Has anyone here ever met a liberal elitist?

[LAS14]

Last edited Mon Apr 3, 2017, 01:05 PM - Edit history (2)

If so, what qualifies them for that label?

Note (edited after 150 replies). I'm asking the question about "elitists" not the "elite." However, interpret as you will.

[dhol82]

1. I was actually wondering what the definition expressly was.

I can only think of conservative elitists.

[L. Coyote]

36. Elitists think the elite should control society, to be brief. Not all elites are elitists.

There seems to be some confusion in this thread about what an elitist is. Someone who thinks elites ore better than others, in politics that translates into those who should be in charge. In economics, it translates in justification of greed. In the arts, it is snobbery. In high school, it is the mean girls clique.

[dhol82]

39. +1

[LAS14]

90. Well stated. nt

[Dave Starsky]

94. Someone who washes their hands after pooping.

If that makes me an elitist, then so be it.

[dhol82]

105. I am certain that, to many, that would suffice as a definition.

Thank you.

Also, thank you for your elitism. It will serve to advance the future of world hygiene.
Well done!

[NightWatcher]

2. Do you mean someone who thinks they're better than most republicans? Yes, yes I have

Most of us here are.

(Waves to freepers and dwellers, and blows a kiss)

[JHan]

37. lol.

[Squinch]

3. By definition, I would be one. I live on the coast, I have an ivy degree and I really enjoy a latte

in the afternoon.

AND I think women are human beings, AND I think poor people are human beings, AND I think people of color are human beings, AND I think disabled people and foreign people and people of all religions are human beings.

I question whether some Republicans are human beings though.

[L. Coyote]

38. If you have an ivy degree, why don't you know what elitist means?

[Squinch]

42. LIBERAL elitist. All you have to do to be considered a liberal elitist by Republican troglodites

(who after all are the ones who coined the phrase) is vote Democratic and drink latte. And not favor cruel legislation.

[L. Coyote]

43. Liberal elite is not the same as an elitist. I think it is an oxymoron.

How can you be liberal and elitist at the same time? That's contradictory.

[Squinch]

47. Nothing is contradictory to Republicans.

They are the same people who just elected a billionaire con man because they thought he was one of them.

They think a secure private server is the end of the world but a bloodless Russian takeover of the American Democratic system is no big deal.

[Foamfollower]

4. I met Bernie Sanders once.

[TheBlackAdder]

16. Keep the divisivness going. That's just what RWers want.

[Foamfollower]

20. I'm just being honest.

[TheBlackAdder]

28. My kids met all of the candidates, more than once, and they'd call bullshit on that!

[Foamfollower]

51. That's their problem, not mine.

[TheBlackAdder]

65. Keep trying to justify that initial post. #FAIL

[Foamfollower]

73. I merely spoke honest truth.

[Eyeball_Kid]

127. What's honest about it?

All you're saying is that you didn't like him. So what? You fail to articulate exactly what is elitist about Sanders. You just toss out the bone and wait for a response in a very troll-like fashion.

[BainsBane]

113. LOL

I love how repeated attacks on the party broadcasted on television aren't divisive but having the audacity to question Sanders is. I don't know how you all can keep a straight face when you type.

[TheBlackAdder]

123. LOL

My children used to use that argument whever they were caught doing something.

See, others are doing it.

[BainsBane]

125. That doesn't address

the clear hypocrisy in your argument. That you can't do so is revealing. The "others" in question is the very man you insist we have no right to question.

As much as you think the role of Democratic voters is to promote Bernie, it is not. You are free to prioritize Bernie above the party and the citizens of this country, but don't expect the rest of us to obey. I reject absolute fealty toward any politician. I believe it to be anti-egalitarian and anti-democrat. I do not believe position, power, popularity, or privilege makes him more important than any other elected representative or any citizen, myself included. The fact that so many across the political spectrum place the careers of a couple of great men over issues, principles, and their own intellectual integrity is something I find is deeply troubling.

[TheBlackAdder]

141. Lost in a quagmire of confusion.

I do not think it is the goal of trying to "promote Bernie." That seems to be a position of most here who still harbor animous. They are unable to reflect on the election and properly synthesize what transpired, grasping at one cause or another, as long as there is a boogyman to point the finger at. Anyone with neutrality is seen somehow as the "enemy." Folks fail to see that a vibrant primary campaign is what energizes Democrats to come out to the voting booth. It's really a shame that the Democratic process is dampened like this, but whatever.

