Maine Voices: Elitists disdain ordinary people, but history refutes their view
Scorn for people like Sarah Palin reflects an attitude of highly unjustified superiority.
OLOF ANDERSON
THOMASTON — I found Leonard Pitts' Feb. 17 column (encouraging former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to run for president so she would fail, something that was inevitable in his view) so objectionable that I felt compelled to defend the Tea Party movement and those, like Gov. Palin, who reject his liberal worldview.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olof Anderson is a resident of Thomaston.
There is nothing new in the intellectuals' disdain for ordinary people. In fact, if you go back a century or so, you would have heard the same complaints by intellectuals in Europe and even by many American intellectuals who called themselves "progressives" and admired European political movements.
There is nothing new in the ideas that our own left-leaning intellectuals are trying to implement with the present administration. They were all tried years ago, and they not only failed but also brought untold misery to the world.
So let us examine some of the "isms" that are taught by some professors in our universities and advanced by our left-leaning political class in the Obama administration. We start with the oldest:
Statists believe that they have the knowledge, wisdom and perspicacity to rule simply because they have a Harvard education. This is not much different than the kings of England believing that they had a right to rule because of the "divine right of kings."
Solipsism is the strange notion that there is no reality except what exists in the mind. That is why so many intellectuals are detached from reality.
Hedonism was a recognized strain of Greek philosophy, but now is used only to mean extreme self-indulgence. Thus we have the ridiculous laws that ban "incorrect" political speech but not pornography.
Historicism, so beloved by the left, comes in two forms best expressed as a joke by the average Russian before the demise of the Soviet Empire: "The future is fixed – only the past changes!"
The first is the notion that given an initial state of society, its progress toward a utopian society is known and inevitable.
The second is the notion that we cannot learn from history, so that we have the right to ignore its lessons to fit our present needs. That is why the left feels free to change our history textbooks to leave out things they don't like.
The 20th century came up with more "isms" than you can count – all embraced by the left:
Postmodernists believe that historical or scientific facts are indeterminate and that all "cultural norms" are equivalent.
Deconstructionists believe that an author's intent has no bearing on the meaning of his work.
Feminists believe that there is no difference between the male and female animal that is not a learned behavior.
Multiculturalists believe that all cultures are equal, therefore one cannot state that democratic rule is any better than tyrannical rule.
Multilateralists want to cede our sovereign right to defend ourselves to the United Nations and give up our right to make our own laws to international norms.
And "global warming" alarmists believe that you can determine the temperature over the Pacific Ocean in the year 1453 by counting the rings on some trees found in Russia.
Finally we have the really large political philosophies: communism, socialism, fascism, Nazism, syndicalism, Marxism, Leninism and Maoism.
I bundle them all together because they all stem from the same mindset of the left and are a rejection of the wisdom of our Founding Fathers.
All the left does is trot out the same stale ideas that did not work at any time in history and give them different names.
Therefore, in 1910 we had state capitalism and now in 2010 we have crony capitalism, bailout favoritism and earmark corruption-ism. Syndicalism has become union payoffs.
Sarah Palin and many of the people supporting the Tea Party movement have college educations but, more importantly, they have learned from history and experience, things the left either ignores or does not understand.
And they see through the destructive ideas being put forth by the Obama administration.
They believe in the wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers, James Madison, who wrote, "The essence of government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse."
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70 COMMENTS
heyjoe said...
HERE!!! HERE!!!!
March 11, 2010 at 2:03 AM Report abuse
Jim said...
The difference between this and past attempts in America of the “left leaning intellectuals” is that this time they may succeed in creating a strong central government. The lesson that must be remembered is that every time this has been tried throughout the history of the world, government bureaucrats have prospered while the working class’s fortunes decline to that of abstract poverty. If the Tea Party movement can stop our slide towards socialism they will be the savior of all that is American.
March 11, 2010 at 6:26 AM Report abuse
jgetch said...
Olof Anderson, my hat is off to you. I think few of the Ordinary people" who persist in voting with the left have ever bothered to examine the "isms" that underlie the big government platform they support.
