FACTOID # 106: Americans are 15% more innovative than the Japanese. But in percentage terms, the Japanese grant 3.5 times more patents.
 
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Encyclopedia > Favoritism

Elitism is a belief or attitude that an elite— a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, specialized training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below)— are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are alone fit to govern. Thus elitism sees an elite as occupying a special position of authority or privilege in a group, set apart from the majority of people who do not match up with their abilities or attributes. Thus this selected elite is treated with favoritism. Members of an inherited elite are aristocrats. A privilege is an honour, or permissive activity granted by another person or even a government. ... Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ...


For the converse of "elitism" see "populism". Populism is a political ideology or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, which exists only to serve its own interests, and therefore, the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and instead used for the...


Abilities or attributes that identify an elite vary. They include:

Commonly, large amount of personal wealth, often assessed as the reward of elite qualities by those who are impressed by it, are insufficient on their own, as every nouveau riche can attest. A degree is any of a wide range of awards made by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... This page is about the general concept; for the concept in roleplaying games, see experience point. ... Intelligence is a general mental capability that involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. ... Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events. ... One can define creativity as a tool to develop innovation. ... Taste is one of the most common and fundamental of the senses in life on Earth. ... This article focuses on the monotheistic concept of a singular God. ... Wealth usually refers to money and property. ... Nouveau riche ( Fr. ...


Elitism takes many forms, some of which are positive and some negative.


Positive forms of elitism are formed in situations in which members of a community with special abilities or special qualifications are afforded greater respect in honour of their abilities or qualifications. Their position in the top of their field is used in order to benefit everybody.


Negative forms of elitism are formed when a group of people with high abilities or attributes conspire to give themselves extra privileges at the expense of all other people. This form of elitism may be described as discrimination. To discriminate is to make a distinction. ...


At times elitism is closely related to social class and stratification. People with a higher social class are usually known as the "social elite". A social class is, at its most basic, a group of people that have similar social status. ...

Contents

Anti-elitism

The term "elitism" or the title "elitist" can be used resentfully by a person who is not a member of an elite, or is a member but resents their position or uses it in a condescending or cynical manner in order to ridicule or criticise practices which discriminate on the basis of ability or attributes. Elitism can be seen as encouraging the exclusion of large numbers of people from positions of privilege or power.


Elitism and education

Elitism in the context of education is the practice of concentrating attention on or allocating funding to the students who rank highest in a particular field of endeavour, the other students being deemed less worthy of attention. Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, good judgement and wisdom. ... Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ...


Elitism in education could be based upon learning ability, knowledge, or other abilities.


See also

Academic institutions often face the charge of academic elitism. ... A social class is, at its most basic, a group of people that have similar social status. ... Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... Meritocracy is a system of government based on rule by ability (merit) rather than by wealth or social position; merit means roughly intelligence plus effort. ...

Elite

In sociology as in general usage, the elite (the "elect"; sometimes the French form "élite" is used) refers to a relatively small dominant group within a larger society, which enjoys privileged status and, almost invariantly, exploits individuals of lower social status. When applied to an individual, as in the phrase "many elites come to this restaurant," the usage quite economically both refers to an individual within that class and establishes the speaker as non-elite. Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... The term group can refer to several concepts: In music, a group is another term for band or other musical ensemble. ...


In religion the Latin form "elect" is preferred over the French form "élite" in discussing Cathar or Calvinist theology, for examples, and the social structure that is theologically driven. Other religious groups may use expressions like "the saints" to describe the elect. Religion, a term sometimes used interchangeably with faith, is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices and institutions associated with such belief. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ... In an unadorned church, the 17th century congregation stands to hear the sermon. ... General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ...


Some elites speak a language that is not shared by the commonality: today in Finland the elite speaks an archaic dialect of Swedish, in Tsarist Russia the elite spoke French; in Plantagenet England the elite spoke Norman French; in Ptolemaic Egypt the elite spoke koine Greek. (See linguistic imperialism.) Elites establish correct usage for the language when they share one with the commonality. Elite usage is reflected in "prescriptive" dictionaries; common usage is reflected in "descriptive" dictionaries. Elites establish cultural canons, which are more widely agreed-upon within the elite and more generally ignored or resented among the non-elite. In the 1950s, the British elite spoke what linguists of the time called U English. Linguistic imperialism, often seen as an aspect of cultural imperialism, has since the early 1990s attracted the attention of scholars in the field of English applied linguistics, particularly since the publication of Robert Phillipsons influential book Linguistic Imperialism. ... U and non-U English usage, with U standing for upper class, and non-U representing the rest, were part of the terminology of popular discourse of social dialects (sociolects) in 1950s Britain and the American Northeast. ...


