Excellent essay Laz.
25 years ago I heard it as the Cosmopolitan culture against the Bedrock culture.
Well, this is not a new theme, to be sure — elitists have been around since the 1600’s or even earlier — but I have to admit that phrase, “ Cosmopolitan culture against the Bedrock culture”, doesn’t quite hit my meaning. The meaning of the phrase is more cultural, whereas I am talking about those who operate the levers of power.