The concept of the "New Elite"

[ondreeuh]

To clarify, this isn't what the author was getting at. He was saying that the "New Elite" is out of touch with "Mainstream America." When he said that people who got between 3 and 7 yes answers should "get out more," he was suggesting that if they did, they would get more questions right, not less, presumably because they'd have contact with more different kinds of people who would know these things. He describes in some detail how this "elite" group goes through their entire lives in a bubble, never mixing with people from other social groups.

 

The article wasn't at all negative about "mainstream America."

 

I can't stop giggling. The people I know who could answer all those questions are the people who have lived in a tiny rural town all their lives and have no idea what else is out there. How is it that they are the enlightened, and those of us who live a more urban lifestyle are the ones who are out of touch? :tongue_smilie:

[mom2a&z]

I answered yes to 4, so I guess I'm in the middle.

 

I know about Branson, because we used to go there for vacation almost every year when I was growing up, and now my parents live there. So I still go there almost every year. :tongue_smilie:

It's famous for Silver Dollar City, musical shows, Table Rock Lake, and a museum on the Titanic. (And as pp said, traffic)

 

I learned about NASCAR when I moved to North Carolina. It's everywhere, and my dh's family are big fans.

[newlifemom]

Sadly, I'm an elite 'wannabe'. :tongue_smilie:

[Parrothead]

Now I've read the thread up to this point. I don't agree that my only answering two correctly makes me elite. I do agree that I'm out of touch with mainstream America.

 

 

• I'd rather watch football that racing but I don't have local stations for TV anymore.
  
• I'd rather do most anything than watch fighting whether it is boxing or MMA. I don't get excited about someone beating the crap out of someone else.
  
• I know what is in Branson, MO.
  
• I don't like snooty people so I stay far away from Kiwanis and Rotary. Give me CCW any time.
  
• Again, I haven't had local TV channels for years. I kinda knew in the back of my head the Bob Barker (isn't he dead?) retired a few years ago.
  
• Yes, 3 out of the last 5 places I lived were towns of less than 10,000 people.
  
• I'm Catholic. I had no interest in the Left Behind series much less the authors.
  
• Well, yeah, I live in small town America. We may not have a lot of college grads but we do have people with a very good work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit.
  
• No, I've never lived in a community of soybean farmers. I can identify corn, cotton, peanuts and now potatoes.
  

 

None of this makes me elite. I will say it makes me unique.

[Crissy]

That reminds me of a guy I knew in college who was so disdainful of anything related to popular culture. Several of us were sitting around discussing General Hospital (a television soap opera, for those unfamiliar) and he mocked, sneered, and rolled his eyes so far I thought he'd need medical intervention to get them back. And then somebody mentioned one of the show's characters and this guy, before he could stop himself, said, "Wait. Isn't Duke [the character] in the mob?"

 

Heh. Busted.

 

:lol:

That is hilarious!

[Audrey]

I'm not sure why knowing military ranks is knowing less or why it excludes you from the elite? We served in a unit with the son of the founder of AOL. He was BEYOND wealthy. After he left the military he went to work for his dad's charitable foundation.

 

I think the quiz is dumb because I think stereotyping is dumb.

:iagree:

 

And besides, who in any kind of "elite" thinks that a stinkin' NASCAR driver is more famous than a football coach? ;)

[DaffodilDreams]

Apparently, I am a member of the new elite. 1 yes answer - have lived in a town of less than 25,000. So I suppose I need to read the article to figure out who I am now? :tongue_smilie:

[Melinda in VT]

[*]I don't like snooty people so I stay far away from Kiwanis and Rotary. Give me CCW any time.

 

 

What's CCW?

 

I googled it, but the first page of results were about Complete Custom Wheel and carrying a concealed weapon. Somehow, I don't think that's what you meant. :tongue_smilie:

 

Maybe it's just my area, but the Rotarians I know are far from snooty. Mostly retired or nearly retired businessmen and women who raise money for various local charitable causes.

[Parrothead]

What's CCW?

 

I googled it, but the first page of results were about Complete Custom Wheel and carrying a concealed weapon. Somehow, I don't think that's what you meant. :tongue_smilie:

 

Maybe it's just my area, but the Rotarians I know are far from snooty. Mostly retired or nearly retired businessmen and women who raise money for various local charitable causes.

:D Council of Catholic Women

 

shhh... don't tell the ladies at the next meeting that I had to think about it for a minute. It is almost always referred to as CCW. The other is a mouthful.

[LauraGB]

I don't know that, as I hardly ever watch TV.

