Reply #38: I don't think you're wrong, exactly. But I do think it's simpler than that... [View All]

[TygrBright]

"Elitist" is the code word for "Someone who thinks they're better than you."

Intelligence is only one measure of "better," and it's the perennial frontrunner, especially when the accusers are GOPpies, who've gotten where they are by a determined effort to destroy public education, critical thinking, and any form of national dialogue more meaningful than who's going to get booted off this week's reality teevee show.

The actual code is more sophisticated. What the 'hearers of the dog whistle' (love the phrasing...) ACTUALLY hear is the emphasis on THINKS in "Someone who thinks they're better than you." The next level of unspoken subtext is "of course, me and you know that you're just as smart, maybe even smarter, because you know about REAL STUFF, not just pencil-neck geekitude wonkulation, so of course you're right to be pissed off about this person thinking they're better than you..."

Sad. It's really sad.

And until we go back to teaching critical thinking as a key skill from a very early age, it won't change.

regretfully,
Bright