The Elites

Old fans of HERD might remember the kicking I’ve given to the word “brand” before – for example in Welcome to the Creative Age and HERD in particular.

It seems really obvious what it means, doesn’t it? But all too often a conversation gets derailed by the word…It’s too flabby (and can be flexed to mean what you want), it’s too fat (it’s never quite clear what you mean) and it’s used as a stick (to encourage certain actions and discourage others). And of course it’s fab social signal to others of your and their agreement (flabbiness, fatness and stickiness are all good for this).

Elite is a similar word in today’s political world. It seems such a self-explanatory idea – those people who somehow keep all the good stuff to themselves, those who keep the rest of us back, those who (secretly) control things and spin and plot against us.

At it’s simplest though it has something of the exclusive and high quality about it, as in:

Or something with rather more specific appeal:

But that’s not what most people mean when they use the world in a political context.

The classical notion of an elite or oligarchy is not what’s meant either.

It’s got other assumptions baked in – some degree of unfairness (to those outside the group), some degree of selfishness (of those inside the group) and some degree of conspiracy (between those inside the group against the interests of those outside the group).

In other words, when you use the word “elite” in political contexts it brings hidden assumptions about the world and the relationships between us to the conversation – often smuggled past. Bilderberg types, Freemasonry, Communism, Anarchism, Fascists European Bureaucrats – all these are easy synonyms for “elite” etc etc.

It’s an undercover social identity politics play. Us (good) vs Them (bad).

So next time someone points to an “elite” of bankers, metropolitans, lefties, Tories or whoever, just remember the ideas being sneaked in with it and the logical sleight of hand being played with you. The assumptions may be valid but they may not be, but it’s worth recognising their presence, rather than being suckered into agreeing with them without realising it.

Back in the day, I recommended solving the problem of the “brand idea” by replacing the word with BNARD (so as to highlight the portmanteau nature of the word and it’s deceptive vagueness). Maybe it’s time to do the same with “elite” – what about “teeli”? Or “etile”.

Just a thought…