Elitism is generally a self-concept. It is the perception that one’s social rank or status is superior to others, due to distinguishing virtues such as wealth, intelligence, education, professional achievement and familial background. An “elite” is a group of such individuals who believe themselves to be superior in social rank or class, often referred to as “upper class” or “aristocracy”. They perceive those within the middle and working classes to be inferior, simply because they are not as wealthy, academically advanced, or highly skilled within a chartered profession such as law or medicine.

Egalitarianism refers to the belief that all are equal, and as such should enjoy the same political, social, civil and economic rights as one another, regardless of any defining criteria. In modern society, egalitarianism is of a more accepted viewpoint than elitism due to the advances within human rights and equal opportunities for all. Egalitarianism has been assisted over the past century by the Feminist Movements, evolving politics and shifting public attitudes towards other races and nationalities. Quite simply, we have become a far more lateral-thinking and conservative society in terms of our attitudes, social acceptance and behaviors. Freedom of speech and expression, now more than ever has enabled everyone to have a voice and social equality is a standard requirement for living in modern society.

Elitism isn’t Extinct:

Far from it. Elitism does and will continue to exist, regardless of shifting attitudes and evolutionary politics. We encounter it on a daily basis in the attitudes of others we may or may not know, as well as in the actions of our governments, leaders and ambassadors.

In Western society, elitism is generally the shared perception of small groups and minorities. These can include academic professionals, wealthy moguls or business professionals, as well as those within professional occupations such as doctors, lawyers, scientists and scholars. Politically, elitism is generally characterized among those who oppose popular opinions or beliefs such as democracy. An elitist therefore may be of the opinion that an autocracy should run their country.

When we consider elitist attitudes, we generally perceive those who uphold them to be of old-school mentality. They oppose change and maintain a desire for things to be “the way they used to be”. They consider their beliefs to be moral and right, simply because they are of a higher intelligence or professional level, and show blatant disregard for popular opinion or changes.

Elitist attitudes in every day life are very similar. A member of an elite group is generally someone who has a fixed idea or opinion of themselves and others, which cannot be altered. They believe their perception of others based on wealth or success to be moral and just, and that recognition of opinion should only occur among the professional or academically gifted, i.e among people like themselves. An elitist rarely considers the opinions of those outside their social network, or from those of a lesser social standing. People are inferior unless they are of comparable/ provable success or rank to that person.

A prime example of elitism within current affairs, is the issue of privately educated students being favored over those publicly educated for positions within top professions, such as finance. A panel, originally created by ex-P.M Gordon Brown, and set up to examine the barriers graduates face, found that over half of all professional jobs were taken by graduates from privately schooled backgrounds. The panel concentrated on graduate-level legal and professional positions, and concluded that the elitism of employers in these sectors needed to be tackled in order to open the door of opportunity for those with public school backgrounds.

Dealing with elitism, is inevitably part and parcel of growing up. It is encountered within education, as well as employment, and takes on many forms including racism. How we overcome elitist attitudes is inevitably down to personal performance and success, our ability to prove people wrong and defy their opinions.

As teenagers, some of us experience the elitist attitudes of our scholars, who perceive our lack of abilities within certain key subjects such as English and Maths, to be indications of lower intelligence or effort. We are told we will never amount to anything given our current performance, and while this is no-doubt supposed to be motivational, it is also a prime example of a perception or conclusion based upon intelligence levels. While in education, it is perhaps difficult to alter this perception, especially if an individual suffers from some form of learning disability. It is therefore only continued effort, improvement and ultimately defiance of this perception that will challenge it and prove it wrong.

Elitism in the workplace is perhaps a more common issue one can associate with. It generally occurs amongst those within authority roles or who have higher levels of responsibility. They often perceive themselves to be of higher importance and value to an organisation as the “organ grinders” rather than the likes of subordinates (“monkeys”) who work beneath them. The phrase “speak to the organ grinder and not the monkey” is a prime example of elitist work-place attitude, promoting the superiority of a boss above his/ her employees. Thankfully many companies in the public sector are actively tackling this elitist behavior, however the private sector remains largely unregulated, and therefore these attitudes are more common.

Dealing with elitism in the workplace can be difficult, particularly when experienced from more than one party. An elite in a work environment is generally a clique, difficult, if not impossible to socially penetrate, and even harder to communicate with. The elite may consist of the upper management within a company, or a particular department of individuals who perceive their superiority over others (due to role) to be justified. Indeed in some environments, elitism is considered to be motivational, encouraging competitiveness and healthy rivalry amongst workers in the hope of achieving outstanding effort and performance. For those on the receiving end of elitist attitudes, it is not as encouraging as our employers like to believe.

The kind of narrow-minded opinions that elitists have can be negatively impacting on colleagues. For those who put their heart and soul into their job, as well as additional hours and effort, this type of attitude can be construed as unappreciative. It is also a lack of acknowledgment. Employees who feel their work is not recognized, nor their achievements noticed are far more likely to give up on putting the effort in at all. Morale is damaged, reduced, even extinguished leading to poorer overall performance of a team.

How we deal with elitist attitudes at work largely depends upon our tolerance levels. Some are consistently able to disregard it or block it out, others confront it, and some feel bullied and intimidated by it. Indeed elitism can be interpreted as a bullying or intimidation tactic. If continuously used over long periods it can lead to individuals questioning their value and contribution within the workplace, grinding them down until they are no longer a competing threat. If you are unable to tolerate the consistent superiority complex of a colleague, then the first recommendation would be to take up the issue with that person. This should be done tactfully to avoid any back-lash from the powers that be. Confrontation can often be used by a colleague to their advantage, particularly if they see you as a threat to their job or impending promotion.

Quite simply, address the behavior which you deem to be unacceptable and ask why this individual continues to demonstrate their particular opinion of you. Often, issues can be resolved through communication. One, or both parties may have misunderstood the actions of the other which has led to this confrontation. Communication will allow one or both of you to identify aspects of your working attitudes that may be clashing, and you can then work to resolve them or keep them in check. Obviously we can’t pander to everyone’s criticisms, therefore if the situation persists and you cannot tolerate it, your best bet is to take it up with someone higher up in the company. A good idea is to have some evidence of particular times when the “subject” has been offensive toward you with their attitude. If necessary write down days and times, perceived reasons etc, so that you can prove you have thought over each incident and deemed whether you truly found it offensive. Often when we re-analyze a situation, we realize that someone was not being intentionally rude or indifferent, and if reporting a grievance, it’s better to be both sure, and organized in your answers.

Elitism is rife within all aspects of our lives, from our family unit to brief social encounters. Unfortunately we cannot take everyone up on their attitude problems, nor find out why they choose to think of us that way, but we can process it, learn from it or disregard it as we see fit. That’s the beauty of freedom of thought.