March 11, 2010 at 6:29 AM Report abuse
Scrib said...
Nice piece Mr. Anderson. Hopefully it will help some "regular" folks realize that despite all of the leftists' rhetoric, that agenda ultimately leads to loss of freedom and dysfuntional societies.
March 11, 2010 at 6:41 AM Report abuse
Oak said...
Isn't "leftist twits" a bit redundant?
March 11, 2010 at 7:52 AM Report abuse
Jane said...
Sarah Palin IS an elite. She is educated, married to an affluent husband, with access to the highest levels of political and media influence. If I had ever seen her do one single, solitary thing for people who are genuinely poor and victimized, it would be startling indeed.
March 11, 2010 at 8:37 AM Report abuse
Jane said...
And I suppose it would be elitist of me to point out that it's "Hear! Hear", not "Here! Here!"
March 11, 2010 at 8:38 AM Report abuse
AFVET said...
To place 'fascism' and 'Nazism' under 'leftist' categories is ludicrous. Hitler knocked off the socialist wing of his party during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934. The progressive agenda that Anderson scorns (with no specifics) included national parks, pure food and drug laws, direct election of senators, the vote for women, the right of labor to organize, anti-trust legislation, minimum wage, the civil rights and voting rights acts of the mid-1960s and the GI Bill. Anderson opposes all of that? The fear-mongering about 'socialism' conceals what is really going on, and that is a shift of wealth (and consequent power) to the very few at the top. It's an oligarchy, and Obama is contributing to its growth. Wake up! Or don't -- it is probably way too late.
March 11, 2010 at 9:04 AM Report abuse
Riml said...
I reckon if Joe were captured by Terrorists he'd forego being rescued by an elite special forces unit, nor - if at death's door, would he consent to be operated on by an elite team of heart surgeons. Jealousy and ignorance gets you nowhere.
March 11, 2010 at 9:21 AM Report abuse
Oak said...
Riml - True elites are selected by others. For example elite special forces or elite heart surgeons. The elite that this piece speaks of are self selected elite. They are the embodiment of hubris. They hold all who do not think like them in contempt. You and AFVET should know, for you are members of the club.
March 11, 2010 at 9:36 AM Report abuse
Scrib said...
Actually- anything that the Palins have was earned by them through hard work. As far as helping people, their commercial fishing business has given many people gainful employment in the private sector, thus giving them deserved self-respect and food on the table. More than Obama has ever done right there. That's about the best thing you can do for any "poor" human being. Also- she allowed Trig, who has downs syndrome to enter into this world, rather than snuffing out his life. We know which "side" "celebrates" that type of treatment for the weakest among us, Don't we?
March 11, 2010 at 10:05 AM Report abuse
Player said...
Ah Jane, how ignorant you truly are. What is it about Palin that scares you libs so much? All you can do is attack like a pit bull. Married to an "affluent husband"? The guy's a fisherman and oil field worker. Your hatred shows through again and again.
March 11, 2010 at 10:07 AM Report abuse
Player said...
Good article and right on the money.
March 11, 2010 at 10:08 AM Report abuse
AFVET said...
Oak -- "selected by others"? What a strange attitude to take toward the hard work and sweat that goes in to gaining an advanced degree in any field. It is not something conferred on anyone because of a trust fund or social status. Problem is, in our society, too few of potentially eligible people have the chance. You are confusing the kind of meritocracy that Jefferson espoused with the WASP elitism and Ivy League culture that still does the selecting these days. Sure a few others are let in. Just shows how 'open' we are. Colin Powell, Ken Chanault, Obama. A surgeon earns his expertise. And so does a fighter pilot. You don't get there on the basis of anything but your own effort -- yes, with the cooperation of others who want you to succeed. But that is the way society should work.
March 11, 2010 at 10:12 AM Report abuse
Riml said...
Oak - the 'Elites' being described here are 'Straw Men' for the "Know-Nothings" who've migrated from the 19th Century to the vast audience of Fox Bable and Talk Radio. Eat it up with relish... So much to hate, so little to ponder!!
