1/Here's a thread about why it kind of annoys me when people talk about "elites" in America. I don't think the American elite is unified. I think what we have are a bunch of different elites that often don't even talk to each other or like each other that much.
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2/Here are some groups in America who might reasonably be called "elites": 1. Tech industry businesspeople 2. D.C. lawyers and politicos 3. NYC finance people 4. Hollywood people 5. Academics at universities scattered throughout the country 6. Writers 7. CEOs
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3/Now, the first thing to notice is the geographic separation between these clusters of elites. Tech people in SF try to keep track of what D.C. lawyers are thinking and vice versa, but...it doesn't usually seem to work out that well. And the cultures are VERY different.
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4/These groups of elites often don't go to the same colleges (liberal arts colleges vs. STEM-focused universities, etc.), consume the same entertainment products, or have other common points of reference that tie them together.
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5/Now, compare this to a country with A) a big capital city where most or all of the industries are headquartered, and B) closer integration between government and industry. For example, Japan (Tokyo), France (Paris), or Russia (Moscow).
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6/In a country like this, all the various groups of elites will live in the same city, and work in much closer coordination. It sort of makes sense to talk about a "French elite" or a "Japanese elite" in a way that it doesn't make sense to talk about an "American elite".
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7/In America we at least used to have mass media that sort of bound everyone together - CBS/NBC/ABC, etc. Many countries still have something like this, but America's media is wildly fragmented, meaning the news/entertainment habits of elite groups are free to diverge.
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8/Geographic separation + industrial independence from govt. + media fragmentation means that while it's possible to identify who's "elite" in America vs. who's not "elite", it's very hard to make general statements about "elites."
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9/...Not that this stops people from doing it all the time, mind you. If there's one thing American elites *do* seem to have in common, it's a love of insulting "the elite"...by which they usually mean one of the rival groups of elites. ;-) (end)
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Noah, what I think you’re missing is how they all interweave. Tech progressive narrative fits into DC political narrative, fits into corporate mass appeal strategy, all of which combine to form the media narrative. NYC elites happy to sit back and finance it, while markets rise.
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Replying to @Noahpinion
The common ground is the desire of mass appeal. Corp marketing (for profit), Hollywood celebs (for roles), DC politicians (for public elections), media outlets (to get clicks). It becomes a circle, with one amplifying the other. The convergence of interest make up the “elites”.
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