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Long-term readers of this blog will recognize that one of its themes is mediocrity. Perhaps the world has always been like that, but the digital revolution has exacerbated the problem. People become more self-centered (more idiotai in other words), and focus not on the long-term collective good but on temporary, meaningless personal gain. Some might think that, in such a context, being “elite” is the counterbalance. But just as “ham” and “hammock” are two vastly different things, so is being elite and being elitist. Elitism is mediocrity. It’s simply a different aspect of the same thing.

Elitism is Mediocrity: Definitions

First of all, we should make sure we all talk about the same thing. Elitism can mean very different things to different people, and it has even acquired political hues in the recent years. And so, to avoid misunderstandings, here’s a definition of elitism for the purposes of this article:

Elitism: The selectivity of the elite; especially in choosing new members

The reason elitism is mediocrity is precisely found in this definition. In this context, elitism refers to a self-contained group; an echo chamber, where it is very difficult if not impossible to see one’s own shortcomings.

An Example of Elitism

Let’s take an imaginary example. Assume an online group of established writers, academics, and overall literature specialists. Let’s now assume that a new author wants to join this group, to learn from the experienced masters (or so she considers them, anyway). Timidly, the newcomer poses a question. Imagine two possibilities:

• Established members try to assist the newcomer, perhaps also offering some guidance on the proper way, time, and overall etiquette in regard to posing questions.
• Established members berate the hapless newcomer, making fun of her ignorance, refusing to answer her question, and even obstructing her from further contact.

Perhaps you might consider it unthinkable that any group of decent individuals would react in the latter way, but this is how elitism operates. The problem is not necessarily in the individual, but in the group dynamics.

A person who might be, if not decent, at least reserved when alone, behaves very differently when inside such a group. That is the problem with echo chambers: other members of the elitist group support and augment individual behavior. Before long, we have a case of the Bandwagon Fallacy.

Perspectives from Psychology

Most of us probably know someone whose low self-esteem forces them to be shy or to put themselves down. Furthermore, we also probably know a bully – someone who is loud, puts others down, and is overall arrogant.

You would probably not guess the latter person also suffers from low self-esteem, but that’s exactly the case. People who need to artificially inflate their own self by being arrogant toward others, do so because they don’t appreciate their own worth otherwise.

The mechanism for the duality of mediocrity is the same. Being elitist is only an artificial way of attempting to persuade one’s self that one is not mediocre.

Members of the example group I talked about before would justify their behavior as the only way to get high quality results. Bad writers make for bad texts, their argument would be. They might even use some fancy word, such as meritocracy to justify their attitude.

In reality there is a crucial difference between elitism and meritocracy: whereas the latter’s primary goal is the greater good and the serving of a deeper purpose, elitism is preoccupied about maintaining the status quo.

Ultimately, it’s a matter of change versus stagnation.