March 11, 2010 at 10:19 AM Report abuse
Riml said...
Oak - the 'Elites' being described here are 'Straw Men' for the "Know-Nothings" who've migrated from the 19th Century to the vast audience of Fox Bable and Talk Radio. Eat it up with relish... So much to hate, so little to ponder!!
March 11, 2010 at 10:19 AM Report abuse
sapereaude1 said...
Sarah Palin is a poster girl for mediocrity. If you want a mediocre government, move to Mexico, Cuba, or any of the African countries ruled by a tribal "president for life." This country was built on communitarian socialism. How do you think the roads were built and maintained, the volunteer fire departments were organized, medical services were made available and local defense was secured? The myth of the "rugged individualist" is a fiction generated at the end of the frontier, by romantic but poorly educated nostalgists. "Rugged Individuals" were more likely to be outlaws than contributing members of civilized communities. On the other hand, no liberal I know wants to shed any sweat or blood for this or any other cultural entity. They are generally simpering dilettantes trying to trim a topiary bed of pansies and narcissi.
March 11, 2010 at 10:23 AM Report abuse
Oak said...
What a strange attitude to take toward the hard work and sweat that goes in to gaining an advanced degree in any field. All a degree proves is that someone was able to regurgitate information to the satisfaction of another. It does not mean that the person is capable of using that information or of independent thought. Education should not be confused with intelligence. There are some very highly educated people who lack intelligence, as well as highly intelligent people who lack advanced degrees. Many of the elitists that this piece describes are what I would call educated idiots.
March 11, 2010 at 10:34 AM Report abuse
Oak said...
AFVET - as far as cooperation goes, there are two types: voluntary and involuntary. The elitists that this piece describes are those who favor involuntary or compulsory cooperation. Do it their way because they deem themselves to be better than you, and do it their way or there will be consequences. These people are nothing short of evil, and those who follow them are morons.
March 11, 2010 at 10:38 AM Report abuse
Cadred said...
The Founding Fathers were the elite of their time.
March 11, 2010 at 11:02 AM Report abuse
Scrib said...
Read Paul Johnson's book- Intellectuals From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky- for insight into the real lives of rationalists who want to remake society according to their own dictums. Fascinating read about the type of "elite" Anderson is speaking about here.
March 11, 2010 at 11:10 AM Report abuse
DeathCultt said...
Those whom are the elite R better then U, just a shame our children have to put up with U.
March 11, 2010 at 11:38 AM Report abuse
Riml said...
How 'bout the 'Elites' such as Limbaugh and Beck who saw no need to hunker in with the salt of the earth and swear the oath of enlistment...did they? Beck didn't have a problem enrolling at 'Elitist' Yale, did he??
March 11, 2010 at 11:43 AM Report abuse
Cadred said...
DeathCullt, You do your side no favors.
March 11, 2010 at 11:45 AM Report abuse
DeathCultt said...
My side could care less, as long as the middleand lower class make money for them know one cares.
March 11, 2010 at 11:51 AM Report abuse
Riml said...
"Left-leaning Intellectuals" are the bane of the Right - while "Right-leaning Intellectuals" are an oxymoron. - Look what William Kristol got us.... " On March 1, 2003 — 18 days before the invasion of Iraq — Kristol dismissed the possibility of sectarian conflict afterward. He also said, "Very few wars in American history were prepared better or more thoroughly than this one by this president." He maintained that the war would cost $100 billion to $200 billion (the cost is now about a trillion dollars). On March 5, 2003, Kristol said, "We'll be vindicated when we discover the weapons of mass destruction."[11] In 2003, just as the Iraq War was starting, Kristol stated, on the National Public Radio show Fresh Air, "There's been a certain amount of pop sociology in America ... that the Shia can't get along with the Sunni and the Shia in Iraq just want to establish some kind of Islamic fundamentalist regime. There's almost no evidence of that at all. Iraq's always been very secular."
March 11, 2010 at 11:58 AM Report abuse
Oak said...
