I hear this term more and more in discussions. I hear people complaining that 'only the elite benefit from ...' followed by some phenomenon like 'globalisation', 'migrant labour', 'free markets', 'Fatcherism (sic)' and so on. Boris Johnson has been roundly criticised for 'elitism' after his mixture of sensible and silly statements about IQ.
Now, regardless of whether any of us are arrogant enough to consider ourselves among 'the elite', what strikes me is that it's actually a rather silly thing to say; surely that which defines 'elite' is an ability to adapt to circumstances and then gain from them? The next issue is whether a member of 'the elite' uses that ability purely for his own benefit or for the benefit of others, but isn't it just obvious that under any system 'the elite' will always do best?
Now, regardless of whether any of us are arrogant enough to consider ourselves among 'the elite', what strikes me is that it's actually a rather silly thing to say; surely that which defines 'elite' is an ability to adapt to circumstances and then gain from them? The next issue is whether a member of 'the elite' uses that ability purely for his own benefit or for the benefit of others, but isn't it just obvious that under any system 'the elite' will always do best?
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