But what's the necessary link between not watching TV and being "elite" escapes me. :glare:

(Mind you, I'm somewhat baffled by my 0 on this test, one would have thought I managed to assimilate a bit after all these years...)

 

Lol! I was kind of kidding. I don't watch much tv, either. But I used to watch The Drew Carey Show many years ago - he makes me laugh. Then I read about his new(ish) job, and was so surprised I had to watch. Once. He's not so funny anymore.

 

But I did grow up watching The Price is Right on the little black and white tv in the kitchen at my grandma's house. :001_wub: I have a mild affection for the old show.

[LauraGB]

Anyone else really curious about what Branson is famous for?!?!? I've been there several times' date=' but I have no idea.[/quote']

 

Isn't it country music? I've never been there, but I thought that was what it was about - Country's alternative to Las Vegas?

 

Hey, if that's not right, I'm closer to being elite than I thought!

[GWOB]

You know I ended up with 8, not because I watch/read all those things, but I'm just observant and minor details stick in my head. Now I'm feeling, IDK, a little redneck.

 

Except the NASCAR bit, I will never apologize for being a NASCAR fan. :D We got to sit in the box seats a few times, like hanging out in the same room as the "elite". Nothing like eating crab rangoon on a real china plate while watching painted cars zoom around a track at 150mph.

 

I'll be a redneck right thar wit ya, I reckon. I knew 8 out of 10. But, I can conjugate Latin verbs. And name all Supreme Court justices. Now I'm off to chew tobacco, pop open a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and read Tolstoy.

[elizabeth]

 

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/10/the_new_elite_includes_charles.html A retort to Murray's self aggrandizing and misleading article. He is one of the "elite."

[radiobrain]

What a ridiculous premise this is.

Edited October 26, 2010 by radiobrain

[Nan in Mass]

Don't worry. I only had 1, and that only because I live in a small town.

[Sherry in OH]

4. Do you know what Branson, Mo., is famous for?

It is a resort town.

 

7. Have you ever lived in a town with fewer than 25,000 people? (During college doesn't count.)

I grew up in a town of less than 1,000.

 

10. Can you identify a field of soybeans?

By process of elimination. I can recognize corn. Around here, if it isn't corn, it is soy.

[elegantlion]

I can't stop giggling. The people I know who could answer all those questions are the people who have lived in a tiny rural town all their lives and have no idea what else is out there. How is it that they are the enlightened, and those of us who live a more urban lifestyle are the ones who are out of touch? :tongue_smilie:

 

That's a pretty generalizing statement. :001_huh:

Edited October 26, 2010 by elegantlion

[elegantlion]

I'll be a redneck right thar wit ya, I reckon. I knew 8 out of 10. But, I can conjugate Latin verbs. And name all Supreme Court justices. Now I'm off to chew tobacco, pop open a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and read Tolstoy.

 

come on over, girl. I'll get ya a spit cup (that should have been on the list!), I've got a high brow wine cooler, and you can read Tolstoy aloud to me while you sit in my la-z-boy recliner. :D

[tex-mex]

I got 8 correct -- but I was raised in a small farming town and most of the questions were common knowledge. I think it is hilarious I am considered "mainstream" America. LOL (If ya really knew me... ;))

[tex-mex]

:iagree:

 

And besides, who in any kind of "elite" thinks that a stinkin' NASCAR driver is more famous than a football coach? ;)

I know!!! In our home, ESPN is on all of the time -- JJ is even on Survivor. I just happened to get the other JJ right due to my sister being a big NASCAR fan. (???)

[Joyofsixreboot]

I got all ten and I appear to be the only one. Does that just mean I have had an eclectic education or does it reflect living in the sticks?

[tex-mex]

Maybe it's just my area, but the Rotarians I know are far from snooty. Mostly retired or nearly retired businessmen and women who raise money for various local charitable causes.

:iagree: In my small town where I was raised, it was a group of really nice folks too. But in a small town (our population was less than 1500) everyone is known. The only snooty ones were some of the rich "farm" kids -- grandkids of the farmer who lived off the farm in a brand new home and bragged about how rich they were. Year later, there is a new subdivision and streets in the farmer's name -- those same grandkids cashed out.

[AuntieM]

I got seven yes answers.

 

I will have to resist the temptation to get out more. Enough is enough, methinks.

[Marie in Oh]

I do not know who Jimmie Johnson is, never been to a Rotary Club meeting, I live in a, though small, college town so everyone I know has a degree, or two, or three, and I didn't know about MMA or UFA, but I did see while flipping channels one night something that looked like WWF and Kung Fu fighting in a ring surrounded by alot of hoopla. I didn't know what to call it, but apparently lots of people did.