Riml - All you are doing with your elitist contempt and scorn is proving the author of this piece to be correct. Thanks :-)
March 11, 2010 at 12:03 PM Report abuse
bastaa said...
Another myth from the real elite mindset, the country club Repubics, who just inherited the treasury from the middle class after the Cheney taxcuts, by reconciliation. Want an ISM and an IST from the teabaggers; how's about racIST and racISM? Even Dick Armey is distancing himself from this bunch.
March 11, 2010 at 12:18 PM Report abuse
Riml said...
Sure, Oak - like I'm a 'Real Elistist' - a retired Cop and Navy enlisted man who went to a state school on the GI Bill. Now go to an 'Elite' Brain Surgeon and have your head examined.
March 11, 2010 at 12:29 PM Report abuse
Oak said...
Riml - I group you with the elitists because your agreement with leftist intellectuals gives you an obvious sense of superiority. It is shown by your contempt and scorn for those who you obviously feel are beneath you for their differing views. By the way, elitist is not the same thing as elite. You should go back to that state school and demand your money back.
March 11, 2010 at 12:37 PM Report abuse
Riml said...
Oak - Elistists have money. I'm merely another azzhole with an opinion.
March 11, 2010 at 12:40 PM Report abuse
Riml said...
- and a dyslectic 'spell check'
March 11, 2010 at 12:42 PM Report abuse
Player said...
sapereaude1 said... Sarah Palin is a poster girl for mediocrity. _________________ Spoken like a true elitist. The type this article was designed to address.
March 11, 2010 at 12:55 PM Report abuse
DeathCultt said...
There is nothing wrong with knowing one is superior, Just make sure the inferior know it!!!
March 11, 2010 at 1:10 PM Report abuse
Oak said...
Elistists have money. No it doesn't. That's your class envy talking again. Elitism is a mindset. Elitists with power have money. But they need people to vote for them first. It helps when those people have the same mindset: that their superiority justifies imposing their beliefs upon others through force. That they are superior to ordinary people. That ordinary people are somehow inferior to them. Perhaps you aren't an elitist, but you sure seem to support those with an elitist agenda.
March 11, 2010 at 1:15 PM Report abuse
DeathCultt said...
Elitists Oak do have money, if not they would fail to be elite. Nor would their children getthe superior care they deserve.
March 11, 2010 at 1:24 PM Report abuse
Cadred said...
Is everyone who considers Sarah Palin an opportunistic fake automatically an elitist?
March 11, 2010 at 1:30 PM Report abuse
AR5 said...
This author himself has not included Palin in the group of "intellectuals". There is nothing elitist about disliking someone or thinking someone is not qualified for a job. It is factual. My dog is smarter than Palin (and much nicer), but she isn't an elitist. Geesh, go against a candidate and your elitist? Is that the platform? Good luck.
March 11, 2010 at 2:05 PM Report abuse
Roxieow said...
Oak your inferierity complex is really showing. Debater you are and you live in a world of theory who cannot possibly ever get along with (any)one?
March 11, 2010 at 2:32 PM Report abuse
Roxieow said...
"Elitist" is the new catch p[hrase. Anyone who has an opinion that differs from anyone else (geez, kinda like this place) is an elitist. The word has no meaning anymore.
March 11, 2010 at 2:36 PM Report abuse
Hank said...
A great piece by Mr. Andersen and a lot of great comments to follow. There may be hope for us yet. The panic Sarah Palin is able to inspire is amazing. It is a long way to 2012. I am glad to have a chance to size her up. If she is selected as a candidate, it won't be because we haven't had a good look at her, unlike the stampede that gave us the present occupant of the White House.
March 11, 2010 at 2:44 PM Report abuse
DeathCultt said...
Hank...........SNAP..LOL
March 11, 2010 at 3:05 PM Report abuse
AR5 said...
Hank, what panic? I would concede that she has sparked a lot of laughter, but I haven't seen anyone "panic" over her as there is nothing to panic about. And, the fact that you didnt follow/research Pres Obama's career prior to his election is your fault.
March 11, 2010 at 3:07 PM Report abuse
Cadred said...