[bettyellen]

114. Do you have a link to that bit about Russians bashing Bernie? Because I heard them talk about

Bashing Hillary as the number one priority- and using fake Sanders supporters to spread lies about her all over Sanders FB groups, Reddit and other forums. I don't recall anyone saying Sanders himself was a target. Link?

[BainsBane]

117. The same day you did.

[tammywammy]

120. You joined the same day!

[BainsBane]

122. Do you suppose he forgot?

[Cha]

139. You have no right to tell FF "to get lost".. FF

isn't the one who's being "divisive"..

[ornotna]

115. The torture never stops

[WoonTars]

147. Liberal - Yes, Elitist - not so much...

...

[sharedvalues]

5. It's largely fake, used to deflect populist anger away from the rich

The goal of conservative hate media- NY Post, Fox, Limbaugh through Breitbart, Reason, Newsmax- is to deflect populist anger away from the rich and onto a convenient target - urban liberals.

Yes, people in Ohio have a crappy economy and are rightfully angry. But instead of anger at Walmart CEO, they are angry at liberals. That's the whole goal of conservative media.

[JHan]

57. a hundred times this****

[sharedvalues]

61. +100

[BainsBane]

116. True

but it seems you missed this: https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2017/03/31/watch-bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-shared-stage-at-boston-rally

[Sanity Claws]

6. Yes I know someone who could be

Called that.
Her politics were liberal. She voted Democratic but every once in a while she would make statements that at best could be called snobby. She definitely favored people and families with old money.
This woman lives on the Upper East Side in NYC.
But so what? People carry a lot of contradictions. That doesn't make them traitors or corrupt.

[lapucelle]

10. Anyone who stayed home or voted third party

on November 8 on the theory that "suffering will help insure that people vote for my side next time" qualifies as an elitist.

Most of those people were in no great danger of suffering, but they were quite willing to sacrifice the poor and marginalized to accomplish their theoretical goals.

[Blue_true]

93. People that have generational wealth tend to associate

with other people that also have it and marry within those circles. Don't understand why, but it happens.

[LAS14]

11. ?????? Where are you coming from???? And...

... where do you think I was coming from?????

[democrank]

8. Yes, more than one.

[lapucelle]

12. Liberal elitist any liberal who demands absolute purity

from everyone except himself and his candidate.

[ProudLib72]

13. I think Bernie used the term as a cheap shot

against HRC. It was the rebuttal to the "deplorables" tag. And I must admit that I am angry with Bernie for using populist appeals that disparage Hillary.

[Squinch]

48. That's not populist. It's a Republican slur against Democrats. Has been forever.

Unfortunate that he chooses to go there.

[ProudLib72]

59. I mean he was trying to appeal to

the blue collar working class who feel like they have nothing in common with the Democratic party. I know this has been a debate point on DU, whether or not we should appeal to tRump supporters who feel left out of the Democratic party. Personally, I think it causes more harm than good because these people are already deluded from the fake news sources. Bernie's speech is just another example of why this is a bad idea. He was using a misrepresentation of Democrats (that has been promoted, as you've said, for years by rethugs) as means to pull more voters into his camp.

I called it "populist" because it seems like Bernie imagines himself (and his party, whatever it is) representing the everyday Joe. At the end of the day, though, this kind of language only succeeds in further alienating those voters from the Democratic party.

[BainsBane]

118. How does disparaging the Democratic Party encourage those people to vote Dem?

Obviously it doesn't.

[ProudLib72]

128. It wasn't meant to disparage the party

It was meant to disparage how HRC ran her campaign.

[synergie]

136. So it was meant to disparage the nominee and the people who supported

her and worked their rears off to elect a Democrat? Which somehow does not disparage the party and Democrats. That's some interesting contortions to end up confirming that disparagement was indeed the intent.

[ProudLib72]

146. Yup

Don't shoot the messenger. It was a stupid thing for Bernie to say.

I'm not the only one who thinks this. The Guardian says so: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/01/bernie-sanders-trump-voters-not-deplorable-clinton-warren

"Jab" "Disparage" whatever you want to call it.

[Initech]

14. No, but I've met plenty of conservative elitists.

[no_hypocrisy]

15. My mother.

Liberal from her days at Barnard in the Forties. Masters degree when a lot of women married after high school.

