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%ELITISM VS DEMOCRACY 761117
Elitism tends to undermine democracy, regardless of
the basis of claim to being a member of the elite. So
long as nobel birth was taken very seriously, it was
impossible for true democracy to flourish.
Whenever/wherever the land is owned by a relatively few,
and political power is granted only to land-owners, then
democracy has little chance. Whenever/wherever national,
religious, or racial identifications are the basis for
allocation of political power; democracy is inhibited.
If sexual identity/preference is the basis for granting or
denying political power; democracy loses its vitality.
If the kind and extent of education and/or technical
training is the basis for granting or denying political
power; democracy is mocked. Democracy affirms the need
and right of all citizens, regardless of classification,
to make their respective input into determining which
values and attitudes will direct governmental processes.
Each elite group is characterized by its own
exclusive set of values, attitudes, emotional life, and
language. When political power is granted to any elite
group, it inevitably seeks to solve its own and its
subjects' problems in terms of the values, attitudes,
emotional life, and language of the elite group. It
cannot be expected to do otherwise. Even if its members
try to do otherwise, they will inevitably fail. So long
as individuals remain members of the group, they will live
according to the collusions of the group, and sincerely
believe that they are acting in the best interests of all
whom they serve. They will usually reduce decisions to
technical questions; and perceive behavior based upon
contrasting values as behavior flowing from technical
incompetence of one form or another.
The modern form of elitism which is particularly
dangerous is the elitism based upon the kind and extent of
education and/or technical training. In a technocratic
society many citizens (who are not members of the
technocratic elite) willingly accept the granting of
political power to technocrat as an elite group which is
wiser than most citizens. They forget that elitism tends
to undermine democracy, regardless of the basis of the
claim to, or the gift of, being a member of the elite.
The ultimate form of elitism is a dictatorship.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
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