Fox News is not a news organization

[Rita]

PBS and NPR are 2 news outlets that to me, are so much more than news. There are no better sources for those of us who are curious about the world- other countries, cultures, events, all presented in a way that I feel like I am getting a mostly honest picture, instead of a view through the "American lens" of what American news sources and political groups consider to be normal, moral, correct, and American-like. The "rah rah go USA " stuff has become an acceptable way to judge people/places/thing/governments, etc. that aren't "American enough", and it has spilled over in to journalism. Fox of course is the worst at this type of journalism, but the others aren't so great either, and they do let the judging creep into the reporting, instead of just telling the story without the undercurrent of judging.

It is so pleasant to listen to an interview on NPR with someone from a far away place or watch a well-produced PBS documentary, both without the source constantly hyping themselves every 5 seconds.

I guess NPR and PBS are considered liberal because their audience is an intellectually curious group? If this is the liberal elite that is criticized by conservatives, bring it on.

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One thing that is telling to me is that the callers on shows like Rheems, although they are screened, have legitimate, well-thought-out questions. So either fewer listeners are "sound bite" folks or the station does a good job of screening callers so the issue can be covered without sensationalism.

I prefer NPR, PBS and BBC also. I enjoy Maddow even though I don't always agree with her, because her topics often provoke thought. Plus she is a smart commentator who you know has a liberal slant but she doesn't SHOUT DOWN her guests. I refuse to listen to commentators who do that. :angry:



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[Teresa]

To many, intellectual and liberal elite are not necessarily synonymous.

I would say these terms are nowhere near synonymous.. I don't even know what you mean here. intellectual can apply to anyone from any country, political party, group, community who has the capacity for thinking, reasoning, open minded curiousity and a desire for seeking accurate and well rounded information about the world.

liberal elite is a label some people from a group place on another group in order to put them in their proper place. usually not a very positive meaning term, but some people have that need to categorize in such a way.

 

[GoodWitch58]

I would say these terms are nowhere near synonymous.. I don't even know what you mean here. intellectual can apply to anyone from any country, political party, group, community who has the capacity for thinking, reasoning, open minded curiousity and a desire for seeking accurate and well rounded information about the world.

liberal elite is a label some people from a group place on another group in order to put them in their proper place. usually not a very positive meaning term, but some people have that need to categorize in such a way.

Frankly, I?ve never understood why some think that being elite and intellectual is a ?bad? thing.
Tootsie, I think you may have nailed the reason in your post above.

I looked these words up the other day to see if I had missed the negative part. Don't think so.

elite: often used with a plural verb ) the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.
2. ( used with a plural verb ) persons of the highest class: Only the elite were there.
3. a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group: the power elite of a major political party.

Liberal: Favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2. ( often initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.
3. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.
4. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
5. favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.
6. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.
7. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.
8. open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.
9. characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.
10. given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.
11. not strict or rigorous; free; not literal: a liberal interpretation of a rule.
12. of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts.
13. of, pertaining to, or befitting a freeman.
intellectual
in?tel?lec?tu?al
[in-tl-ek-choo-uh l]
?adjective
1. appealing to or engaging the intellect: intellectual pursuits.
2. of or pertaining to the intellect or its use: intellectual powers.
3. possessing or showing intellect or mental capacity, esp. to a high degree: an intellectual person.
4. guided or developed by or relying on the intellect rather than upon emotions or feelings; rational.
5. characterized by or suggesting a predominance of intellect: an intellectual way of speaking.
?noun
6. a person of superior intellect.
7. a person who places a high value on or pursues things of interest to the intellect or the more complex forms and fields of knowledge, as aesthetic or philosophical matters, esp. on an abstract and general level.
8. an extremely rational person; a person who relies on intellect rather than on emotions or feelings.
9. a person professionally engaged in mental labor, as a writer or teacher.
10. intellectuals, Archaic .
a. the mental faculties.
b. things pertaining to the intellect.
conservative
con?serv?a?tive
Spelled[kuh n-sur-vuh-tiv]
?adjective
1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
3. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.
4. ( often initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to the Conservative party.
5. ( initial capital letter ) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.
6. having the power or tendency to conserve; preservative.
7. Mathematics . (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.
?noun
8. a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.
9. a supporter of conservative political policies.
10. ( initial capital letter ) a member of a conservative political party, esp. the Conservative party in Great

 

[Teresa]

Thanks for the lesson GW. sometimes we need to stop and remember the meaning of terms we so easily throw around.

is there such thing as conservative elite? why or why not?