But what made her elite was she didn't think highly of people who didn't share her viewpoint and didn't have sufficient education. She thought the people in our small town were provincial and couldn't relate to many of them. The proverbial city mouse living in the country. Closest comparison is the protagonist in Sinclair Lewis' novel Main Street. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Street_(novel)

[Warpy]

17. Oh, yes

They live in upscale housing, send the rug rats to the "right" preschools, and are unabashedly hostile to anyone who doesn't agree with them that their class is the one that has to be protected from things like lifting the Social Security tax cap. While they express sympathy for elders trying to eke out bare survival on Social Security and a patchwork of part time jobs, they don't want to contribute anything to alleviating the problem. Are there no soup kitchens or food pantries? What do you mean, they can't drive to them?

And that is just one example of many. They have the same sort of cutoff points in their heads that a lot of Republicans have, but they'll never admit it. They honestly don't "get" that most of the people they meet in any given day of Starbuck's and their favorite lunch eatery don't get paid enough to live on.

"Love Me, I'm a Liberal" is dated but is a classic skewering of the liberal elitist. You can find it at You Tube.

[JHan]

126. that description easily describes many libertarian/republicans I've met in my life..

[Warpy]

130. As I said, a lot of the cutoff points are the same in both groups

and the blank stares you get when you try to inform them about what they're missing are the same.

The difference is that the liberal variety think something should be done, while the Republicans just plain don't give a damn as long as they've got theirs.

[JHan]

131. Well I think that's a cognitive error/dissonance that comes with privilege

Definitely there are privileged folks who are out of touch . They could be "middle class" or upper middle class , typically very insulated.

[Doreen]

18. I am confused ( not unusual )

Are you talking about Libertarians like Gary Johnson or Liberals who believe in one payer medical, no guns, equal rights for everyone, freedom of religion as long as it is any religion and freedom from religion also, and those who believe we should care for the earth and animals?

[Cosmocat]

19. 1993

I was just out of college, first job and remember going to the gym to work out, and they used to pipe in Limbaugh.

I had never heard of him, and I was like, wtf is this guy, and wtf do so many people here eat this inane puke up?

He kept babbling on about elite, and limosean liberals, and never in my life had I met there grotesque, evil people he drowned on about.

30 plus damned years of him and his ilk skull fucking people, that gas led us to this point.

[mountain grammy]

121. I remember the first time I heard that puke.

Sometime after Clinton's election.. couldn't believe it. Surely no one takes this crap seriously? Turns out, they do.

[L. Coyote]

21. Does Lyndon Johnson count?

Define elitist. If an elitist is "a person who believes that a state should be led by an elite" then liberal elitist is oxymoronic. While liberal elite isn't. Kennedy was a liberal elite but not an elitist.

[JI7]

27. i don't think that counts. and Johnson definitely wasn't elitist

[steve2470]

22. Conservatives have FAR more elitists in their ranks

Don't have any money ? Too bad.

Not white ? Too bad.

Don't have any connections to help you ? Too bad.

Don't have enough money for decent health care and/or insurance ? Too bad.

Can't afford to get into Harvard, Yale, etc ? What's wrong with your family ?

being or characteristic of a person who has an offensive air of superiority and tends to ignore or disdain anyone regarded as inferior

https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elitist

(of a person or class of persons) considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society

Who tends to have the most wealth in this country ? Conservatives. Yes, there are rich liberals, but my impression is they at least try to be democratic in their outlook.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

23. Yup

Wealthy, aloof and oblivious to the world a quarter-mile past their nose.

[JI7]

24. never met her but Susan Sarandon ?

[L. Coyote]

32. Hardly. Just the opposite. She likes populists.

She used to live in my neighborhood, so some interesting stories are afloat here about, hearsay stuff.

[JI7]

33. her treatment of Dolores Huerta doesn't show that , in fact the opposite. unless you mean right wing

populists like BUchanan and Trump.

[Blue_true]

95. I actually sat beside Serandon, Robins and her kids once while on

vacation in Maine. It was a little while after Shawshank Redemption came out. They seemed ok, I did not know who they were until I went to pay my lunch bill and was asked by two freaked out waitresses whether I knew who I was sitting right beside. But on Serandon, she is what I would call a classic elite, rich and insistent that only her viewpoint is the right way forward.

[ananda]

25. This has to do with rural perceptions.

And that is largely due to media and propaganda manipulation.

[JI7]

35. how come it doesn't affect Native Americans ?

