The Elite (1 Viewer)

[Optimus Prime]

The elite are ruining the country

The elite are completely out of touch

The elite don’t understand what life is like for regular Americans

But who are the elite?

I can’t remember if I saw or read it but basically said “the Elite” are favorite boogeymen for both parties

When the left talks about the elite they are talking about rich people

When the right talk about the elite they are talking about educated or ‘cultured’ people

I thought it was an interesting point

And for both the elite is a small group of people who not only don’t understand your life they are about to come up with a bunch of laws that favor people like them

What does “The Elite” mean to you?

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Louisiana Republican Sen John Kennedy made a memorable contribution to a Trump rally in his state on November 14, casting himself as a “proud deplorable” in contrast to the “goat’s milk latte-drinking, avocado toast-eating insider’s elite.”........

'Proud Deplorable' Louisiana Republican Attacks 'Goat’s Milk Latte-Drinking, Avocado Toast-Eating' Elite

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.........While Ross, who was worth $2.9 billion in 2016, might have a hard time understanding the economic plight of working Americans, the reality is that 40 percent of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense and 25 percent have no retirement savings whatsoever.......

Trump’s commerce secretary suggests unpaid federal workers take out loans to cover necessities

Wilbur Ross is totally out of touch.

www.vox.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

It's amazing to me that we're currently watching the worlds climate increasingly become more severe, hostile and extreme; claiming more lives and making more of the globe inhospitable to live. Yet, we still have the entrenched climate denialism that will seemingly never end. We're literally seeing climate related disaster's that weren't predicted for 30-50 years down the road today, and that's not enough to snap people our of their delusions and lies they've been fed. Climate scientist have almost always been very conservative with their projections out of fear of being labeled "extreme", and yet when we blow past their conservative worst case projections, it doesn't seem to register with people. And it's not like anybody can't say they haven't been effected at this point, we all have. The cognitive dissonance required to live like it's not happening borders on psychosis, yet a significant portion of the worlds populations is subject to it.

But yeah, let's just blame "the elites" trying to address problems and forget about "the elites" causing all of the problems and obfuscating the truth, preventing any sincere attempt to address the problems, and making money hand over fist while doing it.

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[superchuck500]

Those stupid glasses lol

 

[Taurus]

"Turning humanity into a bunch of pencil-necked Mr Magoo's, one baby at a time."

 

[superchuck500]

"Turning humanity into a bunch of pencil-necked Mr Magoo's, one baby at a time."

I’m 50, read and write all day and still don’t need glasses. These goofballs clearly don’t have strong genetics when it comes to eyesight . . . elite my arse.

 

[CoolBrees]

Elite has l different meanings to different people I guess.

I think it means those that are particularly superior in something.

They seem to think it means who looks most like Waldo in real life. I mean, put a striped cap in his head and a sweater and you wouldn’t find that sum birch in crowd no way.

 

[Optimus Prime]

"Turning humanity into a bunch of pencil-necked Mr Magoo's, one baby at a time."

 

[Optimus Prime]

A quick quiz for you: define “the elite”.

Perhaps you answered with something along the lines of “people with superior abilities”?

Or maybe you defined it as: “the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world”?

Neither of those is correct. Nope, “the elite” is now a derogatory term used by politicians to mean anyone who disagrees with them. It’s the defining political insult of our time.

Donald Trump kicked off this trend. The former president owns a multimillion-dollar Manhattan penthouse dripping with gold, but, starting around 2015, he has carefully distanced himself from evil media and political elites.

The idea that he’s not included in the “elite” is so laughable that sometimes he’s even confused himself.

At one point in 2018 he told a crowd in Minnesota: “You ever notice they always call the other side ‘the elite’? The elite! Why are they elite? I have a much better apartment than they do … I’m richer than they are.”

That slip-up aside, “the elite” has become a handy shorthand for conservatives who want to shut down debate; a useful way for powerful insiders to position themselves as victimised outsiders.

This year, for example, back when she was running for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley argued that people who were calling for her to drop out of the race were “political elites”.

When you don’t have a coherent argument, you can just use the E-word.

Joe Biden has cottoned on to this. On Monday the embattled president called into MSNBC’s Morning Joe and railed against “the elites” who are urging him to stand down after his disastrous debate performance.