Hank, there's not much to size up. As for electing Obama, there was hardly a stampede, and there were other viable candidates as well. If Palin is the best the R's can do in 2012...
March 11, 2010 at 3:18 PM Report abuse
AR5 said...
These people are in the same category: Sarah Palin Kate Gosselin Heidi Montag Octomaom Levi Johnson So, if thinking the above are in it for money, dying for attention, have nothing to offer, and can't hold a job makes me elitist. So be it.
March 11, 2010 at 3:36 PM Report abuse
Roxieow said...
sARAH pALIN CREATES A PANIC? hahah! If anything che creates new comedy!
March 11, 2010 at 3:39 PM Report abuse
umpy said...
SHE'S BLONDE , AND BESIDES SHE'D BE GOOD AT FOREIGN AFFAIRS (QUOTE I CAN SEE RUSSIA !! WHAT A AIRHEAD !
March 11, 2010 at 3:41 PM Report abuse
cccheese said...
Give me a break. This 'voice" reeks of elitism in its clever noise. Wanting Palin to run becauase she will lose is sound judgement, nothing else. No left or right egos, just an unqualified dunce. Yes, I have a degree and a job, does that make me elite? I may want smaller government, believe in individual responsibility, but I also want fewer people like Palin making decisions for my country.
March 11, 2010 at 4:30 PM Report abuse
cccheese said...
This guys ability to generalize so loosely so to draw strange conclusions from his scrambled opinion rivals Glenn Becks skill of same. ...scarry.
March 11, 2010 at 4:54 PM Report abuse
Hipupchuck said...
There is no point in writing a lengthy reply because most disappear into the cloud on this new paper format.
March 11, 2010 at 6:01 PM Report abuse
MudDoctor said...
Wow, what an incoherent piece of crap masquerading as intelligent opinion.
March 11, 2010 at 8:26 PM Report abuse
fuzzball said...
Jane you are an elitist and a moonbat
March 11, 2010 at 9:05 PM Report abuse
trisailer said...
I don't have a clue what was ordinary about what this guy said. My difinition of an elitist is one who thinks he knows everything and we all know there's enough of that to go around on both sides. I particularly disliked the way the elitist neocons believing that they had a better idea wrecked the economy and mired us in a illegal war. If I discuss an issue with someone who does not know history or complex ideas of course I have distain for them because they are out of their element. Most of the wingers I talk to learned everything from disinfotainers. Pass the Latte
March 11, 2010 at 10:50 PM Report abuse
trisailer said...
One of the objectives for the establishment of the righty "think" tanks was to control the messege. This ment redefining old words and digging at old wounds. Elitists is a perfect example of a label that was effectively used to label John Kerry. Since it was so effective then it's getting thrown around again. The issue that the righty's want you to miss is that leaders are important. They want to lead through trickery and misinformation, like redefining words. They really don't care what it takes as long as they win. After they win, they can't lead. Whenever the right has held power the "ordinary" people have lost ground yet they still can get the votes. It is an amazing feat of marketing.
March 12, 2010 at 7:55 AM Report abuse
JazzBox said...
Using big words doesn't make you smart, Olof. Sarah Palin is not a smart person. And typically, those who shout the loudest know the least. But as long as the government keeps its hands off their medicare, I'm sure the teapartyers will be just fine.
March 12, 2010 at 8:21 AM Report abuse
Steve0 said...
I think what the 'elites' don't seem to get is that some poorer people believe in individual property rights and don't believe that it is right to take from someone else to give to them, even if it would help them. The elites just right it off that the poor people only make their choices based on religion. That said, I want Palin to go away, she is a distraction to the Tea Party. Hopefully the liberals and the religious right will be swept out of office so we can get politicians who believe in both economic and personal freedom and responsibility.
March 12, 2010 at 8:57 AM Report abuse
trisailer said...
