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Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select
group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other
distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most
seriously or carry the most weight or those who view their own views as so; whose
views and/or actions are most likely to be constructive to society as a whole; or
whose extraordinary skills, abilities or wisdom render them especially fit to govern.
Alternatively, the term elitism may be used to describe a situation in which power is
concentrated in the hands of a limited number of people. Those opposed to elitism
are considered supporters of anti-elitism, populism or the political theory of
pluralism. Elite theory is the sociological or political science analysis of elite
influence in society - elite theorists regard pluralism as a utopian ideal.
Oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía, from óligon, “few,” and arkho, “rule”) is
a form of government in which political power effectively rests with a small, elite
segment of society. The term was used by Aristotle to refer to despotic power
exercised by a small and privileged group for often corrupt or selfish purposes. In
most classic oligarchies, governing elites were recruited exclusively from a
hereditary ruling caste, whose members tended to exercise power in the interests of
their own class.
Oligarchies have sometimes been synonymous with aristocracies, which were ruled by
members of a noble class, or with plutocracies, ruled by the wealthy members of a
community. However, neither wealth nor noble birth are necessary conditions for
belonging to the privileged group which rules an oligarchy. Historically, there have
been organized oligarchies, and unofficial oligarchies in which a group of “advisers”
dictated the policies of an official ruler. In practice, almost all governments,
whatever their form, are run by a small minority of members of society, and it is
necessary to further examine the ways in which these individuals acquire and retain
power in order to correctly understand whether a system of government is a
oligarchy.
Oligarchy and democracy
Political scientists and sociologists are beginning to differentiate more carefully
between various types of control and power. The type of power held by a democratic
leader, while much greater than that of any single individual, is very different from
the power wielded by a dictator in a totalitarian and authoritarian government. In a
democracy, the ruling “oligarchy” can be effectively challenged by outsiders at any
time, while an oligarchy in an authoritarian government protects its position by force
if necessary, and retains power indefinitely. In a democracy, effective control
changes hands so frequently that it is difficult to identify those in power as a “class”
or an “elite.” In speaking of “rule by the few,” the expression “the few” is difficult
to define. In an actual democracy, oligarchic tendencies arise for several reasons,
including a lack of active participation by many citizens. Only a small minority of
those who are voting take the initiative to research the issues and learn about the
candidates during an election, in order to make an informed choice. The majority of
voters are vulnerable to the ideas propagated by expensive media campaigns. Few
individual political candidates have the economic resources to purchase the
advertising exposure required to capture public attention, with the result that they
are often under obligation to special interest groups of various kinds.
A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turn around") is a fundamental change
in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of
time. Its use to refer to political change dates from the scientific revolution
occasioned by Copernicus' famous De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium. Aristotle
described two types of political revolution:
1. Complete change from one constitution to another
2. Modification of an existing constitution.
Revolutions have occurred through human history and vary widely in terms of
methods, duration, and motivating ideology. Their results include major changes in
culture, economy, and socio-political institutions.
Scholarly debates about what does and does not constitute a revolution center
around several issues. Early studies of revolutions primarily analyzed events in
European history from a psychological perspective, but more modern examinations
include global events and incorporate perspectives from several social sciences,
including sociology and political science. Several generations of scholarly thought on
revolutions have generated many competing theories and contributed much to the
current understanding of this complex phenomenon.
Rebellion, or uprising, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be
seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an
established authority such as a government or a head of state. On the one hand the
forms of behaviour can include non-violent methods such as the (overlapping but not
quite identical) phenomena of civil disobedience, civil resistance and nonviolent
resistance. On the other hand it may encompass violent campaigns. Those who
participate in rebellions, especially if they are armed rebellions, are known as
"rebels". A rebel is distinguished from an outsider. An outsider is one who is excluded
from a group whereas a rebel goes against it. Also, a rebel's potential to overthrow
the leadership is recognized and substantial, unless the rebellion is crushed, whereas
an outsider has been marginalized and is considered to be degenerate.
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands,
and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power
Civil resistance is a term used by some - alongside the term nonviolent resistance to describe political action that relies on the use of non-violent methods by civil
groups to challenge a particular power, force, policy or regime. Civil resistance
operates through appeals to the adversary, pressure and coercion: it can involve
systematic attempts to undermine the adversary's sources of power. Forms of action
have included demonstrations, vigils and petitions; strikes, go-slows, boycotts and
emigration movements; and sit-ins, occupations, and the creation of parallel
institutions of government. Civil resistance movements' motivations for avoiding
violence are generally related to context, including a society's values and its
experience of war and violence, rather than to any absolute ethical principle. Cases
of civil resistance can be found throughout history and in many modern struggles,
against both tyrannical rulers and democratically elected governments. The
phenomenon of civil resistance is often associated with the advancement of
democracy. (See also the section below on "The term 'civil resistance': merits and
concerns".)
Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving sociopolitical goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political
noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous
with civil resistance. Each of these terms ("nonviolent resistance" and "civil
resistance") has its distinct merits and also slightly different connotations, which are
briefly explored in the entry on civil resistance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Normie: A normal person.
Geek: An outwardly normal person who has taken the time to learn technical skills.
Geeks have as normal a social life as anyone, and usually the only way to tell if
someone is a geek is if they inform you of their skills.
Nerd: A socially awkward person who has learned technical skills due to the spare
time they enjoy from being generally neglected. Their technical knowledge then
leads normies to neglect them even further, leading to more development of their
technical skills, more neglection, etc. This vicious cycle drives them even more into
social oblivion.
Dork: A person who, although also socially awkward, doesn't have the intelligence to
fill the void with technical pursuits, like a nerd, and is forced to do mindless
activities. Almost always alone. Usually with an XBox. Like playing Halo. All day.
Every day. Not even understanding how the Xbox is making the pretty pictures on the
screen. Very sad.