Societies human have been organized since the early days around the idea of the existence of powerful sectors and more vulnerable. Elitism
This dichotomy between those who have more power and luxury and those who have nothing more than their own workforce has always existed, although in recent times the middle class has emerged and sectors that will soon be able to access benefits without having who enjoy a superior quality of life .
The elite in a society: the most powerful and influential social group
In the historical and traditional division of social groups , the elite has always been a set of powerful and influential people who determine a trend, make decisions, govern, manage resources , among others. In addition, the elite usually concentrates the cultural media understood as intellectuals, ranging from academic knowledge, science and the arts, and which differ from popular knowledge by the simple fact that they are considered official. Elitism
The knowledge of the elite usually passes through institutions such as museums, academies, universities and galleries, while popular knowledge is more easily found in the streets. Finally, the elites are the ones who own the means of production , the wealth and choose what to do with the understood resources of the whole society .
Elitism is the most direct consequence of the existence of elites
To understand the term “elitism” we must understand that it has to do with and is directly linked to everything that generates the elite. Thus, we can talk about attitudes, knowledge, wealth, elitist powers that by definition belong to a select and reduced group of the population, as well as leaving out a vast majority of society understood as people. Elitism
Elitism is, in other words, a way of marking differences and discriminating both positively and negatively the members of a community between the powerful and the unprotected. A good example of an elitist or elitist attitude is asking employees at a party to dress properly by meeting established and determined standards.
elitism and social conflict
Generally, when elitism is noticed and visualized by the behavior of the social group considered as elite, social conflict is easily activated. This is due to elitism, a form of discrimination, distinction and differentiation between those who genuinely belong to a group or not of people who wish to be part of it.
Social conflict and discontent between the two sides of society is often reciprocal, despising the lower or popular classes of everything that is considered elitist or exclusive. Elitism does not make it possible to end social inequality or encourage the existence of increasingly egalitarian societies.