An elitest is someone who is a legend in his own mind without deeds to back it up. This bozo wants to label progressives as elitists but what we really are talking about is leadership. Great leaders seek to get the job done in a way the benefits all the contributers equally. One of the greatest leaders in history was Shackelton who made the hard decisions, accomplished the goal without a single loss of life. Most of the empty suits running around these days don't have a clue of what leadership is. Great leaders never forget who their working for and their success is measured by the benefit to those who are led. At least that was the way it was. Now, it's every man for themselves and everyone suffers.
March 12, 2010 at 9:34 AM Report abuse
heyjoe said...
Jane would that be affluent elitist or effluent elitist...???
March 12, 2010 at 9:40 AM Report abuse
brightOne said...
I never thought of myself as an intellectual or an elitist because I want the government to regulate a broken, corrupt, and out of control health care system that rewards insurance companies for cherry picking rate payers and then dropping them when they get sick. If this is elitism then sign me up!!!
March 12, 2010 at 9:52 AM Report abuse
Cadred said...
Health insurance in this country is analogous to the credit card and banking industry - both reward the wealthy who don't need them and feed off those who do. And Republicans don't want either regulated.
March 12, 2010 at 10:11 AM Report abuse
windjammer said...
Gee-I never thought Sarah Palin was ordinary-boreing-uninformed-superficial-hokey glitzy and very pretty but certainly never "ordinary"!
March 12, 2010 at 10:25 AM Report abuse
Cadred said...
Palin is fascinating. I am amazed that someone so transparently unintelligent (her so-called college education notwithstanding - shades of GWB) and money and power crazed has fashioned herself as a leader. I am even more amazed there are people who believe it. But then, there's a sucker born every minute, as P.T. said.
March 12, 2010 at 10:49 AM Report abuse
brightOne said...
"sucker born every minute" - ouch
March 12, 2010 at 11:41 AM Report abuse
CEMan said...
Blah Blah Blah Blah. Pay no mind to real problems in our world. Blah Blah Blah. Poor Sarah Palin Blah Blah Blah. Wars, what wars? Blah Blah Blah. Us simple people are so oppressed. Blah Blah Blah, SOCIALISM!! Blah Blah. What to total waste of time and space this man and most of the posters here are.
March 12, 2010 at 11:51 AM Report abuse
stinkyspot said...
All a degree proves is that someone was able to regurgitate information to the satisfaction of another. Not so fast Oak. I am about as non elite as you can get. You know me, the gun toting, middle of the road independant.... But.... I use my education everyday. Sure, it was spewed to me by someone else, and I learned and often regurgitate it but it is meaningful. To me.
March 12, 2010 at 1:02 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
For those of you who feel left out, it's never too late to go back to school. To mock and ridicule higher learning only exposes your envy and sense of inadequacy.
March 12, 2010 at 1:32 PM Report abuse
NickName123 said...
Right on the mark. ....since the first democracies started - the elites (royalty) have sneered at the idea of the common people governing. now it is the liberal elites/progressives that have this attitude. they view those that oppose them as Limbaugh/Beck robots - - - - and don't understand the intellectual basis for division of power and democracy......this is the essence of the disagreement behind the health care proposal.
March 12, 2010 at 1:59 PM Report abuse
Cadred said...
I really love the line about Sarah Palin (and other members of the TP movement) having learned from history and experience as well as college...
March 12, 2010 at 2:57 PM Report abuse
DTOM said...
"Finally we have the really large (LEFT)political philosophies: communism, socialism, fascism, Nazism, syndicalism, Marxism, Leninism and Maoism. I bundle them all together because they all stem from the same mindset of the left and are a rejection of the wisdom of our Founding Fathers. (TRUE!) All the left (PROGRESSIVES)does is trot out the same stale ideas that did not work at any time in history and give them different names." Progressives 101 : http://kitmantv.blogspot.com/2009/11/horowitz-caddell-wheeler-what-are-we-up.html
March 13, 2010 at 1:35 PM Report abuse
DTOM said...
Progressive Movement 101 : Part 1 AND 2 - http://kitmantv.blogspot.com/2009/11/horowitz-caddell-wheeler-what-are-we-up.html
March 13, 2010 at 1:38 PM Report abuse