Sunday, February 21, 2010

Beat The Elites


I would much rather have an every(wo) man like Sarah Palin than an arrogant elitist like Barack Obama running this country.


The elitist mentality breeds both selfish and closed-minded people. This notion has spread rampantly through four year colleges and universities, and even to community colleges across this country. Elitism does not allow for free thought. It calls for a communistic fall in lockstep behind one another mentality that does a huge disservice to the students trying to gain a good, well-rounded college education. This has become prevalent within Catholic colleges today. I attended Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH and even though overall it is better than most Catholic liberal-arts colleges the philosophy of elitism, and specifically liberal elitism has infiltrated it from within to some degree.

Some professors there, as an enormous amount of other colleges call for “social justice” and call for compromise. But, in the elitist version of compromise it is crystal clear that they sacrifice their ideals, principles, and values for the sake of appearing neutral, nice, persuasive, or compromising with others.

This elitist mentality has branched out to jobs all over the world. A bunch of selfish owners, managers, and leaders have been bred all over this country. While in some professions it is self-evident that certain types of training are necessary, there are many jobs or professions where many people, like myself, are more than willing to learn a different computer program or a different line of work but because of office politics or elitist selfishness people are unwilling to help a person learn a new computer program or a different line of work. These owners or managers want a ready-made perfect individual instead of helping to give a person a step up.

Yet, These same selfish owners and managers would rather the government take care of individuals instead of helping them in a much more productive manner that could benefit the company, employee, and this country.

We need to return to being more community-oriented like in the early 20th Century. We must bring our societyback to promoting a sense of values, morality, and Godly principles instead of accepting the elitist mentality of selfishness, arrogance, and moral compromise.



Palin Populism by Michael Knox Beran:
Sarah Palin takes on the pathology of the elites.


BILL O’REILLY: Do you believe that you are smart enough, incisive enough, intellectual enough to handle the most powerful job in the world?


SARAH PALIN: I believe that I am because I have common sense, and I have, I believe, the values that are reflective of so many other American values. And I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the kind of spinelessness, that perhaps is made up for with some kind of elite Ivy League education . . .


— The O’Reilly Factor, Nov. 21, 2009


No sooner had I lighted on this exchange than the familiar words of Faust — familiar, at any rate, to us Ivy Leaguers, for whom he is something of a patron saint — were on my tongue:


Habe nun, ach! Philosophie,

Juristerei und Medizin . . .


I have, alas, studied philosophy,

Jurisprudence and medicine, too,

And worst of all theology

With keen endeavor, through and through —

And here I am, for all my lore,

The wretched fool I was before.


I was, as I say, trilling Goethe when it occurred to me that Governor Palin had a point. Perhaps the Ivy League business has been a little overrated.



Everyone knows that many stupid people possess degrees from fancy schools. Many smart people don’t have them. But in a big country, it isn’t easy to distinguish the wheat from the chaff. We are obliged to rely on things like academic degrees — and on the relative prestige of the institutions that grant them — to a much greater degree than was the case in the past.


This was evident in the comparisons that were drawn between President Obama and Governor Palin in the summer of 2008. His intelligence was never questioned. Hers was, repeatedly. Undoubtedly his two Ivy League degrees (from Columbia and Harvard) helped him. Her want of prestigious education hurt her: It made it easier for those who didn’t like her to say she was stupid. This presumption of stupidity was in the air before the interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric. Those interviews resembled ambushes, orchestrated by people who were already convinced that she was a moron. Had Obama — who cherishes his teleprompter — been ambushed in this way, his intelligence would have been questioned too.


Degree fetish might be a necessary evil in a big country where there are lots of candidates for jobs and no easy way to rank them. But if in the future the only means of obtaining intellectual credibility in America should be through an accumulation of degrees, the country will almost certainly become stupider.


Degree fetish fosters a standardization of the intellect: Everyone is obliged to jump over the same hurdles to get their intellectual passports. If standardization has its virtues, particularly in the hard sciences, its promise in the humanities is much less obvious; Edmund Wilson was probably right when he said that literae humaniores have suffered from the Ph.D. fetish.

But the greatest evil of degree fetish is the arrogance it nourishes, an intellectual snobbishness that stifles nonconformity and homespun intelligence. Whitman suffered this condescension. So did Lincoln, and so did Reagan. Emerson, the Harvard man, said that Lincoln was a “clown.” Clark Clifford, speaking ex cathedra for the Washington establishment, called Reagan an “amiable dunce.”  CONTINUED

H/T goes to NRO

13 comments:

The Conservative Lady said...

All of us throughout the "57" states know of Obama's great intelligence.

The Right Guy said...

Both of them are the result of cult of personality. I'd rather not go there, and to be honest, less bad is still bad. She reminds of the girl in HS that got ahead because she was good looking and popular, but never developed herself. I am not saying she isn't capable, But I don't think she has all the necessities as it were.

If you want to compare her to Ronnie, that doesn't fit either. Ronnie studied every day, kept up on current events, and asked a lot of questions. I just don't see that kind of curiosity from her.

Right now she's collecting big checks for speaking at conventions and other events. I heard she got 100K for the tea party deal in Nashville. Mazel Tov. It still doesn't make her qualified. She needs get educated and get some more experience. While 2 and half years as governor beats Obama's short time in the senate, it really isn't enough.

