With the exception of some uses of the word- an elite athlete or elite cello player, for example- the underlying idea of elite is being better than others, and therefore qualified to tell the non-elites what to think, how to speak and act, and what to believe. Elitism is largely a state of mind, and to some extent a defense against one’s own inadequacies. While elites don’t necessarily dislike those they view as beneath them, they often do. Most commonly, they hold the non-elite in a kind of contempt. In their most compassionate mode, the non-elites are viewed as cute and lovable pets, hapless and dependent, to be given treats or disciplined, depending on behavior.

Sometimes elitism is familial, such as with legacy admissions to Ivy League universities or in politics, as with the Canadian Trudeau/Trudeau prime ministerships. Requirements to belong to the elite often involve wealth, academic credentials, political-cultural-media-corporate power and, frequently, privilege. Its important to differentiate between elitism and privilege. The latter often implies someone was raised wealthy and had conveniences, material goods, and comforts handed to them, and this certainly can be the case. Nevertheless, privilege doesn’t necessarily require wealth, merely a parent that is willing to put his or her child’s well-being above personal desires, read to the child often, don’t hesitate to say you love them, and say No a lot more than Yes. No one can pick whether they are born to wealth or poverty, the great question is how does one respond to it.

I myself was raised in an upper-middle class suburb of Washington, DC, kind of on the lower spectrum of privilege- public schools, local swimming pool but no country club, vacations mostly to visit relatives via car travel, never airplanes. Most of my peers were of similar status, our fathers having higher level government jobs, some lobbyists, a few lawyers and physicians, etc; well off but not classically wealthy. Nevertheless, I recall discussing a classmate, a good guy but not quite a friend, and an observation that, “His father is a plumber, you know.”

While I was clearly a product of privilege, for some reason I largely rejected it, which explains why I entered Army basic training soon after completing high school (as compared to going straight to college), worked for $2.33/hour as a direct care aide in a nursing home, and lived in a 10x40 trailer (I proudly owned) while I attended college. For the most part my father paid my tuition but, being cheap, I attended the least expensive schools. Overall I wanted to “make it on my own.”

Left: the exclusive DC area Congressional Country Club, initiation fee $120,000 Right: interior view of the Sidwell Friends school in Washington, DC; one of the most elite K-12 schools in the US; tuition about $55,000 a year; alumni include Chelsea Clinton, Bill Nye, and the Obama daughters

While people who consider themselves as belonging to the tribe of elite people can be odious, and probably have a higher incidence of being so, they can be perfectly decent as well. Several years ago I was among an elite and moneyed crowd in Boston and was discussing with a very amiable person how to make apple cider, something I do now and then. A food processor is a useful tool, and I mentioned I had obtained an almost new Cuisinart brand, normally $150, at a thrift shop for $15. She responded, “Well, I suppose some people shop at such places, but I certainly never would.”

Elitism is, more than anything, a state of mind, but it predicated on a desire to feel superior to others, and arrogance is an integral part of this. Many, and perhaps most, people are not compelled to feel superior to others, which ironically provides fodder for those who do. While a strict definition of elitism is debatable, there are a multitude of characteristics that shape it. These include, for example, professing a love for “the arts” and “culture.” This is not to say that some don’t legitimately appreciate “the arts,” but the important thing is to make others believe they do. An elite person almost always expresses outrage when there is a proposal to end government funding for public broadcasting (National Public Radio and PBS). Stats from a company that makes its money supporting NPR and PBS (Market Enginuity) reveal that 85% of the audience is white, the average household income of NPR listeners is $115,000, and they are “more likely to spend money on travel, books, fitness, and they own financial securities, signaling that they have disposable income.” In theory public broadcasting exists to serve the poor and underprivileged, in reality it is subsidized entertainment and affirmation for the elite.

Financial and material wealth is very important, but it’s a little convoluted: elites often downplay their wealth but always desire more (recall Obama’s 2018 quote, “There’s only so much you can eat. There’s only so big a house you can have. There’s only so many nice trips you can take. I mean, it’s enough.” The Obama’s own 3 or 4 multi-million dollar homes, and have a net worth of about $70 million). Elites believe their wealth is fully deserved, no matter the source. They tend to express great concern for the poor but, if they give of their own it tends to be a trivial portion of their wealth; typically their compassion is manifested by demanding others help the less fortunate, especially in the form of government spending. And, of course,the appearance of wealth is very important.

The elite tend to share the same worldview- political, social, economic, etc- at a given time, but historically the specifics can vary widely. Currently, to be accepted among the elite, one has to express great alarm about climate change, vocalize support for anything labeled “social justice,” be pro-open borders and unrestrained global population movements (i.e. from underdeveloped areas to more affluent ones), and support globalization overall. In Germany during the lead up to WW2, those in power clearly viewed themselves as elite and superior, and cherished the arts, classical music, architecture, wealth, the educated (unless they were Jews), and so on; but they didn’t worry about camouflaging their goals in happy sounding language as the elite do today. Though the beliefs and policies of the elite can, and often do, prove to be disastrous, they are predicated on the idea they will never experience the consequences; the fact that history often proves them wrong (thank goodness), not withstanding.

Almost by definition, the elite are one in the same as those in control of economies, cultures, corporations, professions, academia, and the media. In countries that have legitimate elections, the government of the moment may or may not be part of the establishment elite, but their overall goal remains the same- to have power and control over others and be really rich, and to always gain more power and money. The highest echelons of the elite, currently embodied by the World Economic Forum, have as their foot soldiers millions of lesser people who really want to be part of them, which may include the upper middle-class, “educated “people, and those holding mid-level or upper level management positions; basically those who are seduced by the ideas of being “reasonable,” believers in “the science,” and the infallibility of the establishment, and parrot the dogma of the elite. This brings up the title of this article: The first verse from a popular song in 1965- I'm in with the in crowd (Do-do-do), I go where the in crowd goes (Do-do-do), I'm in with the in crowd (Do-do-do), And I know what the in crowd knows.

The out crowd goes by many different names, depending on how the elite class wants to control them. They can be fooled and manipulated by being termed “working families,” the common man, the working class, the proletariat,the oppressed. They can be marginalized by being called conspiracy theorists, racists, xenophobes, fascists, mouth-breathers, bigots, ignorant, science “deniers.” And they can be actually oppressed by implying they are somehow not quite human: two historically vile examples include the untermensch, used by the Nazis (subhuman, applied to Jews, gypsies, Eastern Europeans, and non- Aryans overall), and worthless niggers, used by slave holders and true racists in US history.

The yearning to be viewed, at least in one’s own mind, as sophisticated, urbane, cosmopolitan, refined, polished, cultured, debonair, suave, worldly...elite...is compelling to some, but it’s okay to not need to control or have ownership over others; in fact it’s probably for the best. Personally, I prefer being in with the out crowd.