This term....Elitist....why is it HERE?

I keep noticing this term....Elitist....in the business discussion threads.

Why is it used here? What is the history? When was it introduced here?

Is it being used correctly, based on Webster's definition? Or is it way off base? In a world where everyone is created equal on day one? It never comes up in a business discussion in RL, where people most certainly were not handed an equal opportunity. So how the heck did it creep into SL?

I am too elitist to dignify this mundane question with any sort of response.

Pep (If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand the answer, as Satch'mo' said.)

Created Equal? Depends on who brought you to SL.

Do we stay equal? No.

That is a fact and part of the history of SL.

It's usually used in reverse: you have two people and one bought a ticket to a concert and the second didn't because it's not required.

If the first person points out that their ticket price might be lower and that they might have a chance of actually seeing the stage and get better value for their money if they simply barred those who didn't buy a ticket then the one who refuses to pay for a ticket will call the paying one "elitist".

Or in other words it's a term used to try and justify a sense of entitlement by spinning it so it looks like there's really something wrong with you for expecting people to pay for things that cost money.

All men were created equal.

The caveat is that some are more equal than others.

We don't stay equal based on what? Fortune and Fame? Knowledge? Wisdom? Life Experience? How did those who put some people into the Elitist category base their qualifications?

And some aren't 'men'. Or human even.

ok...so if it's being used to spin something, then maybe it is not being used correctly? or is that spin part of the definition?

Inconceivable!

In SL I'd say due to experience, immersion, etc. Your SL knowledge and understanding base, of 'how things work' is superior to someone arriving on day one. If they are asking you things, typical things new people ask, your knowledge is superior to theirs on SL matters simply because you know the answers. I'd say probably mostly SL experience makes us 'unequal' in SL. But that's not an attitude necessarily, it's just how it is.

The rest are hats we put on ourselves. I know a store owner or two who's door I wouldn't darken, just because of their attitude to their customers. I have money to spend as I wish in SL. But due to their elitist attitude, I won't choose to spend it certain places where the owner has an attitude of 'diva/prima donna'. I feel, get over yourself, you created something and I can buy it......IF I want to. It's like going to the designer shops on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, as opposed of going to Walmart.

Now, regular everyday people, not content creators in particular but just people enjoying SL and all it has to offer, I don't see that elitist attitude as much, if ever with them.

When i see it used..Most times it is not used for actual elitist.
More so for those that think they are elite.

^^Yeah, This^^. I said all that I said, above, basically just to say this, lol

What about the women?

Pep (On second thoughts, don't worry about answering; we're significantly outnumbered.)

sorry you must have posted while i was typing.I missed it..

We don't. It's what they do with those qualifications, their attitudes and how they conduct themselves. I usually use the elitist term in SL to dscribe those who feel their place in SL is somehow better or more valuable than anyone else. The creator who sniffs at those who don't create and calls them socializing blingtards, the business owner who feels anyone who isn't a serious business person isn't worth his time, the Premium vs Basic discussion, the RLer who looks down on the RPer and vice versa..the person who doesn't "get" the way someone else uses SL. That's elitism to me.

Example please? Link or something to a post?

I don't read enough threads to know where anything like this is happening.

Most of the time I see it used....it seems to be directed toward individuals who are "successful", and generally it seems to involve production/dollar amounts. We have replaced "successful" with Elitist here?

And in the case of that store owner....what makes them Elite? Their own perception? I doubt that you or I would place them in the Elite category based on being a jerk to people.

Desmond, it comes up quite often in the other forum, concerning commerce discussions. I saw it last night again, in Vongk's thread about dumping cheapo products in Xstreet. Oh dear god, please don't make me try to find something in that forum (?).

Isn't it used to define a premium or payment info on file account versus a no payment info on file account or basic account?

ummm no, we haven't replaced 'successful' with elitist. You, Mickey are successful. A content creator and store owner/seller without attitude. It's the ones 'with' attitude that I'd consider elitist, and yes, definitely by their own perception. For me, as a SL consumer, they're just someone to stay away from, when it's time to spend some Lindens.

Mickey, I think you are confusing the potentially pejorative adjective "elitist", with the more neutrally descriptive term "elite", which can also be a noun of course.

Pep (Don't worry your little head about it; English is such a difficult language, especially nuances like this.)

Oh, now you've done it. It's only a matter of time before Yumi shows up and complains about how badly his SLife sucks.

So it is being used to describe someone else's attitude about themselves, and not necessarily cold hard facts/data/qualifications that would actually classify them as "Elite."

I would tend to put someone with a crappy attitude and condescending tone into a less-than-elite category. But when I see the term pop up, it is often directed toward some people who have had a degree of success, without the Tude, and are merely offering some suggestions that might translate to some success for others down the road.

I fear and loathe the commerce forum too much to go hunting there myself, but I can imagine "elitism" used as an epithet against those who object to "cheapies" and "freebies" on XstreetSL. In a recent thread here, it could have been used against those who think merchants should have an in-world presence in addition to their XstreetSL listings.

One might assume that the intent would be to discredit any other arguments the alleged "elitist" might make to support their position.

(Personally, I have one freebie on XstreetSL, but also have confessed trusting merchants with in-world presences more than those without. So I'm not sure if I qualify for "elitist" on those grounds. In my defense, She Who Must Not Be Named once criticized me for not having enough land to justify my involvement in any Community Partnership Program, which I claim forever excludes me from the Elite. )

That's nice of you to say, Treasure....but not successful based on sales figures, as compared to the other merchants.....just at a level of mediocrity....and the times I see it creep up, it seems to be directed toward some average producing merchants, who are simply trying to get to the next level, with some productive suggestions. They would not be considered elite based on sales figures if you were to reserve, say the top 5% of production in SL for the elite. "If" it is being used to describe production.