A minor complaint which will change nothing. I do not like the current use of the term “Elite.” This current crop running the regime in Washington could never by any stretch of the imagination be deemed “Elite.” To me “Elite” connotes a bit of tradition . This group has been thrown to the surface by unusual agitation of the sewage settling tanks. The fact that he was educated at Harvard degrades Harvard it does not elevate him.
I agree, but my complaint is with “life’s winners” vs, “life’s losers”.
There are plenty of people who have never aspired to being a journalist or academic or even a university researcher. Nor do they necessarily consider a physician or an attorney to be a winner as opposed to a farmer, mason, carpenter, plumber or electrician, etc.
Some of us have managed to make a decent life, with accumulated assets, out of our creativity and actual manual labor. We might work for ourselves or have “bought ourselves a job”. We may be uncomfortable in large urban concrete warrens or just bored in cul-de-sac suburbs. We may be more adept at using our hands, as well as our minds. That does not define losing.
I suppose that sounds defensive, but it irks me to listen to even conservative academics make these sorts of statements that they simply take for granted. While we do have a meritocracy (of sorts), we are all individuals whose choices are due a degree of respect.
A true elite would have the insight and grace to understand this.