Elite advantages are the usual ones of a dominant social class: easier access to capital and political power, more rigorous education largely free of indoctrination, resulting in cultural influence, and leadership. A social class is, at its most basic, a group of people that have similar social status. ... In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... Sociologists usually define power as the ability to impose ones will on others, even if those others resist in some way. ... Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, good judgement and wisdom. ... The word indoctrination has accumulated negative connotations over the past century. ... Culture refers to the customs, arts, attitudes, institutions, and other traits that characterize a particular society or nation. ... In common usage, leadership generally refers to: the position or office of an authority figure, such as a President [1] a group of influential people, such as a union leadership [2] guidance or direction, as in the phrase the emperor is not providing much leadership capacity or ability to lead...


Elites may justify their existence based on claims of inherited position, among insecure elites sometimes given pseudoscientific justifications of genetic or racial superiority. American conservatives, usually of the elite, often claim that the American system is a meritocracy, its elite consisting of America's hardest-working and most talented individuals (who are, therefore, deserving of their privilege). While hard-working and talented individuals do enjoy an advantage in American society (as in all societies) this theory has been, for the most part, repeatedly debunked. Elites are both envied and resented. A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... This article is about race as an intraspecies classification. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Meritocracy is a system of government based on rule by ability (merit) rather than by wealth or social position; merit means roughly intelligence plus effort. ...


Elites are educated to govern. Elite education is sceptical and inquiring, hard-headed, intolerant of sham, demanding and unsentimental. Common education is designed to produce large numbers of useful and loyal citizens at low cost. Publicly financed elite education is a symptom of a successful and confident society that is prepared for self-criticism.


Wealth is not a sure sign of elite status. Neither does an elite necessarily show a sense of public obligation.


Aristocracy and oligarchy are social systems which feature an elite. An elite group, ranged round the alpha male, is a distinct feature of other closely-related social primates. Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... Oligarchy is a form of government where most political power effectively rests with a small segment of society (typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, military strength, ruthlessness, or political influence). ... An alpha male or alpha female is the individual in the community to whom the others follow and defer. ... For the ecclesiastical use of this term, see primate (religion) Families 13, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all lemurs, monkeys, and apes, including humans. ...


In elite theory as developed by Marxist political scientists like Michael Parenti, all sufficiently large social groups will have some kind of elite group within them that actively participates in the group's political dynamics. When a group is arbitrarily excluded from the larger society, such as in the case of the racism that was widespread in the United States prior to the success of the civil rights movement, then elite members of the excluded group may form a counterelite to fight for their group's interests (although they may be fighting for those interests only to the extent they mesh with the counterelite's interests). Of course, the dominant elite can neutralize the counterelite through the classic divide-and-conquer strategy of admitting key members of the counterelite into the elite. Dr. Michael Parenti (born 1933) is an American political scientist and historian. ... An African-American drinks out of a water cooler designated for use by colored patrons in 1939 at a streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Civil Rights Movement in the United States, political, legal, and social struggle to gain full citizenship rights for African American and to achieve racial equality. ...


See also

Wiktionary has a definition of:

Young Indian brahmachari Brahmin A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... Mandarin has a number of meanings: An Imperial Chinese bureaucrat, and in the UK, by analogy, any government bureaucrat. ... This is an article about the privileged class in ancient Rome. ... A snob, guilty of snobbery or snobbism, is a person who imitates the manners, adopts the world-view and apes the lifestyle of a social class of people to which that person does not by right belong. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Alchemy Ada Adventure Apartheid Abbreviation Airplane (disambiguation) Abduction Alder Anno Domini Air ABC (disambiguation) Ad hominem Afghan AD Aether Aba Anus Affinity Ai AZ Albinism Accumulator Binary Chess Computer Carbon Cow Cricket (disambiguation) Collection Convex Culture Ceramics Case Creation Crow (disambiguation... Wiktionary is a sister project to Wikipedia intended to be a free wiki dictionary (thesaurus, lexicon therein) in every language. ...

External links

  • Genealogies of the Elite (http://www.blue-blood.co.uk)

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