[JI7]

26. peta and anti vax , gluten-free types in California

[JI7]

29. not liberal but the entire Trump Trash is Elitist

the worst of the new york, east coast stereotypes.

notice these fuckers never hang out with the people that make up his base . they would rather spend time with people his own base sees as evil liberals such as hollywood than with his own idiot supporters.

[QC]

30. Sounds like there were quite a few at these events:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/us/politics/hillary-clinton-donors.html?_r=0

[L. Coyote]

34. Elites are not necessarily elitists.

You can't help who your parents are, and I love it when an elite grows up liberal instead of thinking his economic strata should rule the world.

[Autumn]

87. There is the liberal elite.

At least that's who I see as the liberal elite

[Blue_true]

96. BS. People are not automatically evil because they are rich.

Some of those people were there because they cared deeply about core Democratic Party principles and seeing our party nominee win.

[QC]

97. True, but I doubt that Blackwater was there out of love for humanity.

And Lloyd Blankfein might genuinely believe that he's doing God's work, but hardly anyone else does.

[Blue_true]

104. Some rich people are assholes, some are not.

To throw everyone into the same bucket due to their wealth is being intellectually lazy and somewhat disengenuous and can hurt us by alienating decent people.

[sarah FAILIN]

31. Apparently I am one

I watch MSNBC. I told my coworkers that were hounding me as to why Fox wasn't talking about Russian meddling that it was because they don't want to report the truth and don't want reps to be educated as to what is really going on. That made them mad.. I refuse to consider having Putin as a "friend" might be a good thing.

So yes, I am a liberal elitist.

[beachbum bob]

40. Being a whiney ass snob....

[PoiBoy]

41. Here is an interesting article worth checking out IMO...

http://inthesetimes.com/features/listen-liberal-thomas-frank-democratic-party-elites-inequality.html

According to Frank, popular explanations which blame corporate lobby groups and the growing power of money in politics are insufficient. Frank instead points to a decision by Democratic Party elites in the 1970s to marginalize labor unions and transform from the party of the working class to the party of the professional class. In so doing, the Democratic Party radically changed the way it understood social problems and how to solve them, trading in the principle of solidarity for the principle of competitive individualism and meritocracy. The end result is that the party which created the New Deal and helped create the middle class has now become “the party of mass inequality.” In These Times spoke with Frank recently about the book via telephone.

The above intro was for me a WTF moment... the rest of the interview is even more thought provoking...

The first piece of evidence is what’s happened since the financial crisis. This is the great story of our time. Inequality has actually gotten worse since then, which is a remarkable thing. This is under a Democratic president who we were assured (or warned) was the most liberal or radical president we would ever see. Yet inequality has gotten worse, and the gains since the financial crisis, since the recovery began, have gone entirely to the top 10 percent of the income distribution.

This is not only because of those evil Republicans, but because Obama played it the way he wanted to. Even when he had a majority in both houses of Congress and could choose whoever he wanted to be in his administration, he consistently made policies that favored the top 10 percent over everybody else. He helped out Wall Street in an enormous way when they were entirely at his mercy.

He could have done anything he wanted with them, in the way that Franklin Roosevelt did in the ’30s. But he chose not to.

Why is that? This is supposed to be the Democratic Party, the party that’s interested in working people, average Americans. Why would they react to a financial crisis in this way? Once you start digging into this story, it goes very deep. You find that there was a transition in the Democratic Party in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s where they convinced themselves that they needed to abandon working people in order to serve a different constituency: a constituency essentially of white-collar professionals.

That’s the most important group in their coalition. That’s who they won over in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. That’s who they serve, and that’s where they draw from. The leaders of the Democratic Party are always from this particular stratum of society.

If you are so inclined, please read the rest of the interview.. it is quite revealing and well worth the read IMO...

Your thoughts are welcome...!

[JI7]

44. thomas frank doesn't see race

[JHan]

58. he gets eternal side eye from me.

guess that makes me an elitist.

[melman]

70. He's great

Predictably enough the usual suspects around here hate him.

[beam me up scottie]

112. Good read, thanks!

[JI7]

45. Complaints about Liberal Elitists from the Right Wing is mostly Complaints about Social Justice

and Civil Rights.

their support for Trump pretty much exposes all of this. including Melania . brown immigrants are treated differently. just look at attacks on Jeb's wife.