Anything else is just a rationalization for gut feelings.

Amusing Bunni said...

I don't like elitist snobs either, Teresa. Obummer and that horrid wife of his are as bad as they get.

Teresa said...

The Conservative Lady,
That's a good example of Obama's intelligence. What intelligence?

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Teresa, You mention elitism in the Catholic Church as though it is something new?

Now I am not Catholic bashing here but am well aware of the Church being I was brought up in it. This is its history, that is eliteism.

Also, the Pontiff who is (in Roman Catholicism) afterall an elected representative of Christ on Earth manages to support a different religion altogether and that is the religion of global warming. Exactly what master does he serve, Al Gore & the IPCC or God? It cannot be both.

I could go on and on, but the Church is no stranger to liberal elitism.

This is the main reason I no longer call myself Catholic. I remain a stedfast Christian as that is my Faith just with no man-made religion getting between me and my God.

Teresa said...

The Right Guy,
I disagree. Palin is a result of cult of ideas and expressing herself against Obama policies. But, yes personality can play a role into that. But, Obama was a cult of personality and of him being the anti-Bush.

Palin is the gal that worked her butt off to make it in life. She didn't come from a rich elitist family. She started working/volunteering on the school board and then worked her way up in life. I think you are giving the MSM too much credit for painting Palin as unqualified (or buying into it). She may not be as intelligent as a Ronald Reagan but she is no leftist, lying radical like Obama is. She is an honest person who is principled and stands up for her values with great resolve. She is Reagan-like. She has been traveling around world, visiting both other leaders and our troops around the world since losing the election and boning up her foreign policy since then also. She receives foreign policy briefings now also.

It kind of sounds like your putting down her success, and success in general. First, what she does with the money that she has earned is none of our business. Second, she is donating the 100K to conservative candidates campaigns and conservative causes/groups.

I would much rather have Palin as President than Obama any day of the week.

Teresa said...

Amusing Bunni,
Elitists suck! They live in an alternate reality. And, yes, Obummer is horrid. Have a great night!

Teresa said...

Chris,
As I am now in my early 30's, I honestly didn't pay too much attention into elitism within the Catholic Church until the last few years. Although, in the past 10-12 years I did notice the rampant liberalism with the Church.

I do very much disagree with the Pope on his supporting global warming. I think its out of him wanting to take care of God's creation and not for profit or out of deception like Gore. Plus, maybe he has too much faith in the scientists?

I am very much a disillusioned Catholic. And, I was honestly thinking about leaving the Church. But, then I thought about it, and if the good people who follow the faith leave, who will fight the corruption and liberalism within the Church? Who will stand up for the truth? It would be kind of like abandoning the Republicans when they lost their way. But, instead the Tea Parties are helping to get them back in line now. But, the main reason I stay is because I believe in the main principles of the Church- the principles that haven't changed since the Church was founded. Now, I definitely know that the Church is no stranger to liberal elitism. I just think that over the past 40 or so years it has increasingly gotten worse within the Church.

The Right Guy said...

You'd rather have Palin, but is she the best we have? My only comment about the money is that s that it's business...From a personal standpoint, she appeals to me, but that is why I am hardest on her. I will turn against myself if something cannot be thought through rationally. I don't think I am wrong here. If what you say is true, then why not you or I for president? Obviously we must be missing something, and it's not intelligence, as either of us is smarter than Palin, Obama, or Bush for that matter. It's that we one, don't want it, and two, don't connect with people in a way most politicians do. For me, charisma isn't rational, and I won't trust it, even I agree with the person. My litte voice says they are full of crap, as charisma shouldn't be necessary if what they are saying is right and true. I get the same feeling when I deal with salesmen...so, nothing personal against her, I just don't think she's up to it YET, and i think she needs to develop more. JMO.

Teresa said...

The Right Guy,
My point was more about elitism versus the populist. She may not be the best we have to go up against Obama in 2012. But, If she is the GOP nominee I would vote for her in a heartbeat. She has connections because of being the VP contender with McCain. But, have either one of us worked in the government in a high ranking capacity like Palin has? I know that I haven't. People follow Palin because of a combination of her charisma, her ideals or beliefs, she is not a fancy talker and talks to people like an everyman does, and she doesn't talk down to people.

The Right Guy said...

You can't talk down to people and expect to get elected to anything. THey say that is why most presidents in the modern media age have IQs between 120-130. CW is that people with IQs higher than that have a harder time communicating with regular folk. YMMV. I am not an elitist, and I don't like populism. I prefer straight shooting, "this is this". We'll see what happens in 2012. It isn't over yet.

PS we haven't worked in the government in a high position because we didn't want to. She lived in a state where she went from a mayor of a town of 8000 to the governor, I don't think that would go in most places, but Alaska's population is like 500-600K. In a state with more people, that is a tough leap. On the other hand, could we do it? In the same circumstances, I think we could, and only speaking for myself, she is a lot better looking than I am. For what it's worth, she is where she is, now what? Again, we have to wait.

Opus #6 said...

It is worse in the cities, I think. When I visit my relatives in rural Missouri, it seems like a throwback to simpler times. How I long for that.

Matt said...

Excellent posy Teresa. Elitism is the enemy. The problem goes beyond Obama and the current set of (insert expletive of choice here) in DC. As you point out, it permeates through much of the society.

We have a LOT of work to do.