Want to know what he did after he announced he is “so frustrated by the elites”? He hopped on a call with his donors. You know, the ones with mansions in the Hamptons and millions of dollars to give to politicians. The non-elites.……

Why do politicians hate ‘the elite’ – when they are the elite? | Arwa Mahdawi

The term has become a useful way for Trump and his fellow Republicans to rearrange the goalposts of debate. So why is the US president now sinking to that level?

www.theguardian.com

 

[Heathen]

The problem with using “elites” here at least for Biden is that those same elites helped make sure there were no primaries in places like Florida. They’ve helped him raise a massive war chest no outsider from the DNC blessing could ever match and become the uncontested choice almost unanimously. He’s enjoyed not having to debate any other challengers, etc.

One could make the argument that the same elites have refused to ring the alarm bell on Biden insofar as his memory lapses / misspeaking dating back years. Now the core administration is targeting these elites for questioning his candidacy. I guess in some sense you must lay the bed you made if you’re these “elites”. And if you’re Biden, you know these guys got you here, but you also know ordinary folks probably wont question the irony of condemning them now as a political move.

 

[bird]

The best example of “elites” that I have isn’t really a definition per se. It is David Rothkopf’s book: “Superclass”.

It is basically a small group of people worldwide, approximately 6000 when the book was published, that wield access and influence. In essence they are power holders. Wealth is not a requirement but the vast majority are wealthy.

Agitprop as well as bread-and-circuses also play a role in creating what has come to be called “elites”.

I completely agree that the word has become pejorative. This underscores the lack of interest and critical thinking in the populace in general and the electorate in particular.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Wasn't sure where else to put this

Can someone explain the mindset of the super wealthy?

If you are a billionaire worth say 10 billion your lifestyle, your children's and future generations lifestyle doesn't change one bit if taxes/laws/regulations change and you are now worth 12 billion

Your lifestyle doesn't change one bit if taxes/laws/regulations change and you are now worth 8 billion

I've always found it odd that people who are super and forever wealthy just want to get even wealthier

 

[bird]

Wasn't sure where else to put this

Can someone explain the mindset of the super wealthy?

If you are a billionaire worth say 10 billion your lifestyle, your children's and future generations lifestyle doesn't change one bit if laws/regulations change and you are now worth 12 billion

Your lifestyle doesn't change one bit if laws/regulations change and you are now worth 8 billion

I've always found it odd that people who are super and forever wealthy just want to get even wealthier

This runs into what I bumbled around in another thread.

Wealth vs Rich

Wealth may want more but it does not appear to be a completely consuming need. Rich wants more because of some psychological issue. Perhaps low self-esteem, perhaps fear.

 

[Optimus Prime]

This runs into what I bumbled around in another thread.

Wealth vs Rich

Wealth may want more but it does not appear to be a completely consuming need. Rich wants more because of some psychological issue. Perhaps low self-esteem, perhaps fear.

Definition I heard ages ago back in his playing days

Michael Jordan is rich, the guy who signs his checks is wealthy

 

[Optimus Prime]

This runs into what I bumbled around in another thread.

Wealth vs Rich

Wealth may want more but it does not appear to be a completely consuming need. Rich wants more because of some psychological issue. Perhaps low self-esteem, perhaps fear.

it would be interesting to dive deeper into this

Be curious to see the breakdown of who has these issues

Is more people who were born rich and consider wealth and acquisition of it their birthright?

Or more the rich people who were born poor and desperately scared of being poor again and more money is a way to prevent that "some catastrophe may wipe out my billion dollar fortune, but it wouldn't wipe out two billion"

 

[SFIDC3]

Wasn't sure where else to put this

Can someone explain the mindset of the super wealthy?

If you are a billionaire worth say 10 billion your lifestyle, your children's and future generations lifestyle doesn't change one bit if taxes/laws/regulations change and you are now worth 12 billion

Your lifestyle doesn't change one bit if taxes/laws/regulations change and you are now worth 8 billion

I've always found it odd that people who are super and forever wealthy just want to get even wealthier

The truly sad and maddening part of this? If the wealthy actually paid their fair share of taxes (because of how rigged our tax code is to allow loopholes, etc) it would fix most (not all) of our issues in this country.....

If this democracy fails it will be one thing that causes it.....unadulterated greed.....