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Replace the word “elites” with “politically powerful” or “privileged” and re-read your statement.

b112 4y ago
The result is the same. You legitimately think the PM of New Zealand thinks and acts like the US president? What about the CEO of Fujitsu, and Musk? The very idea is a joke.
- whatshisface 4y ago
  Nobody said they think and act alike, the concept is of a division between people who comment on hackernews and people who influence anything.
- JaimeThompson 4y ago
  One way to think of the elite is they are the people who can easily get those in power to actually listen to them. The typical person in the US, for example, has great difficulty getting their elected leaders to actually talk to them. Large CEOs, the very wealthy, etc do not have such issues.
  - SpicyLemonZest 4y ago
    Under that definition I'm skeptical that elites constitute a group that could be meaningfully analyzed as the article claims to do. Is it really true that Bernie Sanders, Ron Paul, and Mark Zuckerberg all read public opinion in similar ways? Even if it is true, "elites" seems like a very unhelpful term for the phenomenon, because I don't think anyone but a practicing political scientist is going to be happy if we go around calling all the popular politicans and major activist groups "elites".
- kortilla 4y ago
  No, the result is not the same. The comment I replied to said “if they even exist”. > If such a thing as "the elites" exists They definitely exist and they are definitely worth talking about as a group that wields immense power. Nobody ever implied they had homogeneous views though except for the person I replied to. They are worth talking about because it’s a group of people that does not live within the normal constraints of the rest of society (making ends meet, having to be happy with the laws with no means to make chances, etc).
pcrh 4y ago
The politically powerful and privileged can be quite diverse in their political views.

b112 4y ago

The result is the same. You legitimately think the PM of New Zealand thinks and acts like the US president? What about the CEO of Fujitsu, and Musk? The very idea is a joke.

whatshisface 4y ago
Nobody said they think and act alike, the concept is of a division between people who comment on hackernews and people who influence anything.
JaimeThompson 4y ago
One way to think of the elite is they are the people who can easily get those in power to actually listen to them. The typical person in the US, for example, has great difficulty getting their elected leaders to actually talk to them. Large CEOs, the very wealthy, etc do not have such issues.
- SpicyLemonZest 4y ago
  Under that definition I'm skeptical that elites constitute a group that could be meaningfully analyzed as the article claims to do. Is it really true that Bernie Sanders, Ron Paul, and Mark Zuckerberg all read public opinion in similar ways? Even if it is true, "elites" seems like a very unhelpful term for the phenomenon, because I don't think anyone but a practicing political scientist is going to be happy if we go around calling all the popular politicans and major activist groups "elites".
kortilla 4y ago
No, the result is not the same. The comment I replied to said “if they even exist”. > If such a thing as "the elites" exists They definitely exist and they are definitely worth talking about as a group that wields immense power. Nobody ever implied they had homogeneous views though except for the person I replied to. They are worth talking about because it’s a group of people that does not live within the normal constraints of the rest of society (making ends meet, having to be happy with the laws with no means to make chances, etc).

pcrh 4y ago

The politically powerful and privileged can be quite diverse in their political views.