[AgadorSparticus]

46. Her name is Susan Sarandon.

[Squinch]

49. So here we are falling for a circular firing squad trick. I had not realized that Sanders

used the expression "liberal elitist."

The expression began with the Republicans. It is a slur against Democrats. It was used against Obama when they tried to paint him as a "latte drinking, Ivy educated, coastal liberal elitist."

It's not populist. It's Republican.

It's really very sad that Sanders chose to use such a divisive term.

But the real answer to the question of "what is a liberal elitist" is not those Democrats we don't like. It's a figment of the Republican imagination. Our allies should not use the term.

[k8conant]

63. There's a difference between the liberal elite and a liberal elitist...

as in, one may be of one sex and not be a sexist.

[Squinch]

72. Not in the way the phrases have always been used by Republicans, so neither is a phrase that

should be used by anyone who supports Democrats.

[Demsrule86]

74. There is no point to this... a number of these sort of OP's were removed yesterday.

They should be.

[sharedvalues]

108. +100. No one here really believes this GOP propaganda do they?

[MicaelS]

50. No, but I would classify them as

Wealthy urbanites who are all for Social Justice, but don't give a damn about Economic Justice because that would hit them in the pocket book.

[greymattermom]

52. Simple

It's someone who speaks in complete sentences without having to read something.

[nycbos]

53. I am a liberal elitist.

And I wear that label with pride.

[butdiduvote]

54. I've met wannabe elite liberal elitists

The common theme, in my experience, is liberals with elitist thinking tend not to be very influential or rich themselves. However, they look up to the true "elites" and wish they could be them. They're ashamed of their upbringings and will go to great lengths to convince themselves and others that they're just as sophisticated as their elite icons, such as buying luxury goods they can't really afford and always dressing up for even casual events where everyone is wearing jeans and t shirts. They don't want a society where anyone goes hungry or suffers, but they do believe that certain people, such as those with ivy league educations, are inherently smarter and more valuable.

This is my experience with elitist liberal types anyway. I'm sure they come in other flavors as well.

[d_r]

55. I ve been called one

It was bullshit.

[Eko]

56. oh, oh, oh, oh,

I'm one!!!!!

[mercuryblues]

60. I was called one once

because I drink wine. I was like, yeah. out of a Dragon Tales jelly glass. Me and my uppity ass still laughs at that one.

[moondust]

64. Yuppies?

Democratic Leadership Council?

[Hamlette]

66. Susan Sarandon

[Straw Man]

67. OK here goes.

I live in a rural area of upstate New York that is rapidly becoming a playground for wealthy people from the NY metro area. They buy second homes here to such an extent that they are the majority of homeowners in some townships. They are almost universally liberal in their politics, and they tend to display open contempt for the values and lifestyles of the people who were here before they came, especially in re the topics of hunting and guns. Rural gentrification is proceeding apace here in a county that has relatively high rates of unemployment and poverty. There is organized opposition from the "city people" to virtually any kind of development project that might bring jobs to the area because such development would ruin the charming, scenic character of the area.

I know a lot of real estate agents who vote Democratic, thinking they're somehow abstractly helping "the little guy." But they benefit when rising property taxes drive working-class people to sell out and move away, because that opens up new opportunities for big-ticket sales and fat commissions. That 200-year old farmhouse that just last year had a deer carcass hanging from a tree in the front yard will fetch big bucks from someone with a lot of disposable income who wants the picture-perfect bucolic getaway. The new owner will then call the police when he hears distant gunfire during hunting season.

Recently, an entrepreneur developed an eco-resort in my county. As his success grew, he decided that the trailer park adjacent to his property was unsightly and not in keeping with the image he wished to project. So he bought it and closed it, evicting its tenants. Liberal elitist? What else would you call him?

Are liberals elitist by definition? Of course not -- that's just propaganda from the RW media. But if you think that liberal elitism doesn't exist, you might be part of the reason that the Democratic party has lost the rural working class, possibly forever.

[JI7]

69. isn't that what Trump does ? force others to give up property so he can develop crap ? yet they love

him.

[Straw Man]

89. Yes, it is.

isn't that what Trump does ? force others to give up property so he can develop crap ? yet they love
him.

Of course. He's a conservative elitist and a comic-book capitalist. He's Daddy Warbucks. They love him because he gives them lip service. His contempt for them is private. They think he speaks for them. They are deluded, but at least he doesn't call them "deplorables."

