Most of us here at Dartmouth have only closely observed two presidential elections in our lives, plus a few midterms. But as we gear up for some big political events this fall, the recurrent theme of ideological elitism is unfailingly making its return into politics. From my observations, especially on college campuses such as ours, the real root of ultraliberal elitism is the misconception that this elitism is, in fact, intellectualism.
The misperception that certain political positions are the intellectually respected ones has infected the very core of the political culture on our beloved campus as surely as it has infected the country at large. More than anything it seems to be an ethic of self-righteousness that transcends any individual issue. It is an approach that looks down on certain people and their positions, and high-handedly labels them as culturally inferior and intellectually ignorant. This approach is not academic, nor is it even partisan in nature. Positions are not argued empirically or even logically and it is rare for hard facts to make an appearance. Americans are intelligent people of faith and good judgment, revere our Constitution and love America. Others in this country dismiss these basic human values and try to endow their own radical opinions with what they would have us believe is an inherent superiority.
Religion is generally the number one target. The very mention that one has faith in God or a belief in the Bible makes some people quite uncomfortable. Quite regularly in colloquial and even academic banter, religion is derided as primitive and its existence relegated to "hicks and religious fanatics in the South." Atheism is the only acceptable intellectual option for those elitists who seem to view a religious believer walking on a public sidewalk as violating the iron curtain between state and church.
The second target of elites masquerading as intellectuals is America itself. It is the elite pseudo-intellectual norm to subject America to a constant barrage of criticism and condemnation, regarding not only policy but culture and heritage as well. Patriotism is derided as a kind of propaganda. These elites, in the phony name of academics, are unwilling to express love for our country and generally will not concede that America is the greatest country in the world. If indeed a liberal elitist can be prodded into such a statement, they attempt to maintain their "intellectual" faade by quickly qualifying, often with retractors about cultural relativity.
Many elitists believe, as one politician let slip when he said that people could not be trusted to spend tax refunds wisely, that they are better able to help people than people themselves. This is elitism at its most vile, but many on the extreme end of the political spectrum take it as an intellectual badge of honor to call the average person stupid or the masses ignorant. This position rationalizes a wide range of condescending policies across the social and economic boards as intellectual necessities to fix the economy or protect people from themselves.
Reverence for God and religion, love for America, and respect for the intelligence of the American people are not partisan issues. All people dedicated to what American stands for hold these truths self-evident and inalienable. Indeed, positions from all angles of the political spectrum are acceptable when based on economic merit, constitutional principles and the like. What is troubling is that these standards are ignored in the community of extreme-liberal elites, replaced by a faulty system of stigmatization used to denigrate American values.
As these misguided extremists flock to bookstores to purchase Noam Chomsky's latest screed on America, because Hugo Chavez recently plugged it at the UN, the fact remains that their views are radically elitist and blatantly anti-intellectual. And I think that the further both parties can distance themselves from this elitist mindset so far from the mainstream, the better they will do this fall, in 2008 and beyond.
