs to that second definition as he uses his success to fund groups, that if you really study what those grous do, promulgate policies that restrict our choices (for our own good, they say).  Yes, the Kochs also fund groups, but again upon digging in, the policies set forth by their funding advocate that individuals be able to make their own decisions unlike the Soro’s group.

And for full disclosure, I was selected to be Americans For Prosperity’s 2011 Activist of the Year (and they do help to fund that organization).  And if you follow what *I* say and do, you can see plainly see what I am talking about.

So, jklml, there is a quick rough definition.  Make lots of money, fund lots of stuff, don’t look down your proboscis at the rest of us – you’re good.   Complain, perhaps, how the rest of us live?  Still ok with that (although you might get a hairy eyeball back atcha).  Start deciding that you know better than I AND start to use politics and the force of Government  to force others to live in a manner that pleases you – you’re an Elitist.

And remember – I am not against Government.  Like all good Conservatives, I am for a limited Government (see here).  Problem with Elites, once they start, they never seem to stop, but also never will say what their end game is or when their social engineering is enough.

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