 

I do know what soybeans look like ( I live in Ohio for goodness sake), I live in a town of 3000, I know about Left Behind and Branson, MO, I am married to a Lt. Col so I better know my rank, though Navy I do not claim to fugure out, and I knew Drew Carry.

 

i have no idea what that says about me. :lol:

Edited October 26, 2010 by Marie in Oh

[stripe]

I have never figured out what a rotary club does, but I have a very hard time believing most Americans can identify military ranks in great detail, if over a third of Americans cannot find the US on a map. I also heard someone saying on a Sunday political talk show in a discussion about redistricting that a good portion of Democrats live in concentrated areas that are very heavily Democrat, whereas many Republicans are more sparsely distributed but it is difficult to find places that are 90% Republican.

[Stacy in NJ]

But I'm sure you did know that.

 

 

I know that the MMA is the "Museum of Modern Art." :D

 

Bill

[Aurelia]

I got one right answer, because I live in a town with less than 25,000 people. I do that because I don't like people. :lol:

[6packofun]

What cracks me up is that 2 yes answers means you're a snob, but just one more yes means you need to get out more?? LOL

[Stacy in NJ]

wrote about it back in the early '90's. His book The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy includes several wonderful essays on the topic. He also wrote about Horace Mann and public education.

 

It's a wonderfully relevant book if the subject interests you.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Stacy in NJ

[StephanieZ]

I got a zero. I was getting worried when I didn't know any of them, and didn't even know what many of them meant. LOL, I guess I will feel special today.

[Nicole M]

I know that the MMA is the "Museum of Modern Art." :D

 

Bill

 

That's what I thought, but I didn't count that as an answer.

;)

 

I only one I knew was the Left Behind question, or half of it. I know about Tim LaHaye because his money is involved with Patrick Henry College, the history and politics of which fascinates me in a sick sort of way.

[ChristusG]

While I wouldn't consider myself "mainstream", I thought that I was pretty informed on what IS mainstream. Obviously not though LOL...I only got two right (the Price is Right and the Left Behind series).

[LauraGB]

While I wouldn't consider myself "mainstream", I thought that I was pretty informed on what IS mainstream. Obviously not though LOL...I only got two right (the Price is Right and the Left Behind series).

 

See, now that's what I was confused about. The answers I knew revolved around things I just *knew*, not things I regularly participate in or do. I mean, I know what Branson is, but I've never been there, nor do I ever plan to go. I know about TPIR because I used to think DC was funny. I know who the Left Behind guys are because I like books and authors. Of course I grew up in a small town - but that was 25 years ago and the same town wouldn't qualify on this questionnaire. I have no idea who has a college degree in my city (of 200,000+ people) because I don't know all of them. And I can spot a soybean plant...because I garden. Would it matter if I bred orchids or if I planted potatoes??

 

And really, I would never use such petty questions to elevate myself to "elite" compared to someone who answered yes to all 10 of these questions. How does knowing who a particular Nascar driver differ from knowing a particular football player? Or not knowing either, as is my case. Big whoop. I can think of far more meaningful ways to determine one's worth and credibility. What a petty and silly thing.

 

But it was interesting :).

Edited October 26, 2010 by LauraGB

[redsquirrel]

I know that the MMA is the "Museum of Modern Art." :D

 

Bill

 

What is worse, that I know what MOMA stands for or that I (gasp!) have actually visited said museum? More than once, even. In fact, I was at the Met three weeks ago.

 

Shudder... the horrors

 

I got 1. I am just a small town elitist. Actually, the view is pretty good from here. And the company, that being all of you folks, is great.

[Stacy in NJ]

What is worse, that I know what MOMA stands for or that I (gasp!) have actually visited said museum? More than once, even. In fact, I was at the Met three weeks ago.

 

Shudder... the horrors

 

I got 1. I am just a small town elitist. Actually, the view is pretty good from here. And the company, that being all of you folks, is great.

 

Knowing what MoMA stands for and also UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is not mutually exclusive. I'm a huge fan of both. :D

[Stacy in NJ]

:001_smile:

 

I know that the MMA is the "Museum of Modern Art." :D

 

Bill

[Belacqua]

write about it back in the early '90's. His book The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy includes several wonderful essays on the topic. He also wrote about Horace Mann and the public education.

 

It's a wonderfully relevant book if the subject interests you.

 

And I suspect Dr. Lasch would be delighted if you read his book while watching NASCAR and drinking your PBR. I agree that his essays are wonderful (even if he did give me a bad grade on a paper, saying he found my reasoning "specious." He was undoubtedly correct.).