[HoneyBadger]

86. Sounds like my hood

That is why I know people with "country houses" in Greenwich, CT. Guns and no Starbucks is way too country for many NYers.

[Jamaal510]

68. Bill Maher (when it comes to religion). nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

71. Labels belong on

[Demsrule86]

75. DSB... Thank you !

You cut right to the chase as always...I always enjoy your posts and sometimes learn something new.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

78. It's funny...

My buddy was an adjunct professor of history. He was my office mate at an association management company. Teaching was a hobby. He didn't particularly like opera or ballet. He didn't feel like he had to like it because that's what smart people do. It's not that he didn't respect or appreciate the time the performers put into it. It just wasn't for him. He would rather watch a basketball game like me.

People are complex. I was never a big fan of comedy until my mom got sick. After that I/we appreciated the escapism.

[Demsrule86]

79. I understand perfectly. People like different things. Both my husband and I like

the theater and have a subscription for the Broadway series in Playhouse Square (Cleveland), This month our play was "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime". If you haven't seen it, it is about autism...It is a remarkable book. I didn't think that my husband would hate it . I should have known and taken a friend... Actually, I feel badly about it. He hated every minute of it. Everyone has different taste and to label someone for that is just wrong.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

80. Would your husband rather see the Cavaliers or a play?

[Demsrule86]

82. the Cavs for sure... in fact I might skip the play...I adore LeBron...

Last year was so amazing.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

84. The only thing I like more than his athletic prowess is the fact he's a stalwart Democrat.

I am afraid the Cavs are going to have a tough go of it in the post season but I will be rooting for them.

[Brainstormy]

76. according to Garrison Keilor

they own books. And keep them on shelves.

[doc03]

77. They are running a anti-beverage tax ad in WV using Reagan's voice saying

this tax is like the liberal elitist do in New York and San Francisco. It's them ther librals on the east west coast.

[Trumpocalypse]

81. No never have. nt

[H2O Man]

83. Yes.

[Autumn]

85. Ye, I have met several of our top Democratic politicians. They are the liberal elite.

Last edited Sun Apr 2, 2017, 05:01 PM - Edit history (1)

They spend a lot of their time fundraising and schmoozing with the wealthy for campaign donations. They spend little time with ordinary people. What would take care of that is campaign finance reform

“We need a Democratic party that is not a party of the liberal elite but of the working class of this country, we need a party that is a grassroots party, where candidates are talking to working people not spending their time raising money for the wealthy and the powerful.

Wealthy, career politicians and power brokers are the liberal elite.

[JHan]

132. Those same politicians wish to reverse citizens United.

I've yet to meet or read of a dem politician who doesn't.

[Autumn]

133. Yes they do wish to reverse citizens united but it hasn't happened yet. nt

[JHan]

134. Because that requires a Supreme Court justice Autumn.

It was republican appointees to the court who are responsible for the decision, it would require a democrat to appoint a center left justice to counter the influence of the conservatives on the court and their decisions that favor the idea of corporate personhood.

Again these were Supreme Court decisions and fec vs mccutcheon worsened the problem. Democrats should be aware of this.

And both Clinton and Obama have spoken about the need to reverse citizens United.

Remember , all the talk about the Supreme Court position being important during the election? Well yeah, it's for stuff like this.

[Autumn]

142. Yep.

[dawg]

88. Well, I'm definitely one.

I think I'm either "smarter" or "morally superior" to every single person who voted for Donald Trump.

In many cases I think I am both "smarter" and "morally superior", but I am humble enough to recognize that with some Trump voters it's an either/or phenomena.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

91. San Francisco politics is full of them.

In SF, their #1 priority is the wealthy developers who have taken over the City and the campaign cash they funnel to them. Since Willie Brown, we have had a series of Mayors foisted on us by the California Democrats Party who have abandoned the average San Franciscan, leading the City to undergo a cultural, economic, and ethnic cleansing the likes of which I haven't seen since the 70s and the era of "urban renewal". The Liberal Elites are utterly toxic to my hometown.

[Blue_true]

100. San Francisco has a lot of perfects. That tend to attract people

and money. The SF weather is perfect most of the year, except late June, all of July and all of August when the bay inversion air makes it cold as hell there at night. SF pulls in the Palo Alto, Berkley people that set up companies that attract high paid workers. All of that pushes out lower income people and retirees that rent. I would not blame local politicians, moneyed people know the levers of power and how to use them, poorer people often don't unless they get advocates working for their interests - that is an ages old fact - the nobility ruled and owned entire dutchies simply of circumstance of birth, the had natural advocates that peasants did not have. I am not saying any of it is right, as a matter of fact, it sickens me, but reality is what it is.

