Rejecting Elitism: A Rebuttal
Last night, while sitting in my dorm common room during a healthy procrastination session, I noticed a copy of The Exonian lying in the corner. Having many better things to do, I picked it up and began reading. Once I reached the Opinion section, I noticed that there was an article titled “Embracing Elitism,” written by Mai Hoang.
I read it thoroughly and would like to offer another perspective on this subject. Before I begin, I would like to make clear that I am not intending this to be in any way hurtful towards Mai or anyone else. I’m not trying to demean or lessen the effects of hardship. I’m just trying to build on what I think is a unique and interesting topic for an op-ed.
In this article, Mai made the case that, as students, we are elitist, in a sense, because: A) we go to one of the foremost boarding schools in America, so we must be doing something right, and B) we are perpetually surrounded by elements of life which can only exist in an elitist lifestyle, such as listening to Pulitzer-prize winners in Assembly or reading in a nook of the Louis Kahn-designed Library. However, I don’t necessarily think this is true, and I would like to offer a counterpoint to Mai’s narrative.
Most people in my hometown see me as having already succeeded in life because I go to Phillips Exeter Academy. They think that because I have made it here, I am destined to attend a prestigious East Coast college with incredibly old buildings and a confusing, complicated Latin motto, and that, after college, I will score a high-paying job as a lawyer or doctor and earn a lot of money.
I’m not saying my experiences are universal, because they definitely are not. But I do believe this only exposes the stereotypes surrounding PEA. We see that even if the student has heaps of financial aid, each Exonian is considered to have “made it,” because we attend such a prestigious school. Most people see us as “elitist pigs,” for lack of a better term.
The reason I disagree with Mai’s op-ed is because she suggests we lean into their discomfort, and embrace our stereotypes as elitists. I believe that the only way that the poisonous root of backwards thinking can grow in society is to allow it space to grow.
If we embrace our destiny as elitists, then we have a baseline for all PEA students, everywhere we go. There is something (that something being money) which everyone thinks we all have in common, and that opens the door for stereotyping, prejudice and bias. Usually, this bias is good, but in some situations it can also be bad.
If you are not elitist in any way but attend PEA, people will still think that you are elitist. If you come from a poor neighborhood, have no money or clothing and still make it to Exeter, you are now under the umbrella of elitism, no matter what the truth is.
However, if you go the other way, go out of your way to prove you are not elitist, you will eventually become non-elitist. The point is, everyone is a mixture of both elitist and normal person, but because of the Exeter student-equals-elitist stereotype, there is no gray area on this issue right now. Nobody can say “I’m kind of elitist, but not really,” because then they will get dragged into an argument about what constitutes elitism or not.
Ultimately, the way I see it, people are grouped into two categories, elitist and not. Most people are elitist. Even as I sit, writing this article, I’m forced to think about if what I am writing can be constituted as a work of pompous irony. However, all I’m asking is for everyone to consider the option that maybe we shouldn’t accept our destiny as elitists, because we risk losing a part of ourselves.
We lose our uniqueness, our ability to say, “I’m different from everyone else here,” and instead that uniqueness is replaced with an overarching belief that no matter what we say, no matter what we do, no matter where we come from, ultimately, we are all elitists, and as a result, we are culturally the same.
I think the pitfalls of embracing elitism should be brought to light, as well as its positive aspects. I believe that we are not doing ourselves any favors by proclaiming the extent of our elitism. Ultimately, however, it is up to each person to decide for him/herself. However, I also believe our choices can affect our futures. As a result, we need to make the right choices about our image going forward, because if we aren’t representing our true selves, then who are we representing?