"Elite" the insult, a word that now means its opposite

[betsuni]

Calling Democrats "out-of-touch liberal elites" really annoys me. Like "establishment," "elites" has become meaningless. I came across a short article from 2010, "'Elite the insult," in the Economist (Obama's election must've revived the popularity of "elite," and you can't turn around without bumping into "liberal elites" these days). Can't they find some new words to change the meaning of and mindlessly repeat over and over for the next election cycle? Political insults used to be quite creative, like the word "mugwump."

"Bleeding heart liberal" used to be a common insult for Democrats. Seems like a compliment today. Things became more and more hateful and nasty until it seemed politics wasn't politics any more but a religious war. I didn't care for the way G.W. Bush used the word "evil," but at least it was directed toward people or countries that were accused of terrorism and the like. When the Democratic candidate in the last election was regularly referred to as evil, that crosses the line of civilized behavior.

I saw a comment somewhere online that I thought was so true, referring to the nasty and hateful: "Their version of empathy is to put yourself in the position of the Other as if the Other were a giant asshole too."

From the article:

"What's the worst thing you can call someone in American politics today? If you read the papers or watch cable news on the wrong day, you just might think it's 'elite.' My 1973 OED describes 'elite' (third sense) as the choice part or flower (of society or any body of persons). If redacted today, the OED might include an obsolescent flag on that 'choice part or flower' definition, and a new sense should be added, 'one's out-of-touch political opponents.' 'Anyone with whom one disagrees, and who is perceived to have an unjustifiably large role in society or politics.'

"Elite's meaning has become remarkably plastic, and in politics in particular, it is a fighting word. How did that happen? ... First, the counterculture attacked the old elites (the titans of industry, the Washington class, the military brass) as out of touch, making authenticity, not authority, the greatest value one can aspire to. Then the counterculture overreached, Nixon found his 'silent majority,' and railed against his own bugbear elites: the now familiar culprits in academia, Hollywood and the press. Both left and right seek the 'real' and shun the 'elites,' and a word has come to mean its opposite; the worst, most harmful class of society, not the 'choicest part or flower.' A strange trip for a word, but these things happen."

http://www.economist.com/johnson/2010/10/27/elite-the-insult

[Lucky Luciano]

1. I guess it didn't help when I got a latte and walked with it past tr&@p tower...

...and some MAGAts were waving huge “Re-elect Tr&@p” flags...and I muttered “white trash” to them!

[betsuni]

2. Was it Starbucks?

I hope it wasn't from McDonalds, how embarrassing for an elitist (I buy coffee at McDonalds sometimes because I'm cheap -- don't tell anyone I'm a bad elitist).

[Lucky Luciano]

3. It was Starbucks actually...

...would have been better if it was some indie coffee house latte that you might find near a university instead of corporate death latte!

They were caught off guard and yelled, back “yeah, next time use whole milk!” (Huh?)

Anyway, I kept walking as I had to get back up to the office 2 blocks away.

[betsuni]

4. They assumed your latte was made with soy milk.

[Lucky Luciano]

5. LOL you're right. I forgot that is a thing with those people!

[Frustratedlady]

6. I think they first made fun of Obama being elite was when he mentioned he preferred arugula.

OMG, arugula. How exotic and must be expensive if he likes it.

Obama was much too smooth and carried himself well. They did admit he was an excellent speaker but, of course, he talked down to them because he used big words. They had to gig him some way. Then they continued to build on it.

Anyone with a college education became a joke and they didn't appreciate being corrected with their spelling or grammar. Somehow, they began attacking liberals. Anyone know why they despise them so much?

You almost have to follow their groups to make any sense out of their thought process, but it basically comes down to if people are educated and politically correct, they must be a Democrat...liberal...elite.

[betsuni]

7. Oh, that's right, I forgot about the arugula.

We heard about that for years!

[smirkymonkey]

17. Don't forget the Grey Poupon!

[betsuni]

19. A nice arugula salad with a Grey Poupon mustard vinaigrette. Elitist.

[Cha]

8. BS called the Democratic Party "elite" when

he was on tv November 16, 2016. When so many people were hurting from the stolen election(not knowing at the time).