[MicaelS]

92. Never met one but I would classify them as ..

Wealthy urbanites who are all for Social Justice, but don't give a damn about Economic Justice because that would hit them in the pocket book.

[jeanmarc]

99. Male white privilege

Every time I hear this term, I cringe.

It's right up there with 'fake news'.

I know there's major advantages to being a white male, but not for everyone, and certainly not for me of late. So to identify a liberal elitist, look to 'male white privilege'.

It's not inclusive, and frankly it's embarrassing for whoever uses it. Just speak to the issues. I feel it's a very lazy cliche, and then you're left wondering what does this person mean? The assumption I guess is I should feel bad for being a white male. Speak to the issues first. The privilege exists, of course. But it's just a lazy tongue and a lazy brain to say that term without talking issues first.

I've heard this line of thought from people over and over and I consider these people either liberal elitists or just those that regurgitate thoughts.

I'm a feminist and just happen to be white.

[BainsBane]

101. I was told it meant

holding any office in the Democratic party, even at the precinct level. Income is seemingly irrelevant.

[melman]

102. No you weren't

What, do you think people can't see what was actually said in that thread?

[BainsBane]

103. Certainly people can and should read for themselves

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8883297


I have yet to get a response to this question, other than asking me what "we" means.

So have we know decided than economic inequality isn't the problem?

and instead those who participate in the Democratic Party are? So Susan Sarandon who has six homes and a net worth of 50 million isn't an elite, but the social worker who is a precinct chair is?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8884675

If I had misunderstood his point, I would think saying no would be an automatic response rather than dissecting pronouns.

I was given four different explanations in that thread of what liberal elite means. If Bernie's die-hard supporters can't agree on a definition, how can the rest of us be expected to divine a meaning?

[NastyRiffraff]

106. It's a stupid label started by the right wing

and applies to ALL liberals, according to them. I've been called one and I'm living on $25K per year.

Shitheads.

[TNLib]

107. I'm not sure what qualifies but I think I'm may be one

I'm a moderate democrat that supports civil liberties, sensible gun control and environmental issues.

I'm affluent upper class female who works as a software engineer.

I also tend to think most, if not all, Trump supporters are dumb as dirt.

[RobinA]

110. I Think

in today's world it means somebody who reads and understands a newspaper.

[beam me up scottie]

111. Yes. They refer to Medicare for all, tuition free college and $15/hr wage policies as "unicorns".

They vilify anyone who thinks economic equality is equally as important as social justice and don't seem to understand you can't have one without the other or that liberals can fight for both at the same time.

They sneer at coal miners and other blue collar workers who are angry at the system and blame them for their situation because according to elitists it's their fault for not having adequate skills.

They insist we don't need to address the concerns of workers who feel left behind because it's easier to label them all bigots than consider the possibility that their anger is justified.

They claim all who supported Trump did so because of bigotry when that's only a percentage of voters.

Elitists think it's good strategy to continue to ignore and alienate what was once our base - the middle class.

And fyi I won't respond to anyone who demands proof that these elitists exist, it's easy enough to find them if one cares to look.


Some folks think all rich people are elitists but that's naive - it has nothing to do with your bank account and everything to do with how you look down on others.

Let's not forget that constant whining about Hillary's and Michelle's 'expensive' dresses and suits was a right wing talking point and not a social commentary on elitism.

[BainsBane]

119. But the upper-middle class

who boast of wearing couture dresses are not part of the elite? Does wealth not figure into the equation?

[JHan]

129. I, for one, appreciate good style and dress,

I know a lot of millennials love Michelle's style - we find her inspirational. A woman who dresses well and embraces style and glamour. I think it's great.

[McCamy Taylor]

124. I met a history prof in 1980 who claimed to be a "social liberal" and "economic conservative."

I think that is what "liberal elitist" means. Someone who profits off the sweat and blood of third world labor but tells himself it is ok because he has Black friends.

[haele]

135. I've met Limousine Liberals.

And Trust Fund Hippies. If we all get together, sing Kumbaya, and dedecate all our spare time and money in Liberal activism, the world will have an epiphany, declare us all heroes of the revolution, and will be the better place we want it to be.

