I’m always amazed when people spout their disdain for “elitism” when it comes to intellectualism. The term is applied to scientists or, to make a group out of it by capitalizing the words, The Educated. People who done themselves some book readin’ and then found their way on the news to talk down to the rest of us who have life experience and work all damn day. I’m generalizing about the generalization. But how does no one remember the last businessman who wanted to run the country like a business (who himself had always wanted to be a career politician, with several false starts before becoming a businessman and then running those into the ground)?

Think tanks are funded by businesses with agendas, and always draw conclusions despite their own data toward their agenda, and present it as fact. Why they’re not regarded as elitists despite acting like PR firms is probably a good sign of their aggressive PR. But get a scientist on TV to say “we’ve got data to show where this is going” and the think tanks, the businessmen, and their lobbyists just have to look at the talking heads and raise an eyebrow and say “The scientist is an elitist” and that’s that.

The Businessman who is the top politician, who has no real experience in politics, who has no idea how policies are created and implemented beyond having to send lawyer to court frequently on his behalf, can easily be shown to be a terrible businessman. He settled a fraud case for a sum that most of his constituents would never see in their working lives, and his own government salary will never cover. The rank & file can gloss over this and not hope but apparently know his kind will take care of everything.

Or rather, the people who think they’re the rank and file, who think they’re separate from the elitists and the experienced businessmen. It’s because they think they’re the rank & file. They don’t know they’re on equal ground with both. We can hold each other accountable, at least before the think tank makes that illegal.