[mhg]

In the "Outlook" section of the Washington Post yesterday (an opinion section of the paper), an article appeared discussing the concept of the "New Elite," and opining that those who belong to it are out of touch with "Mainstream America." The author, Charles Murray, asserted that membership in this "New Elite" cuts across ideological boundaries. Accompanying this article was a quiz, which purported to identify whether or not a person was a member of the "New Elite."

 

I am wondering what other people think of this quiz. I will post the "key" in a follow-up, and attach a poll. These are all Yes/No questions.

 

1. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? (The really famous one, not the football coach.)

2. Can you identify military ranks by uniform insignias?

3. Do you know what MMA and UFC stand for?

4. Do you know what Branson, Mo., is famous for?

5. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis or Rotary club?

6. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker as host of "The Price is Right?"

7. Have you ever lived in a town with fewer than 25,000 people? (During college doesn't count.)

8. Can you name the authors of the "Left Behind" series?

9. Do you live in an area where most people lack college degrees? (Gentrifying neighborhoods don't count.)

10. Can you identify a field of soybeans?

 

Edited to add: Oops, I forgot to provide for a "0" option in the poll. If you had 0 "yes" answers, please use the "1" option. Sorry about that!

1. Is he a NASCAR dude?

2. No, don't know insignias

3. No, ???MMA=Move My A__ UFC=United Farm Corn?

4. Yes....music? theatrics? family friend Las Vegas ish?

5. No

6. Yes.....Drew Carey

7. Yes

8. Yes-ish Tim LaHaye and some other dude

9. ??? probably

10. Yes (surrounded by um')

 

I'm another mainstreamer! (who'da thunk it!?!?)

[Spy Car]

Knowing what MoMA stands for and also UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is not mutually exclusive. I'm a huge fan of both. :D

 

I thought UFC was United Fruit Company.

 

Bill

[GWOB]

I thought UFC was United Fruit Company.

 

Bill

 

Go read your Melville you elitist!:tongue_smilie:

[pqr]

I thought UFC was United Fruit Company.

 

Bill

 

 

No it is Uniform Fire Code :-)

[zaichiki]

I know that the MMA is the "Museum of Modern Art." :D

 

Bill

 

Isn't that the MoMA? (We always pronounce it Mow-mah.)

[CLHCO]

I thought I had more right until I saw some of your answers. I think I still make the "need to get out more" category.

 

1. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? (The really famous one, not the football coach.)

Nope.

2. Can you identify military ranks by uniform insignias?

No.

3. Do you know what MMA and UFC stand for?

No.

4. Do you know what Branson, Mo., is famous for?

Yep! We were there a couple weeks ago.

5. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis or Rotary club?

Meeting? No, but we played for a fundraiser last month for a Rotary event.

6. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker as host of "The Price is Right?"

I could think of his face, but I couldn't remember his name.

7. Have you ever lived in a town with fewer than 25,000 people? (During college doesn't count.)

Yes, the one I'm in now, until a few years ago when it grew.

8. Can you name the authors of the "Left Behind" series?

Jenkins and LaHaye, though I don't care for the books.

9. Do you live in an area where most people lack college degrees? (Gentrifying neighborhoods don't count.)

This block, kind of half and half, a block or two over, no.

10. Can you identify a field of soybeans?

Does Farmville count? :tongue_smilie:

 

Maybe 5, since a couple probably don't count.

[stripe]

I realized I was getting UFC confused with UPC. As in a bar code. I thought - who doesn't know what that is? (Except for Bush 41)

[Audrey]

I realized I was getting UFC confused with UPC. As in a bar code. I thought - who doesn't know what that is? (Except for Bush 41)

 

I didn't know MMA, but I think I got UFC confused for UHF. I was thinking, "oh, those other channels on tv way back when."

[Jenny in Atl]

Isn't that the MoMA? (We always pronounce it Mow-mah.)

 

Yup... Only got two (MMA and Branson, MO)

[Renee in NC]

I got 7 - I can't recognize rank by insignia (dh can), I didn't know what MMA or UFC was, and I've never attended a Rotary or Kiwanis meeting (no time.)

[springmama]

I don't understand....I answered a no for all of those. How does not knowing something make me elite?

[weddell]

I know that the MMA is the "Museum of Modern Art." :D

 

Bill

 

That was my first thought too! :D

[Dawn in OH]

Well I have to say it's not often you can score a big ZERO on a test and it's a good thing.

 

Here I thought I failed. It turns out I'm elite!