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2/23/2016 8:36:30 PM
7
The Ideology of Elitism Has Nothing To Do With Bullying or Self-Righteousness
[i]Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals who form an elite—a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality or worth, high intellect , wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes—are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others.[/i]
Elitism is an ideology shrouded in controversy and negativity. From a gaming perspective, elitists are described as those who are incredibly self-righteous, selfish and narcissistic individuals. Contrary to popular belief, not all elitist gamers are like this. While many gamers do fit this criteria (even I do at times), it's not what true elitism is. What elitism is, is the idea that [u]the most capable individuals are who should succeed more, than those who aren't as capable.[/u] This is seen everywhere, from sports teams, to universities, to jobs, and yes, gaming as we all are aware.
By definition, Destiny clans such as Invigorate, Autopsy, Last Rites, or iAM are elitist, as they don't accept just any Guardian; they accept only the best ones. By definition, nearly every university and sports team is elitist, because of the same reasons. Yet people don't have a problem with this, only in the gaming world do people actually find this unsettling. The thing to remember, is that the best gamers in the world, the pro gamers, the streamers and pubstompers, are nearly all elitist in some respect or another. Many of them may be open to playing with lesser skilled players, but when they're playing competitively or for stats, they play with only the best players. This is elitist. To not be an elitist, you must always play with anyone, [u]no matter what.[/u] Therefore, we all share aspects of elitist behavior and those who argue against it are usually hypocrites.
At it's very core, gaming elitism is solely about winning as much as possible and doing as well as possible. It's[b] NOT[/b] about being disrespectful or snide to others. If you meet someone acting like that, they may be elitist, [u]but they're also a dick[/u]. The latter detail is the most important.
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1 ReplyEdited by TheArtist: 2/23/2016 9:52:46 PMPower corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. No human is so pure of character or motive that he should ever be trusted with unchecked power.....or the notion that he is intrinsically better than another. Your post is flawed because you are trying to conflate Elitism with MERITOCRACY. The two are not the same. Elitism is the notion that one person or a group of people are DEFINTIONALLY better than another. Some of the worlds greatest crimes have been perpetrated in the name of elitism. The blood bath of World War I, where Europe's dying monarchies sent its commoners to die by the millions in the mud in the defense of empires. The Fascism that lead to WWII. The racism that led tot he African Slave trade, and the anti-Semitism that gave us the Holocaust. Elitism is----by its VERY nature disrespectful and snide----because it believes that I am not simply more talented but that I am fundamentally a better human being than you are from the womb. MERITOCRACY is the notion that you EARN your place in society by demonstrating competence and talent. Universities that fill their classes with the chidren of (wealthy) alumni are being greedy and elitis. Universities that fill the classes with the best and brightest students are employing meritocracy. Sports teams are not elitists. Teams that wish to WIN are strict meritocracies. You compete win your starting position...and you compete to hold on to it...and the moment you are no longer the best player for the job you are either relegated to the bench or are off the team. The notion of elitism is that those who are "most capable" is determined by lineage, race, sex, and other factors of birth. Meritocracy is the notion that those who are most capable is proven by actual deeds. In the goal is to win in some competitive arena...then meritocracy is appropriate. It is the most effective and efficient way to find out who are the best at a given task. But elitism is always toxic and inappropriate....and even meritocracy is inappropriate in situations where there is not supposed to be competition for limited resources. Because toxic competitiveness sours and corrodes communities....and breaks the bonds of relationships.