Bernie Sanders 'deeply humiliated' Democrats lost white working-class voters

snip//


Washington (CNN) — Sen. Bernie Sanders expressed his disappointment Monday with Hillary Clinton's failure to secure the support of white working-class voters in last week's presidential election.

Donald Trump "very effectively" tapped into "the anger and angst and pain that many working class people are feeling," the Vermont independent senator who challenged Clinton in the Democratic primary said on "CBS This Morning."

"I think that there needs to be a profound change in the way the Democratic Party does business," Sanders said. "It is not good enough to have a liberal elite. I come from the white working class, and I am deeply humiliated that the Democratic Party cannot talk to where I came from."

https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/politics/bernie-sanders-humiliated-democrats-loss-working-class-voters/index.html

Trump Voters Driven by Fear of Losing Status, Not Economic Anxiety, Study Finds

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210532271

White working-class economic anxiety is a zombie idea that needs to die

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10028434018

The Dangerous Myth That Hillary Clinton Ignored the Working Class

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/12/hillary-clinton-working-class/509477/

Good article, betsuni.. Thank You !

BS didn't know he was really calling us ".. the choice part or flower (of society or any body of persons)." Instead of the "plastic elite."

[betsuni]

9. Yes, he does all the time. The Democratic Party doesn't have a working class problem.

People with the lowest incomes voted for the Democrat, and Trump voters did not vote for him because of economic anxiety. Why anyone in politics wants to form a campaign trying to appeal to voters who don't exist ... I don't know.

[Cha]

10. Good point. Turns out "Identity Politics" is

good for the heart and soul

Sanders slams identity politics as Democrats figure out their future

"“It’s not good enough for someone to say, ‘I’m a woman! Vote for me!’” No, that’s not good enough. What we need is a woman who has the guts to stand up to Wall Street, to the insurance companies, to the drug companies, to the fossil fuel industry,” the Vermont independent senator and former Democratic presidential candidate said in a not-so-subtle rebuke to Hillary Clinton."

https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/bernie-sanders-democrats-identity-politics-231710

That nobody said ever.

The Democratic Party is going full steam ahead in spite of all the "slamming" and insults.

[betsuni]

16. "That nobody said ever."

Exactly. Something else that doesn't exist.

[Caliman73]

13. Democrats can and DO talk to the White working class and the rest of the working people.

What we try not to do is coddle fantasy. The bottom line is that coal is a dirty fuel that is helping to make the environment difficult for human survival, we can't save your coal job, but we want to help you find a new job in a field that is sustainable. That requires training and may take awhile.

The problem is that Republicans come along and block legislation designed to implement the shift to renewable energy, to infrastructure spending, to retraining efforts to help Americans get future jobs, then they convince those same people that they have hurt, that it was the Democrats who did it by putting "regulations" on things.

Sanders was plain wrong about the attribution of the problem. To be sure, there are valid criticisms about the Democratic party, but oversimplification has been Bernie's Achilles Heel.

[Cha]

14. Oh, I have soooo noticed that. Mahalo,

Caliman

[betsuni]

15. Yes, Republicans block legislation and it always ends up Democrats' fault one way or another.

[unblock]

11. There's a certain irony in political usage of the "elite" insult

In fact republicans use it to dismiss democrats and to therefore promote themselves as the elites.

They're the "real Americans" and we're not? That's actually a pretty elitist characterization of themselves.

[betsuni]

12. Promote themselves as the elites, it is ironic.

Or a millionaire accusing someone else of being wealthy and out-of-touch.

[TlalocW]

18. The insult I always liked was calling someone, "Einstein," to imply they're dumb

TlalocW

[Crunchy Frog]

20. If you're worth hundreds of millions, and use a golden toilet seat

It means you're a salt of the Earth man of the people, while if you use the wrong kind of mustard on your burger, it means you're an intolerable elitist.

[pansypoo53219]

21. older book. its called doublespeak.