My Liberal Identity:
You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.
Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com
Found via Monkerstein.
It is true that I am a proud member of the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme. Intellectualist? Intellectual elite? Liberal elite? I guess I haven' t been paying attention to the right-wing blather enough to know that "liberal elite" and "intellectual elite" are negative terms used to group bunches of us together, and then if Ted Nugent's available he could easily be coaxed into getting rid of us in one fun afternoon. Here's a reactionary post on Burnt Orange Report.
This is a statement made by a Neocon with her guard down on a pricey cruise hosted by The National Review. Only the most elite conservatives in attendance... and one journalist undercover and trying to fit in. Found via Nick:
"and I ask them - why are liberals like this? What's their motivation? They stutter to a halt and there is a long, puzzled silence. " It's a good question," one of them, Martha, says finally. I have asked them to peer into the minds of cartoons and they are suddenly, reluctantly confronted with the hollowness of their creation. "There have always been intellectuals who want to tell people how to live," Martha adds, to an almost visible sense of relief. That's it - the intellectuals! They are not like us." [FULL STORY, and recommended reading!]
Alright, I guess "intellectual" basically means preferring to use your brain instead of some other body parts to make decisions. It doesn't (to me, anyway) mean the same thing as "smart" or "intelligent". I think that there are all kinds of smart. "Intellectual" can also suggest being in possession of all the latest trendy knowledge associated with a gentile class, such as being well-read, being able to pick out a good wine, or being able to discuss globalization or the stock market. I am certainly not any of those things.
Elite. That words bugs me, and definitely doesn't describe me... nor do I particularly want it to. I find the concept of “elite” and especially “elitist” to be offensive. One person is not better than or superior to another, even if one has money, education, talent and power and the other has none of those. Many methods used for acquiring power and influence usually could be considered unethical or not deserving of respect.
"elite" partial definition from Merriam-Webster:
a: the choice part : CREAMFrom wiki: Liberal Elite
b: the best of a class
c: the socially superior part of society
d: a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence (members of the ruling elite) (the intellectual elites of the country)
Liberal elite and liberal elitist are terms used by some ideological opponents of liberalism to refer pejoratively to affluent liberals, who, their opponents claim, are elitist and disconnected from the rest of society (note also the US term limousine liberal, the Irish term "smoked salmon liberal", or latte liberal as synonyms). The feelings stem from the populist movement of the late 19th century.
OK, let's skip the affluent and social aspects. If you have money, you have power whether there is a brain involved or not. It doesn’t matter what your politics are. If you were born rich and remained that way, then you have not known the same kind of struggle that the rest of us have. Limousine liberal… limousine conservative… money is money and sometimes it buys limousines and lattes. It buys plenty of those things for the Neocons to be sure, and they are not stupid either (alright, there's Dubya, so SOME are stupid... and he might be stupid, but he is the President) (this is not cheering me up any).
“Intellectual Elite” sounds like it simply refers to the well-educated persons in society whose opinions are valued because of their education or credentials. From the right wing point of view, it's a term used to attack those who support science, and I think that's it in a nutshell.
If the Neocons and other conservatives hate the "elite", they must hate themselves... and each other.
1 comment:
If you are an intellectual, you are most likely a Democrat as they are known to appeal to the thinking person rather than the emotionally reactive person. So, you are in the right place.
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