Eroding Elitism?

An ugly term inhabits a world view: 'Suurstofdiefie' (oxygen-thief, is the Afrikaans idiom.) Other expressions charge our sensibilities: Fool; idiot; fatso; wastrel. We deliver one-up-manships rather easily. After all, degrees of intelligence, of talent, of beauty, of ability are evident to us all. We live with differentiation. Still, despite conscious efforts at compassion, an unwitting sense of suffocation can arise. It gathers around the self in one's company, one's job, one's town or city or province, state, and country. Yet we each breathe hardly beyond the immediacy of need for our own oxygen. An aircraft fuselage is like that; a cigar box of recycled air. Air shared by all. Guests come, and go.

Apportionment is at issue. Schools are like that; constricting rules, or you're out! Associations are like that; a governance by forces. The Fukushima Power Plant eruptions; the South African farmers' genocide; these appear as isolated events beyond our apprehension. Yet they each affect the rest of us. We hardly can be isolationist. And in our collaborations, we conspire. We become invigorated, or dulled. Degrees of thinking can become impeded, or elevated, by communion with others, yes? Twit!

Quality is at issue. Yet there is much that would deny degrees of 'more-better' by comparisons, especially to others. Habits of speech, of thinking, of topics to discuss, of interests, drive deep into the status quo, such that to be an outlier, to be a dissident, to be ahead of one's time (or even too far behind,) is not to be de rigour at all. We rise or fall by meeting expectations. And we must perforce pretend to be on board, to be abreast, or to concur with the basic percepts at hand. To speak out of turn, above one's station, as an instinct at being precocious, or even as a matter of wanting to address a grievance can seems so snobbish, so up-start-ish, so misplaced as to bring upon oneself too severe an ire. No wonder we have kith and clan and nationhood and school districts and accents and neighbourhoods defined by the bell-curve. It is the anomaly that disquiets: "Just who do you think you are?" Even the most gentle of intentions, the softest tones, the most caring of dispositions may not be sufficient to dispel the raised hackles of the ones in distrust. We share space. We share ideas. We share expectations. We share air!

The big deal is that a huge disparity lies in the sharing of our oxygen, our water, our intelligence quotient. After all, if the sum of all energy indeed remains a constant, then might it not be true that we vie for bits of energy ourselves? (as though your using up energy is an appropriation of mine)! Oxygen thief! Well, when it comes to resources that is exactly what we do contend! We absolutely assume that we have rights to energy that others are evidently too lazy, incapable, impoverished, or recalcitrant to appropriate unto themselves. And as such, we each live with our own apportionment of resources, if not enclaves of such. Our country is richer, yours is poorer; we work harder, invest more, and thereby deserve more. So too for our quality of life. So too for our right to an education system, (if not heaven itself.) Is that not why there are various religions? (Matthew 17). Is that not why there are various nations, various neighbourhoods? An eagle, or a fish? My parents were not rich enough to outrank yours. I did not have the privileges. Snob!

Unfairness is a way of life. We see beautiful or handsome as an inherent trait, (especially in those not old enough to wear makeup). We are very conscious of weight, height, and even hair colour. "She is the one with buck teeth! He has jug-ears!" And we can be decided enough purposefully to maim our children, mar or dock pets, or scar even ourselves in the name of perceived beauty. (Psychological impacting can sometimes be so subtle.) Yes, we are indeed judgmental of material wealth, of talent wealth, of mental wealth. After all, "He cannot carry a tune. She cannot carry a ball." But she is, "first in class". And we easily name another a fool, an idiot! But openly to declare that another is stifling one's own development, is holding one back, is preventing potential, well now, that is another matter altogether. Elitism can be horridly arrogant. Idiot! Suurstofdiefie! Still, we do share space and time, and thereby needs share our air, indeed.