And if you don't have spare time and money, you're obviously some sort of sad, damaged person they have to endure.

That's the type I think you are talking about.

Haele

[Algernon Moncrieff]

138. My daughter attends an elite university

I won't say which one.

She meets kids of the type you describe - from very wealthy families, but liberal. On one hand, it's great that they support liberal causes. On the other hand, they usually have jaw-dropping ignorance of what not only poor families, but typical middle class families are up against.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

137. Speaking like you have an education has a lot to do with it

One of the most common complaints I heard about Obama that wasn't a euphemism for "because he's black" was some combination of "I always feel like I'm being lectured" and "he talks down to you." I heard the same complaint about Hillary, and I'm told some felt that way about JFK. Certain people liked Bush 2 and Reagan because they "sound like one of us." Carter, Truman, Clinton, and LBJ all came across as folksy -- even though Bill had a mind like a steel trap and an Ivy League education; Carter was a nuclear engineer; and Truman (although lacking a college degree) was incredibly well-read.

[LAS14]

145. I think you may be on to something. nt

[George II]

140. I don't even know what a liberal elitist is. It appears to be a phony tag used to denigrate those..

...who disagree with the one using that tag.

But if I had to name a "liberal elitist", based on what I've seen here from others vaguely describing the term and what I've seen in the last year, I'd have to say someone like Susan Sarandon would be a liberal elitist.

[HAB911]

143. Elitists are not bad, they are good

From a dictionary:

elite
a singular or plural in construction : the choice part
b singular or plural in construction : the best of a class
c singular or plural in construction : the socially superior part of society
d : a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence

Antonyms for elite

bad, inferior, poor, second-rate, common, low-class, lower, lower-class, ordinary

[LAS14]

144. This doesn't recognize the difference between elitist and elite.

Of course there are liberal elites.

[HAB911]

149. I'm a liberal elitist

[LAS14]

150. I don't think I understand your point. Are you saying...

... there's no difference between 'elite' and 'elitist?'

[HAB911]

153. I think liberal elite should be elitist

that does not mean they are not empathetic, sympathetic, caring individuals but that does not rule out knowing one is better than some by virtue of intelligence, morals, etc

I just don't feel elitist is a dirty word, that's all

[brooklynite]

148. Let me frame it this way...

AS someone who is educated, has had the opportunity to travel the world, and can afford to live in a culturally diverse city, I acknowledge that I don't see the world that way others in America do.

[maveric]

151. My parents told me that I shook JFK's hand when I was four...

But I can't remember that at all.

[mythology]

152. I've met plenty who at least part of the time meet my criteria

For, the criteria is more or less do you think others aren't just wrong, but morally wrong for not agreeing with somebody.

For example people who claim everything on TV is garbage and that anybody who watches tv is dumb. Likewise I find some aspects of PETA or environmental groups who destroy things as protest to be elitist.

To an extent my liberal grandmother was as well. Her basic position in life was that she was right and if people were stupid enough to believe her when she made up things like 82% of people believe whatever point she was arguing, those people deserved to be fooled.

That said the Republicans are more prone to it due to the religious right thinking all those who don't agree with them are set to burn in hell.

For me elitism in that sense is about the attitude. I'm sometimes prone to it, especially when evidence on a subject is clear and people refuse to believe it.

[bigtree]

154. this has always been a dishonest argument about 'elitists'

...especially the way this term appeared in our Democratic primary politics.

It's apparently fine to characterize a 30-year politician as 'grassroots' as he focuses his political appeal on working-class whites, and insist others in the leadership of our party, like Jim Clyburn, are somehow 'elite' in their representation of traditional Democrats and our Democratic agenda.

Consider the source for this definition. I refuse to allow petty politics to define our party, especially after two elections (primary and general) repudiated any 'movement' against the Democratic party.


(lol, posted this as free-standing thread by mistake)

[LanternWaste]

155. It's an idiot bit of commercial branding for lazy or biased minds...

It's an idiot bit of commercial branding for lazy minds.

'Welfare queen' is a convenient little lie of the same caliber, used for the same purposes by the same biased and irrational little brains.

[LAS14]

156. Maybe what Sanders was referring to was...

... the people at the pinnacle of power in the liberal political world, and nothing more. I haven't followed this closely, and my OP wasn't necessarily directed to Sanders remarks. He did use "elite" not "elitist." The former doesn't seem to create such an oxymoron.