David B. Shemano wrote:
Do any members of this list give any credence to the theory that a "cognitive elite/meritcoracy" is the ruling class in the United States, or is that something Leftists dismiss out of hand? <
There is a "cognitive elite" that is part of the general staff of the governing (or power) elite, while sometimes really smart people from the first get involved in the latter. That is, there's some overlap or interpenetration of elites. Bill Clinton seems very smart, for example (though not when his personal life is involved). However, George W. Bush, however smart he may be, seems to prove that one doesn't need to have merit (as usually defined) to rise to the top of the governing elite. He seems lazy, spoiled, incurious, and shiftless. The cognitive elite would refer to those folks who do the thinking for the decision-makers, presenting all sorts of scenarios and possible policies for the deciders to choose among. It would include the general staff of the armed forces, people at politically-connected think-tanks, policy staff, Karl Rove, newspaper editorialists, and some politically-connected university faculties. The current power elite decides which part of the cognitive elite is favored.
I am thinking along the lines that the system funnels highly
intelligent youth to the Ivy League (as opposed to the children of inhereited wealth, etc.), who then go out and populate Washington D.C. (government), New York (finance), Los Angeles (entertainment). < going to the Ivy League also involves having a lot of money (since it's hardly a majority who receive scholarships). And those who go to the Ivy League are typically taught that they are born to lead, but not to change, the system. So they serve the _status quo_. (BTW, I went to one of dem dar Ivy League places.) I think a lot of people who lead Hollywood never went to Ivy League colleges. I would guess the same is true of politics in DC.
Doesn't this help explain the Blue/Red State divide (at a very high level of generality), in which the Blues have a disdain for the Reds, and the Reds have a resentment of the Blues?
That's the GOP perspective. But to attain their goals, the GOP cognitive elite artificially (and opportunistically) exclude themselves from being in the bad cultural/cognitive elite they rail against. My impression is that they have as much disdain for the proles as do the "Blue" elites -- if not more. They just don't show it, letting George Dubya be their front man, etc. -- Jim Devine / "In economics, the majority is always wrong." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