Elite, when referring to people's political sensibilities, just doesn't quite cut it. Elite has to do with a class of people - influential, wealthy, etc. A class of elite people can come from any political party, I am thinking. It can be a very conservative leaning person with money or with power of some kind. It can be a hollywood movie star or director, or a certain social class here or any corner of the world. I guess its a term coined by the right to try to convince their own that liberals are elite? elite can be a negative term if you consider an upper class group who doesn't care about the rights or conditions of the lower social classes - I know no liberals who could or would ever think in those terms.

whatever the reason may be for using the term - its inaccurate. I know quite a few very intelligent people who are educated at pretty good levels - most do well financially through education and hard work. some are republicans and some democrats, and many independents... but almost none are elite in any way that I know of.

liberal elite, conservative elite, independent elite. its an interesting concept. but here in America, it doesn't really describe anything I've ever seen, or anyONE I have ever known. I think its just become another lame label used to divide people. I would like to put a label on people who enjoy insulting labels but enough of that.

 

[scooterbug44]

You can call it as many names as you want, but I will always think intelligence and a good education are things to be proud of, to celebrate, and to value.

 

[Andy A]

You can call it as many names as you want, but I will always think intelligence and a good education are things to be proud of, to celebrate, and to value.

Yes, I agree with all you say but I think in many cases education is overblown, as many can do quite well with moderate education except as it applies to their chosen field where it is of utmost importance, but may not require a college degree or higher learning as defined by many.
There are also different kinds of intelligence. To name a few, innate intelligence, learned intelligence and common sense. Some individuals have all of these and more, while others, unfortunately, have none of them. Just my 2 cents.

 

[scooterbug44]

I think intelligence and a college degree are 2 different things, which is why I list them both.

I don't think someone with a college degree is necessarily overall smarter than someone else, but I do think getting a degree is an achievement to be rightly celebrated. And data shows that a person with a degree or specialized training will have a better quality of life, making it a smart choice.

And I totally agree that higher education does not always translate to practical knowledge/common sense. I refer to this as "book smart, life dumb."

 

[30ashopper]

Elitists tend to think they have the moral authority to make choices for others - hence, I don't feel they make good representitives and should not be elected to political office.

Intellectuals span the gamut of political ideology, and tend to think things out before they act. That can be a bad thing or a good thing, but I'd like to think intellectuals can be reasoned with more so than non-intellectuals or elitists.

 

[Geo]

GW, Tootise et al:

You are all too gracious. I personally am sick of the rhetorical magic tricks of the Fox News and the Palin fringe of the republican party.

Uh oh- the dem candidate is really smart. I know. Let's call him liberal elite.

He is charasmatic and inspires many. Let's call him a celebrity.

This isn't working. We need to scare people. Let's call him a socialist and use some swastikas. Let's start a movement protesting taxes- nevermind that they aren't very high or that most got a tax break.

Just so tired of disengenous discourse. But it won't stop because it is so effective at rallying real Americans.

 

[GoodWitch58]

GW, Tootise et al:

You are all too gracious. I personally am sick of the rhetorical magic tricks of the Fox News and the Palin fringe of the republican party.

Uh oh- the dem candidate is really smart. I know. Let's call him liberal elite.

He is charasmatic and inspires many. Let's call him a celebrity.

This isn't working. We need to scare people. Let's call him a socialist and use some swastikas. Let's start a movement protesting taxes- nevermind that they aren't very high or that most got a tax break.

Just so tired of disengenous discourse. But it won't stop because it is so effective at rallying real Americans.

Hey Geo, just because I'm gracious, doesn't mean I'm not just as tired of it as you are...it has always puzzled me though how the language gets so warped, and why so many people buy into it...where/when did being intelligent and working hard to get an education become a thing to diss...when did having those make one not a "regular American.."
like so much else these days, when you break it down, it makes no sense at all...and yet someone pays the Glen Becks of the world to rant and rave on and on in this manner, and people watch him and then accept his rants as "gospel" -- my main point for my post was to point out the obvious dissonance.