The Real Meaning of the Word Elitism

OK, let's look at a dictionary definition of the word "elitism." American Heritage Dictionary states:

1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
2.The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class.
3. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.

With this in mind, note that the key to understanding the meaning of elitism is "entitlement" resulting from membership in an advantaged group.

Let's look at George W. Bush: the third generation of service to the federal government. His grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a Senator from Connecticut. His father was president. He went to Phillips Academy, an all-boys boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, then Yale University where he was a member of Skull & Bones society. Bush then went to Harvard Business School to become the first MBA president.

Despite the fact that Bush bought a ranch in the very un-chic area of Crawford, TX and built himself a very unluxurious house so that he could set up his photo-ops on the tractor and clearing brush, Bush was able to first run for governor and later for president because his father had been Number 41. That's elitism.

Now let's look at John Sidney McCain III. He, too, is the third generation to graduate from the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His grandfather Adm. John Sidney "Slew" McCain earned his four stars commanding a U.S. carrier force in World War II. His deeply ambitious father, Adm. "Junior" McCain, reached the same rank, commanding America's forces in the Pacific during Vietnam. McCain, like Bush, has been chasing the reputations of his father and grandfather, not quite making it.

This is elitism. No matter how much they pretend not to be, they have had the access to power, position, and money that only birthright provides. Barack "who is sane" Obama is the son of a teenage white mother, an African student father. He floundered, then began to take himself seriously, arriving at Columbia University where he received a bachelors degree, then Harvard Law School where he became the first African American editor of the prestigious law review. He earned everything.

So how does the corporate media allow the Republican National Committee, John McCain, and Sarah Palin to get away with calling Barack Obama an elitist?

How does the corporate media allow the Republican National Committee, John McCain, and Sarah Palin to get away with calling Barack Obama a terrorist? Remember it's Sarah Palin with ties to the radical Alaska Independence Party. Her husband was a member for years and she addressed its convention in 2008 via videotape hookup.

Ask yourself these questions, and then get angry: Call and email friends to make sure they vote; contribute to the campaign; send letters to the editor complaining about coverage; be informed.